#bertha neckline

[resplendentoutfit]

Federico de Madrazo y Kuntz (Italian, 1815-1894)• María Josefa del Águila Ceballos, Marquesa de Espeja • 1852

The dress worn in the portrait above features what is called a "bertha" neckline. It is usually made of lace or another thin fabric. It is generally flat and round, covering the low neckline of a dress, and accentuating a woman's shoulders. A bertha neckline was worn off the shoulders, often trimmed with deep lace (3″ – 6″). The style was most frequently worn by upper- and middle-class women during the Victorian era; a woman from the more common classes would seldom have shown that much flesh.

Ball gown, probably American • Silk, cotton • c. 1860 • Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute, New York City

c. 1895

There was also this item, called the Bertha collar. It was made of lace and detachable so as to be utilized with different dresses.

[gogmstuff]

1908 (June issue) Les Modes - Robe de bal par Lacharroulle - photo by Félix. From gallica.bnf.fr; fixed flaws & spots w Pshop 1492X2112

[iplaywithstring]

The bodice lining is boned and I successfully drafted a sleeve!

I also trimmed down the bone in the front so it doesn't stand up quite so much.

Next step is to cut and sew the outer bodice fabric and get that together. There will be piping along the bottom edge and the sleeves.

Then comes the Bertha - otherwise known as the fancy frilly bit that goes along the neckline. She's not sure what she wants for that yet. I need to get some fabric for the bonnet (yes, there will be a bonnet), so we can use some of that for contrast too.

And I need to hem the skirt, but that part isn't fun or exciting.

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode nationale, no. 24, 11 juin 1904, Paris. Toilette élégante. Bibliothèque nationale de France

Toilette élégante pour jeune femme ou jeune fill, en voile turquoise. La jupe, montée à grosses fronces, à des plis rapportés espacés autour et surmontés de croissants en petites roses de mousseline de soie tournées à la main. Le corsage dessine une longue pointe au-dessous de la taille, ce qui lui donne une jolie allure Louis XVI. Il est décolleté en rond et ouvert sur un dessous de mousseline de soie rose jacinthe, plissée en arrondi. Berthe de vieille Irlande dont la tête est une draperie retenue par des couronnes de roses. La guipure descend en pointe devant et les bouts de la draperie croisent sur le plastron, qui est traversé en outre par de petits nœuds de satin rose. Le bouffant de la manche courte à une longue engageante de dentelle.

Elegant ensemble for young women or girls, in turquoise voile. The skirt, fitted with large gathers, has added pleats spaced around it and topped with crescents made of small hand-turned silk chiffon roses. The bodice draws a long point below the waist, which gives it a pretty Louis XVI look. It has a round neckline and opens onto a hyacinth pink silk chiffon underside, pleated in a rounded manner. Bertha of old Ireland whose head is a drapery held by wreaths of roses. The guipure comes down to a point in front and the ends of the drapery cross over the bib, which is also crossed by small pink satin bows. The bouffant short sleeve has a long lace insert.

Matériaux: 7 mètres de voile; 2 mètres de mousseline de soie.

Capeline d'Irlande piquée au bord d'une énorme rose et d'un nœud de velours beige.

Irish hat stitched at the edge with a huge rose and a beige velvet bow.

[mydaylight]

The interesting thing about this photo is that George is in a dinner jacket, but Bertha is wearing a day dress (they posted a reel in the instagram account where you can see that the front of the dress has a high neckline). My guess would be that Bertha was planning to have dinner up in her room again?

[electricbluebutterflies]

georgebertha & “Oh, the things I’d do to you if we were alone right now…” if you’d like

PG13-ish (nothing Happens but there are some implications and daydreams) and also on ao3.

She gets what she wants.

Rarely as fast as she wants it, fine, rarely with all the bows attached, but her refusal to admit defeat or develop anything legitimately resembling patience has worked out for her well enough, and-

Bertha knows how many people will have their eyes on her tonight, how important it is that she be perceived a certain way, and she still only cares what one person thinks.

She is good at everything she is, she reminds herself, and she is not as self-absorbed as accusations would assume. These maneuverings, this pretending she actually wants social status for the sake of wanting it, the things she does because she does not want her children to…

The less anyone else knows about her motivations, the better. If she is ambitious and serpentine, clearly it doesn’t run in the family, clearly-

She burns bright and fast, and it is not improper to approach her husband, to need that proximity. He knows her signals and she won’t be surprised if he makes some excuse to get them out of here a little earlier than planned – it’ll look better if he does it, they both know that, and-

She feels the way he looks at her, the deep abiding affection of it. She does what she wants and there have been no guidelines set, but she does know what colors he likes her in and she has developed her preferences accordingly, ice blue and wine red and tonight a midnight-sky purple gown that fits too well and she knows there will be rumors about it and-

She is one of the few happily married women on their level. She might as well act like it sometimes.

