I hear this a lot:
I knew that was a McKechnie gown, it had tons of/covered in/had lots of knife pleats!
I do appreciate my work being noticed, but if you want to really want to pleat sans fear, I’m working on a three part series: “The Pleats Unfolded” at our Lily Absinthe blog, Part 1 will be out this Saturday. Stay tuned! 🙂
In the course of researching the designs of Jacques Doucet, I was struck by his use of lamé and other metallic fabrics and trims. Doucet was especially fascinated with gold lamé; whether in the form of basic woven fabric, brocade or netting infused with metallic threats, Doucet used these with a lavish hand in his evening dress and ball gown designs.
So just WHAT is lamé? Most of us, including this author, have visions of horrific 1980s fashions such as those worn by Alexis Carrington on Dynasty. Lamé reads “excess” and if used with a heavy hand, it tends to dominate a design to the exclusion of all else.
DYNASTY – “The Aftermath” – Airdate October 7, 1987. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images) JOAN COLLINS
In reality, the word “lamé” derives from Old French and roughly translated means “thin metal plate” and such, it’s defined as “any fabric containing metal or metallic yarns as a conspicuous feature” or “any fabric woven with flat metallic yarns (similar to tinsel) that form either the ground or the pattern.” Lamé could also be used as part of a brocade.
Dating back to Classical Rome and the later Middle Ages, Lamé was was made by winding flattened metal wire around a thread core (commonly linen or silk but horsetail hair or wool were also used). This metallic thread was then woven into fabric. Also, even before this technique was developed, the metal itself was cut in thin strips from sheets of beaten or rolled gold or silver and these strips were then woven into the fabric. Finally, in some instances silver was mixed with the gold as a result, the lamé would often tarnish.
Early 15th Century gold brocade dress of Margareta (1353 – 1412), Queen of Denmark, Sweden, & Norway.
Later, in an effort to reduce costs various substitutions were sought out of which the most common was to use yarn made of aluminum laminated between layers of film. More recently in 1946 was the development of Lurex, a registered trademark for a type of yarn with a metallic appearance; Lurex is available in a wide variety of colors.
Lurex Fabric
Lurex in reeled yarn.
So needless to say, lamé was an expensive fabric that was used almost exclusively in the luxury trade (although lamé was also used to make clerical vestments).  🙂
While Doucet was noted for his use of gold lam̩, it was used with relative restraint when compared to the following dress from circa 1879 Р1880 (at least according to the auction website):
Frontal View
Close-up of the upper bodice.
Three Quarter Front Profile
Front Three Quarter View
Rear View
Left Side Profile
Right Side Profile
Close-up of the hem treatment and fringe.
One more close-up. Note the fringe detail.
Close-Up Of The Base Fabric
Detail Of Cuff
Detail Of Button
The above dress is constructed from a combination of gold lamé brocade and burgundy velvet with violet and burgundy trim. Unfortunately, not much is known about the provenance of the dress. The style is a princess line and  although the dress is supposed to date from 1879 – 1880, it’s hard to tell exactly what is going on with the train since there is no proper bustle on underneath; the fabric of the train simply falls to the floor in a jumble.
But bustle aside, the most striking thing about this dress is simply the volume of old lamé brocade that is used; it is almost everywhere with no relief. Yes, the scale is impressive but it’s also overwhelming and one could argue that it’s almost vulgar. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing and this is amply demonstrated.
Like the excesses that characterized the 1980s, the “gilded age” of the 1870s and 1880s were also an era of excess and it only goes to show that not only do fashions re-circulate, but they often come full circle and never has this been so evident with the use of gold lamé.
And the design process never sleeps….
Bustle-y, Ruffly, Pleaty, Lacey, and a bit of Embroidery…all the necessary bits for for a gorgeous gown here at Lily Absinthe. Come try this one on at Gaslight Gathering 5! 🙂
Here’s the first gown that was in my head when I first found these fabrics. I love fashion plates, but extant dresses are the best:
Jacques Doucet (1853 – 1929), portrait taken in 1926.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at another of Charles Frederick Worth’s contemporaries, Jacques Doucet. Born in 1853, Doucet was born to a prosperous family who ran a lingerie and linens business that had been established in 1817. In 1871 Doucet opened his first salon, specializing in women’s fashions. Doucet was also known as a patron of the arts and from 1880 to his death in 1929, he amassed large collections of manuscripts, furniture, paintings and various objects d’art. The 18th Century was especially one of his favorite periods and it influenced many of his designs.
Here is one of his earlier designs:
Jacques Doucet, Day Dress, c. 1880; Metropolitan Museum of Art (1984.337a, b)
Rear View
Rear three-quarter profile.
