This garment dates from around 1900, is quite astonishing and clearly comes from the wardrobe of a wealthy woman. It is made from a fine cotton the likes of which simply are no longer available to buy, a cotton so finely milled it feels like silk. It has a very high tightly-buttoned neck (so tight I can’t actually button it on my mannequin) - heavily ruched shoulders and shaped arms with fold-back embroidered cuffs, a very unusual off-centre front opening with a gathered shirred panel at the waist, and superb box pleats falling from the neckline at the back. It is very voluminous, and on the right person it would look stunning. I have taken numerous photos to try to show the cut, my static mannequin doesn’t do it justice. At one side of the breast is a huge and very intricate hand-embroidered set of initials which are slightly unreadable (the main letter looks like a huge ‘X’) but which also point to the wealth of the owner and quite possibly to their noble status. Certainly the fabric and the making attest to the wealth, and the very modest cut speaks of the wealthy old Catholic families which made up many of the château-owning class in and around the Loire Valley, from where this comes.
This has been entirely handmade a few minor issues which need some attention, and the price reflects these. It is missing one of the tiny mother-of-pearl buttons in the hidden button placket (if the buyer reminds me I will dig into my button trove and find a replacement). On the interior, at the back of the neck, several millimetres of stitching has come undone and would stand to be replaced. By far the biggest issue is the collar - it is made from several layers of very fine dranw-thread work, and the constant pressure of the very tight neckline (which does not need to be fastened! It looks amazing unfastened - see the pictures) has caused this to come apart slightly. It has been poorly partially repaired - if you wanted the best thing to do would be to back it with a fine gauze, or to simply fold the top part of the collar over and stitch it down. These are all easy fixes - the collar may take a bit of time, and the price is reflective of this. There are only two areas that I can find with marks - I have photographed both - the first is the small rust-like stain at the front, the second are two small greyish marks at the side of the back.
This measures approximately 54cm at the bodice measured from armpit to armpit lying flat across the bust - it looks more voluminous but the sleeves are inset. It is 36cm from shoulder seam to seam across the back of the neck - again the gathered shoulders really would sit on your shoulder and the inset sleeve holds the arms in place. The waist is quite free - around 60cm wide lying flat. It is very long, 130cm. A very unusual and quite incredible garment.
Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.
To purchase, please message me via the contact form and include the title of this listing.
This garment dates from around 1900, is quite astonishing and clearly comes from the wardrobe of a wealthy woman. It is made from a fine cotton the likes of which simply are no longer available to buy, a cotton so finely milled it feels like silk. It has a very high tightly-buttoned neck (so tight I can’t actually button it on my mannequin) - heavily ruched shoulders and shaped arms with fold-back embroidered cuffs, a very unusual off-centre front opening with a gathered shirred panel at the waist, and superb box pleats falling from the neckline at the back. It is very voluminous, and on the right person it would look stunning. I have taken numerous photos to try to show the cut, my static mannequin doesn’t do it justice. At one side of the breast is a huge and very intricate hand-embroidered set of initials which are slightly unreadable (the main letter looks like a huge ‘X’) but which also point to the wealth of the owner and quite possibly to their noble status. Certainly the fabric and the making attest to the wealth, and the very modest cut speaks of the wealthy old Catholic families which made up many of the château-owning class in and around the Loire Valley, from where this comes.
This has been entirely handmade a few minor issues which need some attention, and the price reflects these. It is missing one of the tiny mother-of-pearl buttons in the hidden button placket (if the buyer reminds me I will dig into my button trove and find a replacement). On the interior, at the back of the neck, several millimetres of stitching has come undone and would stand to be replaced. By far the biggest issue is the collar - it is made from several layers of very fine dranw-thread work, and the constant pressure of the very tight neckline (which does not need to be fastened! It looks amazing unfastened - see the pictures) has caused this to come apart slightly. It has been poorly partially repaired - if you wanted the best thing to do would be to back it with a fine gauze, or to simply fold the top part of the collar over and stitch it down. These are all easy fixes - the collar may take a bit of time, and the price is reflective of this. There are only two areas that I can find with marks - I have photographed both - the first is the small rust-like stain at the front, the second are two small greyish marks at the side of the back.
This measures approximately 54cm at the bodice measured from armpit to armpit lying flat across the bust - it looks more voluminous but the sleeves are inset. It is 36cm from shoulder seam to seam across the back of the neck - again the gathered shoulders really would sit on your shoulder and the inset sleeve holds the arms in place. The waist is quite free - around 60cm wide lying flat. It is very long, 130cm. A very unusual and quite incredible garment.
Please click on the photos to open them up full-sized.
To purchase, please message me via the contact form and include the title of this listing.
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