She feels what is not said as she moves close enough to touch and does not, as he ends a conversation and turns closer to her and-

“The things I would do to you if we were alone right now,” he murmurs just loud enough for her to hear.

Goal achieved.

Bertha has not blushed in years, thank you, but she does appreciate moments of directness, and she needs motivation, and-

“What should I expect later?”

“I may not have the patience to get you out of that dress.”

Well. That is a direction she didn’t have before. Low odds they’ll make it to her bedroom either, she’ll end up perched on a table maybe, maybe-

“We have never been patient, darling. And if I were to want some fresh air…”

“Wouldn’t give us enough time, and I intend to ruin your hair, and-“

She sighs, a content smile on her lips, more ideas forming, more-

“You’re planning something. I like it.”

“Not a plan, just the idea of you on that rug…”

“With my hair undone-“

“With all of you undone.”

She can fill in the rest easily enough. How focused and attentive he can be, the overwhelming pleasure he’ll make sure she has, and-

“Do you think it’s fair to make me want you that much and have to wait?”

“Only as much as I have to look at you and that neckline…”

“I do have to motivate you somehow,” she laughs.

“What would I do without you?”

“Drown. Or worse, be stuck in-“

“Worse, definitely.”

She slips away just as fluidly as she had approached, still aware of his eyes on her. She still has insipid conversations to overhear if not insert herself in, the unpleasant requirements of her rise, but after this…

She knows how her night will end and how delighted she will be by that point. Can any of these other women say the same?

[queer-nanea-mitchell]

1870s Ballgown Part 4- Making the bodice

part 1, part 2, part 3.

For this project I'm, working with a silk taffeta I bought from Sew Thrifty, an online second-hand sewing store. I'd absolutely recommend buying from them, I got 2 meters for just over $30 Canadian including shipping which is a steal for silk taffeta!

Just like the Victorian pieces I'm basing this on, I flatlined the silk with a white cotton after cutting my pattern pieces. This basically involved doing basting stitches on every pattern piece.

I then went ahead and attached my side back and back bodice pieces, along with the front bodice which I joined at the shoulders.

Afterwards, I folded both the silk taffeta and the lining fabric inwards by a 1/4 inch to create a clean finish along the neckline, which I then secured by hand.

While I did as much by machine as I could, this project has involved a fair bit of hand-sewing, which isn't my forte. But I feel I'm improving as I didn't prick myself once!

Speaking of hand-sewing, I first hand-sewed the front bodice darts before securing them with machine stitches.

I then folded in the raw edges of the bodice front and blind-stitched them down to the lining.

Next, I attached this lovely delicate lace trim to the neckline by hand-sewing it to the lining, leaving just a little peaking out.

And this is where I hit a bit of a roadblock...In my bodice mockup post you'll notice I originally planned for a pleated piece to be attached to the neckline, replicating the trim seen on extant 1870s dresses. However, when I pleated and then pinned on my full trim it did not look good at all. I didn't even take a picture of it, but it sat really strangely due to its length and the fact it was essentially a long straight strip of fabric.

Which means I need to rethink the bodice decoration. I could leave it as it is with the lace, however I think that will look pretty plain.

Another idea is creating a thin, vertically pleated trim, like in this dress.

Or I could create some sort of ruffled bertha, like in one of the inspirations for this project. Though I'm not quite sure how I would draft this so that it lay properly along the neckline.

If anyone has any tips or suggestions they would be greatly appreciated!

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

According to reliable sources....

Evan and Jeff Ward (now Jeff Peters) have secretly married and are now husband and wife.

It was a beautiful ceremony. Handsome hunk of a groom Evan, not straying too far from his much loved signature attire, wore a unique blue denim tux with electric blue silk lapels, a white tee with bow tie skillfully incorporated into the neck line, smart tan dress pants and brown patent oxford shoes. The blushing bride was a beautiful veiled vision wearing what can only be described as a masterpiece! With a deep neckline, playfully, yet somehow elegantly, exposing a fuzzy belly button, white taffeta and silk ruffles encrusted with gems cascaded in a voluminous floof, the extravagant gown boasting a train 5 miles long! Marlon, the cute, scraggy ring bearer and best man looked resplendent, adorned in white collar and electric blue bow tie, perfectly matching his daddy's lapels.

