Bustle

Planning For The V&A…

/ Adam Lid / 1 Comment

 

On our upcoming trip to Bath, we’ll be spending a few days in London and heading up the list of places we’ll be visiting is the Victoria & Albert Museum (aka the V&A). The V&A has an incredible fashion collection to include items from the 19th Century and it’s been one of our main go-to websites for online research. Now we’re going to have an opportunity to actually see some of their holdings in person (at least the ones that are not in storage). Here’s one dress that we’re looking forward to viewing in person:

Day Dress Princess Line V&A 1870 - 1880

Day Dress, c. 1870 – 1880; V&A Museum (CIRC.606-1962)

Day Dress Princess Line V&A 1870 - 1880

Rear View

According to the V&A website, the date is circa 1870 – 1880 although we would argue that it’s more like the late 1870s/1880s- the Mid-Bustle Era- the princess line combined with the nearly non-existent train would suggest that. 🙂 The princess line creates a large-scale “canvas” of sorts for displaying dramatic decorative effects, in this case rows of ruched silk. Framing it is a floral silk jacquard in a floral pattern. Also, the hem has two layers of pleated silk to matched the ruching material above.

Of course, as with all on-line research, it’s often hard to completely see the dress details and often there are subtle elements that are overlooked. However, it’s gratifying to know that we’ll be able to view this in person and hopefully the details will make a stronger impression. We’re definitely looking forward to visiting the V&A! 🙂

 

Planning For Bath…

/ Adam Lid / 4 Comments

Image result for roman bath england

As we get closer to our departure for the United Kingdom, the pace of planning has increased and we’re building up our list of places to see and visit. Naturally, since we’re going to be spending time in Bath, we’re going to take advantage of the local sites and especially the Fashion Museum Bath. Naturally, we’re focused on the Mid to Late 19th Century but we’re open to everything. Here are a few examples from the 1870s:

Day Dress 1874 Bath Fashion Museum

Day Dress, 1874; Fashion Museum Bath

Evening Dress c. 1871 Fashion Museum Bath

Evening Dress, c. 1871; Fashion Museum Bath

Bath Fashion Museum Day Dress c. 1876

Evening Dress, c. 1876; Fashion Museum Bath

Unfortunately, not much information was available online but luck for us, we’ll hopefully be able to study these in person (assuming that they’re on open display). We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

 

 

Trending For October 1897…The Return Of The Bustle?

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Normally, one does not associate the bustle with 1890s style but we recently came across this item from the October 10, 1897 edition of the Los Angeles Herald that claims that the bustle will be making a return:

We have heard rumors of this event for a very long time, but that it would really come, no one had the grace to acknowledge until the present time. l am free to admit, however, that I think the bustle in its present form is bound to be popular, for it is far from being the monstrosity of a few years ago. Neat and graceful, it is just large enough to round up the hips and give a stylish set to the skirt and. prevent its sagging.

The modern idea is to use the bustle in the only sensible way- that is, to suit the individual, and not have one shape and style for everybody. Thus they are being made in great variety, both long and short, and some much fuller than others, and if we will only select one for ourselves which is suited to our particular figure, I think it will really be acceptable. The style most in vogue is moderately long and has hip extensions, which suit the woman who is tall and not too full of outline. But, as I say, there are shapes to suit everybody and no rule can be said to govern this important matter. Each must choose her own style. But a pad of some sort is essential In order to be fashionable.

WHAT? The bustle returning…just what exactly is the author talking about? Well, to begin, it’s definitely not the previous styles, either the 1880s style bustle or its 1870s predecessor, which the author terms “a monstrosity.” What exactly did the author have in mind? Well, probably something more along these lines like this bustle pad:

Bustle c. 1895 - 1905

Bustle, c. 1895 – 1905; Metropolitan Museum of Art (C.I.44.48.8)

Bustle c. 1895 - 1905

Going a bit later, we have this example from 1907:

Bustle Pad 1907

Bustle Pad, 1907; FIDM Museum (2004.5.9)

 

Bustle Pad 1907

Bustle Pad 1907

The Label- This specimen appears to have never been used.

Bustle pads came in an assortment of sizes and types as detailed in this page out of the 1902 edition of the Sears and Roebuck Catalog:

Sears Catalog No. 111 1902 Edition

It’s interesting how ideas change- from the cage-like bustles/tornures of the 1870s and 80s to the fairly minimal padded versions of the 1890s and early 1900s. But either way, the goal was achieving a ideal fashion silhouette that could only be accomplished through the use of body modification. While the specific methods have changed, body modification is still sought after today. 🙂

Colors For 2018…

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Color is an essential part of any garment and one of the first things designers do is create a color palette. The palette can be based on things that inspire the designer such as the seasons, a particular location, or even a specific feeling. In today’s fashion world, designers often rely on trend prediction services to attempt to understand what the market is going to favor and this is especially true when it comes to colors (eve wonder why it seems that everything from cars and appliances to clothing seem to come in certain specific colors?). Just for fun, below are the “official” colors for Spring 2018, as interpreted by Pantone:

Don’t be surprised if there are a few of these in our designs… 🙂

In The Works…Mid-Bustle Era Day Dress

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There’s always something going on at the Atelier and December is no exception. 🙂 Drawing once again on the Mid-Bustle Era, another day dress design is in the works. One of my first steps was to determine what sort of a dress it would be- in this case, a day dress, or more precisely, a visiting dress. At the same time, I had to determine my color palette. After some thought (and looking at the vegetation in our back yard), I decided that it might be interesting work with the color green and in particular, olive. After some more thought, I worked out a preliminary color palette:

Color Palette Mid-Bustle Dress Design Adam

Of course, this is not set in stone, but rather, it’s just a starting place…

OK, at this point you’re probably wondering about the actual dress design…after all, don’t we need that in order to guide what fabrics we’re going to need? Well, yes…here’s what I have  mind for the moment, starting with this inspiration from an 1879 fashion plate:

Sylvia_s_Home_Journal_1879_3 Mid-Bustle Era Design Fabric Mid-Bustle Dress Design Adam

However, there’s going to be some details that I’m looking at changing, possibly on the bodice front and possibly the sleeves:

Sylvia_s_Home_Journal_1879_2 Mid-Bustle Era Design Fabric Mid-Bustle Dress Design Adam

Now that we’ve established the general style idea, here’s some of the fabric I sourced:

Mid-Bustle Era Design Fabric Mid-Bustle Dress Design Adam

Essentially, I’m looking at two silks in olive, one striped and one solid. I bought 10 yards of the striped and 5 yards of the solid. This should cover the majority of the dress although there’s a little more to do in this area. This is just the start on what should be an interesting and productive project. Stay tuned for more! 🙂