Hollywood Victorian

Looking Back At 2021

/ Adam Lid / Leave a comment

Looking back at 2021, we have to say overall that it was a year of growth for us as we slowly pull ourselves out of the lingering effects of COVID. Like many businesses, 2020 was a chaotic year and put a brake on the many plans we had. However, we did take the enforced idle time to reassess our goals and priorities and devised a more focused approach to Lily Absinthe.

During 2021, we established Atelier Lily Absinthe on Etsy as an outlet for a variety of finished products ranging from fabrics and pattern to fashion-related books. Originally conceived as a outlet for selling off part of extensive stocks of fabrics and patterns that we’ve accumulated over the years, Atelier Lily Absinthe has evolved into a larger enterprise complementing our business focused around custom commissions. One of the most exciting aspects is our curated approach to our offerings- it’s not a random gathering of “stuff” but rather a focused collection of items intended to enhance the historic clothing experience. The motto “One of a kind, few of a kind” encapsulates everything Atelier Lily Absinthe  is about.

2021 was also good for us in that we were able to spend two weeks in October we had to the opportunity to return to the UK, specifically in the west of England, and reconnect with our friends. 😎

We’re looking forward to 2022 and returning to the UK and hopefully France so stay tuned for more. 😎 😄

And For A Little Pingat

/ Adam Lid / Leave a comment

Emile Pingat’s designs have always been fascinating and especially since he tends to overshadowed by Worth (and Doucet, to a lesser extent). Today, Pingat was mostly noted for his outerwear, but he also designed dresses. Below is an interesting day dress from 1897:

Pingat, Day Dress, 1897; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.2012.95.123a-b)

This dress consists of a multi-gored skirt combined with an under-bodice all of a patterned woven silk fabric. The over-bodice simulates a capelet and along with the sleeves is constructed from a red silk velvet. The same color silk velvet can also be seen in the chevrons running along the skirt and the belt. The gigot sleeves are relatively subdued for an 1897 style; what is especially interesting about the sleeves is that the sleeve caps open up to reveal insets of woven silk fabric that’s similar to the skirt and under-bodice. Here’s a close-up of the left shoulder:

Here’s a close-up of the fabric used in the inset on the sleeves. The intricate floral cord border is an interesting decorative touch:

And here’s the fabric used on the skirt and under-bodice:

When you look at the overall dress, the eye is immediately drawn to the shoulders and the two insets provide some interesting color pops to the red outer-bodice. On the flip side, one could also argue that the dress is too busy from a design perspective and that the somewhat dramatic design elements should have been scaled back: one or to works well but not everything. But nevertheless, Pingat’s design is imaginative and the upper sleeve inserts is something that’s not normally seen in 1890s style. Stay tuned for more in our never-ending quest for the unique and different in late Nineteenth Century style.

AtelierLilyAbsinthe | Etsy
You searched for: AtelierLilyAbsinthe! Discover the unique items that AtelierLilyAbsinthe creates. At Etsy, we pride ourselves on our global community of sellers. Each Etsy seller helps contribute to a global marketplace of creative goods. By supporting AtelierLilyAbsinthe, you’re supporting a small…

What’s On- Holiday Edition

/ Karin McKechnie-Lid / Leave a comment

It’s been a busy year for us and a time of many changes. If you haven’t noticed, we’ve created an online selling presence on Etsy at Atelier Lily Absinthe where we are selling a variety of fabrics, trims, books, and patterns that have been curated by us. For fabrics, we have a mix of newly-acquired and vintage fabrics from our fabric stash. We will also be offering a variety of historical fashion ephemera that we have acquired over the years. Our motto: One of a kind, few of a kind!  😁

Finally, we’re still taking commissions and we will be offering a line of ready-made garments in the near future. We welcome you inquiries- feel free to email us at info@lilyabsinthe.com

Karin McKechnie & Adam Lid

 

Twenty Years Ago In Tombstone

/ Karin McKechnie-Lid / Leave a comment

Twenty years ago in December, we bought our little house here in town…and it’s been an adventure ever since! It gives us a “balance” to our LA life with lifetime friendships and my second design studio. Love our town. ❤

Another New Arrival At Atelier Lily Absinthe!

/ Adam Lid / Leave a comment

Just in time for Christmas! We were fortunate to be able to obtain a copy of this fabulous book Textiles for Victorian and Edwardian Clothing: 1880-1920 by Diana L. Fagan Affleck and Karen J. Herbaugh. Originally published in 2004 and long out of print, this book is an excellent introduction to the somewhat bewildering world of late 19th and early 20th Century fabrics. The book itself combines documentation with representative swatches of fabric. Having actual fabric swatches is a major plus in that the reader can now see and feel representative fabric samples and thus be able to gain a better understanding of the actual fabrics that were used. This book is definitely a labor of love and it’s too bad that it’s been out of print for so long- naturally, including the fabric swatches was no doubt a major logistical undertaking. About the closest thing out there today are fabric swatch kits that accompany most textile textbooks. Check it out in our Etsy store: 😁

Textiles for Victorian and Edwardian Clothing 1880-1920 Diane | Etsy
Interested in Victorian and Edwardian clothing but confused as to how exactly the fabrics of the period looked and felt like? Heres an reference source that provides an excellent introduction and can definitely help! This is a used copy of the 2004 book Textiles for Victorian and Edwardian Clothing