When the vicar (or whoever it is that performs these ceremonies) asked if anyone knew of any reason the 2 should not be legally wed, the annoying insta room mate instantly leapt up, foaming at the mouth and screaming incoherently about someone being a man whore, ass grabbing and lost love.

Thankfully, the handsome hunk of a groom's mother, Julie, managed to wrestle the annoying twat to the floor. He was then escorted out and the beautiful ceremony continued without further ado.

PS. The blue couch was flower girl but instead of chucking petals about the place, Bertha Clare, for that is her name, scattered bunny poo pellets.

BERTHA CLARE AND THE BUNNY POOP 😂

you outdid yourself, anon. you really did.

[juliaaurelia-blog]

First off, I love Gladys' dress, especially the neckline. Definitely something I would have worn at her age (she's around 18) back in those times.

Secondly, this moment is going to create a lot of angst/drama in Season 3. Bertha has likely pretty much promised Gladys to the Duke, but if Gladys doesn't want to marry him, George has promised to stick by her, even if he has to go against Bertha to do it.

Bertha can't really do anything, because in the end, it is George who controls the money that would be needed for Gladys' dowry.

I don't think Bertha and George's marriage will break apart, but it's going to place a heavy strain on it. Even with how much we know they love each other.

There's something I need to have settled before I can leave New York. [It] will affect the rest of my life.

GLADYS AND GEORGE RUSSELL in THE GILDED AGE (2022- ) | 2x01 "Some Sort of Trick"

[unit3beth]

1860’s Fashion

In the early 1860’s Crinolines we’re still quiet popular. They allowed skirts to be as large as possible in their circumference without needing too many petticoats. Crinolines were often quite affordable so we’re seen throughout society. However during the 1860’s the silhouette started to change so that the back of the dress was the main focus. Fitted bodices were very popular as well as different sleeve styles. One of the sleeves styles was the pagoda sleeve. These sleeves were narrow at the top and gradually flared out towards the bottom. Most of the time women would wear these sleeves with engageantes also known as false sleeves. These acted as a sort of under sleeve when wearing wider sleeves. Engageantes were often detachable. Also in the 1860s sleeves started to drop below the natural shoulder. I think this was mostly seen in the Garibaldi blouse. This was a shirt that was inspired by the military uniforms that were worn by the Italian freedom fighter Guiseppe Garibaldi. They consisted of a high neckline and bishop sleeves which were long and gathered at the bottom with a button cuff. These blouses were often cut longer than a typical blouse so it could be tucked into a skirt waistband. Women often wore it with a simple belt. Another fashion trend that came from military clothing was the Zouave jacket. Originally worn by Algerian Zouave troops during the Italian war in 1859 the short and collarless jacket became fashionable among women. The jacket was open front and fastened at the neck and either had pagoda sleeves or slightly fitted sleeves. Sometimes the jacket was paired with the Garibaldi blouse. It became more popular for young women to pair a blouse with a skirt in this period instead of wearing a matching bodice but only for daytime wear. Evening wear in the 1860’s consisted of an off the shoulder neckline that was trimmed with a Bertha which is a collar made of lace and other thin fabrics. Evening gowns had short sleeves which were sometimes basically just a strap across the shoulder. By the end of the 1860’s women started to wear jackets a lot more as well as shawls which were still popular. The most common jacket was the Paletot which was a three quarter fitted jacket with loose sleeves.

[findurfuture]

In the animated series Harvey Girls Forever, Audrey Bertha (voiced by Stephanie Lemelin) is the main character. Dot and Lotta are her closest friends. She is a tomboy with a bit of a temper and a penchant for inventing. The Audrey outfit consists of a pink sweater with a green lightning bolt, teal pants that roll up to the cuff, and light blue sneakers. You may have two options for the Audrey sweater, either buy a plain pink one or find a sweater with a slightly darker, neckline, cuffs, and hem. Additionally, with the help of neon green fabric paint add a bolt to it. Collect all the accessories of the Audrey Bertha costume from Harvey Girls Forever! for Halloween and cosplay.

[gogmstuff]

1908 (13 May issue) The Bystander Ladies Weldon and Annesley 1372X2008.

[clove-pinks]

An 1836 fashion plate in La Mode, hand-coloured engraving after a drawing by Pierre Numa Bassaget (Rijksmuseum). An interesting mix of male and female clothing, accessories, and hairstyles, with two women and a man posed on what makes me think of a courting bench —also known as a tête-à-tête, chaperone chair, and other names.

Both furniture pictures are from Journal of Antiques & Collectibles, which has an article about courting furniture.