Side Profile View
With this dress, Doucet utilizes a combination of beaded trim,  lace, and embroidered fabrics to achieve an elegant  and refined design. The embroidered design on the bodice is especially striking. Below is a close-up of the design:
The relatively unadorned skirt serves as a background/counterpoint, thus allowing the bodice and sleeves to take center focus. The trim on the skirt hem is easy to overlook but it also adds a subtle touch but you really have to look at for a bit before it makes it’s impact. Finally, there are the enameled buttons which also lend another decorative touch:
Enameled buttons run down the front of the bodice.
And of course, the label.
Looking at the train, it appears that there was a minimal bustle which was characteristic of dresses from the early 1880s. However, the train appears to almost untidy and somewhat clumsy, detracting from the overall effect of the dress. It is hard to say if the way the dress is displayed above was worn in the same manner but I would suspect not. It would appear that the dress was not properly bustled when it was set up on display but this is only our opinion.
Doucet was known for the use of various transparent materials and extensive beadwork and jeweling. Below are some examples:
Doucet, Evening Dress, c. 1898 – 1900; Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009.300.2533a, b)
Bodice
Close-up of the bead and trim work.
According to the Met Website, the dress had become fragile (which explains why it’s not mounted on a mannequin). The decoration on the outside appears to be a combination of jewels, metallic bead work, gold lamé and fabric set on a base netting of sorts (it’s hard to tell from just the photo alone).
Below is another example of Doucet’s work in gold lamé:
Jacques Doucet, Ball Gown, c. 1898 – 1902; Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009.300.3274a, b)
Rear View
Side Profile
Black and white three-quarters view.
Three-Quarter View
The ball gown is constructed from a gold lamé and trimmed in gold appliques on the skirt and bodice. The bodice combines gold lamé, appliques, and netting. The full impact of the gold lamé is not fully evident until one looks at the three three-quarter view pictures above. The gold lamé appears fairly lifeless but when it’s viewed as a three-dimensional garment, the dress seems to come alive; it can only be imagined how the dress would have looked when it was first worn.
Doucet’s use of metallic fabrics, embroidery, and trim were inspired by 18th Century design elements to create rich textures that were delicate and overwhelming at the same time. In short, it was luxury taken to its ultimate limit.
In our next installment, we’ll take a further look at Doucet so stay tuned! 🙂
To Be Continued…
We are never idle here at Lily Absinthe, we’re either designing or constructing garments in a seemingly never-ending cycle. Below is one of our current designs we are working on, an afternoon or visiting dress designed by Charles Worth in 1879:
Visiting Dress, Charles Worth, 1879; Museum of the City of New York (40.74.2)
Here are some more views:
Unfortunately, the photography does not do justice to the dress; if you compare the top picture with the four views below it, it does not appear that they are the same dress. But rest assured, they are; this dress is referenced in The Opulent Era and the top picture appears there in black and white.
Now, as to the dress itself, according to the Museum of the City of New York, the dress fabric is a “striped satin over a lavender mock underdress”. In looking at the above pictures, it would appear that the base fabric is a brown silk shot through with a lighter, copper-like silk. In the first picture, it is obvious that the lighting for the picture is passing from left to right and that the dress is reflecting the light, revealing the lighter copper color. Of course, this is somewhat speculative; since we do not have physical access to the garment it is hard to tell for sure.
But nevertheless, we are working on the premise that the base fabric is a brown/copper silk and that will guide our design choices. The faux lavender underdress is fairly straight-forward in terms of color and it presents a nice counterpoint to the brown-copper base fabric.
In terms of style, the dress is a princess line characteristic of the Mid-Bustle Era of the late 1870s – early 1880s and the emphasis is on vertical lines, helped along by the use of the faux underdress. Also, the use of a faux cravat, mock sash, and trim using in identical brocade fabric further enhance the vertical “long line” effect. Below are some fashion plates showing examples of the princess line for the Mid Bustle Era:
Journal Des Demoiselles, September 1878
Godey’s Lady’s Book, September 1880
For the rear train, we will most likely use a bustle pad and bustle that’s designed to push the dress away at the knee level. Unfortunately, the display of this dress lacks this and the rear train looks like a loose jumble of fabric. Although minimal trains are characteristic of Mid-Bustle Era dresses, they were still present and served to shape and direct the dress’ train. In the display of the above dress, the train simply drags when it should be mostly off the ground, unlike an evening dress or ball gown.
We will post progress pictures as our design takes shape during the creation process so stay tuned for more! 😉