#silk dress

[satinjay180]

[creme-delacrem]

[iridessence]

Norma Devine, 1940s

[shinyblackfetish-blog]

[illustratus]

Dancing Maenad in a silk dress. Roman fresco from Pompeii, 1st century AD.

[frostedmagnolias]

Black Silk Bias-Cut Dress

c. 1930-1939

unknown designer

HCC Fashion Archive

[woodlandkisses]

Silk silhouettes from the past 🪡

[angelsuicide222]

₊˚⊹⋆˙˚˖ °*

[americanandwhore]

[satinjay180]

[iridessence]

Ibtisamat for mirror palais

[larasatin]

[kirstydreaming]

[threadtalk]

Oh, saints. This dress combines so many things I love in one place!

First of all, we’re in the late 1830s (by my guess), a time of dress transition. You can see the influence of the Romantic with those sleeves, but the hint of later Victorian gowns in the bodice shaping. The particular bodice here is fan-pleated, which is pretty self-explanatory if you look at the way the fabric is both pleated and fanned out. I do adore the result. 

But, ahem, that damask? That color? Purple, always. Of course. For a 200 year old dress, the hue is still so striking. It is not Perkins Purple, however, as it’s two decades too early for that.

The weave? I damn near fell out of my chair looking at it. It’s one of those cases where I wish there were even higher resolutions so I could zoom in and see the stitches. Alas, we are not yet there in terms of technology, so I will instead cope with this.

And then it gets better. Because that silk damask? It’s almost 100 years older than the dress itself. UGH I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Could it have been Spitalfields? Maybe! It’s hard to say because we don’t have the provenance. 

From the Maryland Center for History and Culture.

[piassatinworld]

[lullaby1000]