It's only 1836, but you can see the 1840s approaching in the deflated sleeves, and the couple making eyecontact have hairstyles that look early 1840s. Also very 1840s is the low neckline off the shoulders with a lace bertha—"a deep falling border made up of one or more lace frills, ribbon and fancy decoration, and this usually covered the sleeves," Handbook of English Costume in the 19th Century.

Phillis Cunnington and C. Willett Cunnington specifically identify 1836 as the year "semi-low decolletage became fashionable and the fit became closer." The gentleman wears a frilled shirt with white stock and holds an eyeglass suspended around his neck.

[marzipanandminutiae]

How common were Bertha collars post-1870? I thought I saw one on the photo you just posted of Bertha (ha) Baer in 1905.

I don't think it's a bertha collar exactly?

Berthas are deep falling lace ruffles usually applied to the neckline of a low-cut dress, thus:

(sometimes called a "falling collar," thought that can have other meanings in earlier contexts)

and the image you're referencing looks like this:

...which, now I look at it, does sort of have a bertha-ish effect with the ruffles around her collarbone. I wouldn't think it counts exactly, because the actual neckline of the dress is quite high. But it could be an "influenced-by" style, I suppose.

[electricbluebutterflies]

Bertha x George ~ “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” 

PG-ish and also on ao3.

She knows exactly what she’s doing.

Could anyone fault her for enjoying the life she has? Always perfect self-awareness, always gliding around like everything is so easy, like she was made for it not like she made herself for it, like-

If people are going to watch, give them something worth watching.

She knows what the fit of this dress does to her body, the neckline in particular… she will never outgrow some of her insecurities, there will always be that voice in her head that says she needs to try harder, but sometimes she has to remind herself that she has been playing a different game than she planned for almost her entire adult life. There is only ever one set of eyes she needs on her, and-

If she is in good form, if she is light as a feather like there’s nowhere else she’d rather be even though she hates the conversations she ends up in at… honestly she doesn’t even know what the occasion is, it was an invitation and she didn’t have a better one and it’s an excuse to wear one of her favorite dresses and-

Bertha had once thought, as a naïve girl, that beauty fades so quickly. She has no such beliefs now. Married nearly twenty years, nearly half her life so far, and confidence does wonders to one’s magnetism, and-

She knows the evening will end with glorious reminders of why she does all of this. Her husband needs her efforts and sees them for what they are, and she will be-

All these years and she still feels a rush as she senses him moving towards her. All these years, everything they have been, and-

She barely hears whatever he says to get her out of a conversation she’s barely paid attention to for the last few minutes anyways, too distracted by his hand on her waist. He rarely has to rescue her anymore, but she must have looked more impatient than usual, or-

“I do hope that wasn’t out of line, but-“

“If it was, you would know,” she replies, almost a laugh. Goodness, for him to realize she wanted out of a social situation for reasons other than fatigue or desire, her control must be slipping or-

She half expects some kind of explanation, and she finds it in the silence of them, the way he looks at her and the weight of touch and-

“You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

“Perhaps more…”

If they were alone, if they were somewhere she could actually do what she wanted, she would not be able to control her reaction. This had not been the plan, but she won’t complain, and-

“I didn’t even do anything.”

“I couldn’t bear the idea of anyone else getting to appreciate how you look tonight.”

“I don’t mind anyone else looking. You’re the only one who’ll get to see-“

All these years and she’s still flirting with her husband. It would feel ridiculous if it wasn’t also so much fun.

“Is that a promise, darling?”

“It’ll give me something else to think about, so…”

[evillious-trash]

Ok, so I was looking at Victorian dress (bc yes) and Riliane's dress is pretty Victorian. (Putting a cut before the rest because I can tell this is gonna be long)

The white part of the top that has her bow on it looks a lot like a bertha neckline, which were commonly worn in Victorian times.

Victorian evening gown with a bertha neckline⬆ Riliane's neckline⬇

See the similarities? It's not exact, but they're very, very similar. Her skirt, which has a petticoat/over layer over white fabric with some adornments, was also a popular skirt style in the 1850s. Both the woman pictured above with the bertha neckline and the following women's dresses are very close to Riliane's dress.

Again(specifically the woman on the right), pretty similar(Riliane's is even more so with the first picture). The petticoats fall from a little below the waistline, and don't fully cover the dress. Along the sides of the petticoat in some cases are adornment. The fabric of Riliane's underdress appears to be silk, which was a very common material in dresses.

So Riliane's dress is heavily inspired by, at the least, by Victorian dress. But the the weird thing is, the French Revolution, or, in Evillious, the Lucifenian Revolution, took place in the late 1700s, while the Victorian era was from around 1830 to 1890. Riliane's dress would look more like this

It's interesting, at the least. Anyways, fashion rant over.