I could learn to like regency….

I could learn to like regency if the dresses all looked like this…What a lot of work!

Must have Tuesday does the 1820s

Well, we are starting to move away from the nightgown look now but not into that glorious Victorian look I love so much.  This weeks must have is a charmer, and if I needed an outfit from this era, especially a winter time outfit, this is what I would go for. I don’t think I’d change a thing, not even the color.

That velvet looks so warm and cozy.

Back view.

The hem detail is really quite fun and lovely.

Go to the Met site to see more details.

18-teens offering for Must Have Tuesday

Today’s dress is from 1818.  We are still in the Nightgown Era, aka Regency, which is not my favorite but I found this little number at the Met that I just love.  I’m afraid I can’t find it again so I am unable to give you a link to its spot in the Museum.

It’s not all white!

Here is the back view.

I like the little swoops on the hem.

Now, this is what caught my attention.

Isn’t that the oddest material. It looks like something from this day and age!

It is obviously shear with shiny lines in it and when they pleated the upper bodice it got this neat checkered look.  You could sell at least this bodice as a grad dress for this day and age.

I’ll see you tomorrow with my next cabinet card installment.

Must have Tuesday-1800s

Front view.

Like I have said before…this era is not my favorite…to much like night gowns.  But, I am insanely attracted to shiny things so this dress I like.  It goes without saying that I’d wear something under that frothy mosquito netting.  It is dated as 1805-10.

Look at that train. Almost makes you not notice the big butt!

Interesting how they did that side seam.  Hangs like it is cut on the bias.  Or may be it is just the photograph.

Wow! You could make a statement leaving a room in this dress!

And now for the best part!

Close up of the shiny bits!

I’m not envisioning a machine doing this in that day and age so some poor souls were doing this by hand for 14 hours a day in possibly dark, miserable conditions.  How on God’s green earth did they get it so perfectly balanced?  They didn’t even have iron on stencils then!  Guess that is why it was so valuable and that is why it is still around today.  It was only worn once or twice for special occasions…not while sweeping out the hearth.

 

 

1790s. Hard to find a “must have” here….

The 1790’s are moving into the Regency style and I am not a fan, mostly because many of the examples in museums look like white nightgowns.  Over and over, more and more white night gowns!  Blah!

I did find this little number that is loaded with color.  It has the high waist of the Regency style.

1790-99 dress

I grant that the perk to the Regency style is there is plenty of room for a baby bump or serious middle age spread.

You could hide some serious rump in there too. Did they pad back at that date? I don't know enough about that.

This thing is so big and loose looking I got to wonder how much of that was the style and how much of that was patterning for a bigger and/or pregnant woman.

That pleating in the back would move nicely as you walked or danced. Plenty of room for sitting in too.

With that dark coloring, I would guess this is a dinner gown.  The long sleeves has me doubting it would be a ball gown.

If I needed a 1790s dress, I would want something like this because of the incredible color.  That being said, I hope I don’t need one because I really like something more fitted!  I might like this more if there didn’t seem to be padding at the butt level.  If I could find proof that they did not pad the butt or there was a choice between not padding or padding in that time period, I would happily make that dress without the huge rump!

My first photo shoot with Lady A

People seem to be liking the work of the warm and wonderful Lady A and I now have permission to use her likeness here so I thought I would do a post of our first photo shoot.

We had gone to Maple Grove Tea House which is in a house that was built on the river in 1866 for a Captain Kennedy.  It is quite small with a few rooms made up to look like the home may have looked in its day.  It’s real draw is having tea on the veranda and walking in the gardens surrounding it.

Lady A in her lovely purple ensemble…in the interior of Kennedy House

I love the beading on her dress! And I simply must make a bustle dress one day!