It’s Hand Sewing Time, and I’m enjoying a little peace while finishing this gown in the style of 1903.
Victorian Dress
And Now For Some More Directoire Style…
One of the more interesting styles of the late 1880s/early 1890s was the Directoire. In an earlier post, we gave some details about this fascinating style so today, we’re going to add a bit more. 🙂 The key elements of the Directoire style, as applied to the late Nineteenth Century, were jackets with wide lapels combined with simple, mostly un-trained skirts. Also, closely aligned was the redingote style and both were often combined as seen with this example:
One of the most eye-catching features of Directoire style were the lapels/revers. Here’s a few more interesting examples that we’ve recently come across:
In the above example from the October 1892 issue of La Revue de la Mode, we see a set of very wide, pointed lapels on a jacket with a diagonally cut front that calls away to reveal a white waist or pseudo-waist. The striped skirt offers an interesting contrast and the whole effect is a geometrical collection of straight lines going in a variety of directions. Along the same lines is this style on the left illustrated in an 1892 fashion plate from La Mode Française:
In terms of style, with its long revers and overall length, this one leans more towards a Louis XVI style but still overlaps somewhat in that the jacket is clearly mean to be worn open, displaying an ornately trimmed waistcoat (or pseudo waistcoat), complemented by the embroidered trim on both revers. Elaborate decorative designs were a characteristic of Directoire style, especially with the larger lapels that provided the perfect “canvas” as with this illustration from the March 1899 issue of The Delineator:
Both of these outfits are amazing and a bit over-the-top. The left dress features an elegant coat with elaborate decorative patterns that were no doubt, done in silver and jet beading (or some combination thereof). Although the fabric is not specified here, we envision a black silk velvet . The pale blue skirt offers an interesting color contrast with its white floral applique pattern running along the hem. The perfect outfit for Spring. The outfit on the right is a bit more dramatic with its burnt orange jacket combined with a green skirt with a vertical soutache pattern running down the front. The contrast colors make for a harmonious package that sets the stage for the dramatic striped patterns on the lapels and collar; these definitely catch the eye and direct focus towards the wearer’s face. We hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into one of the more interesting styles of the 1890s and we’ll be featuring more in future posts. 🙂
And Now Back To The 70s…The 1870s, That Is…
For a little change of pace, we’re diving back some 20 years to the 1870s today with a look at probably one of the best extant examples of a mid-1870s day dress that we’ve ever seen in a museum collection, this circa 1875-1896 day dress from the Goldstein Museum of Design:
Day Dress, c. 1875-1876; Goldstein Museum of Design/University of Minnesota(1971.002.001a-c)
The bodice back has a large v-shaped inset in the solid mint green fabric, also trimmed with the striped green ruching.
From this view, one can get a good look at the train.
The photography for this dress is excellent- they’ve captured every angle and nuance precisely. And here’s a good side profile view:
This dress is constructed from a combination of green striped silk taffeta combined with solid mint green silk taffeta on the front and upper bodice and striped trimming along the hems, arms, and bodice edges. The silhouette is mid-1870s with a more restrained train and bustle that gives shape but at the same time is more structured than what was characteristic of the early 1870s. One interesting thing to note is that the green striped taffeta is cut on the grain for the bodice, sleeves, and a good part of the skirts but for the hem trimmings, they’re cut on the bias. This was fairly standard practice but with the striped fabric, it’s very apparent. Now for some detail pictures of the neck and shoulders:
The front and upper bodice are of solid mint-green silk taffeta framed by ruching in the stripped taffeta. Here’s an extreme close-up of the front upper bodice showing cut steel buttons and hand-stitched buttonholes:
The collar is a low mandarin collar and matches the bodice front. Now here’s one of the upper shoulders with various trim treatments. The sleeves are trimmed with solid green stripes framed with ruching from the striped green taffeta.
And some more details, first from the upper rear:
And the back without the draped overskirt:
And a view from the inside of the underskirt:
And here’s a rear view of just the underskirt:
And finally, something that’s often absent from museum displays, details of the underpinnings that go a long way towards proper dress presentation. Often these details are overlooked and the garments are not displayed to their best advantage.
We are absolutely amazed with the detail and thoroughness of the photographic documentation for this dress and it seems to overlook nothing. In terms of recreating this dress, this vastly simplifies the process. Aesthetically, this dress is definitely more middle class than haute couture and that’s perfectly fine. 🙂 It’s representative of a woman’s “best dress” of the era that would serve excellently for a variety of social occasions.
And For Another Waist And Skirt Style…
And continue the theme of 1890s waist and skirt style, today we focus on another skirt and waist combination that was featured in an 1896 edition of La Mode Pratique:
Here’s a rough translation of the description:
Dinner dress for a young woman; satin skirt; batiste bodice with polka dots decorated with a yoke and a belt of guipure lace1Guipure was a heavy lace consisting of embroidered motifs joined together by large connecting stitches.; draped satin collar; long white suede gloves.
This is a very elegant version of the waist and skirt style with the skirt being constructed of a brown silk satin combined with a waist/bodice2The terms “bodice” and “waist” or “blouse” were often used intern changeably. The term “corsage” was also used both in English and French. Often the lines seem to blur. constructed from a silk batiste trimmed with a matching lace collar and belt made of a white or ivory guipure lace (hard to tell from the illustration). What is also interesting is that the waist is a belted waist, meant for wear over the dress rather than being tucked in at the skirt waist line. Finally, to complete this outfit, there is also a pair of white suede gloves.
As can be seen from the above illustration, this style is a bit more formal than what was normally associated with the typical waist and skirt style of the era- that of a simple skirt and blouse-like shirtwaist (or waist. Here, the belted waist becomes more formal, bordering on a conventional dress bodice but yet, not quite; filling a niche- dressy but not too dressy- and is a perfect way to make an outfit serve in multiple roles. Moreover, we believe that this style is a perfect candidate for being recreated, because of its versatility. To us, the belted waist is a very under-represented style when looking at today’s recreated garments yet it was a very popular style of the 1890s. The belted waist came in a variety of styles for a number of price points to include sewing patterns for the home-sewer like these:
And here’s an extent example:
Day Dress, Cotton, c. 1890s; Augusta Auctions
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this close-up of just one of many waist and skirt styles that were in existence during the 1890s and we hope to be posting more in the future. 🙂
And Looking Forward To Returning To No. 11
I‘ve been working on commissions and dressing many who are looking forward to enjoying a few days of Spring! Looking forward to coming back to our No. 11 soon…I’m watching the notices from both the CA and AZ governors. 🙂
