The Ornamented Being
Ornamented: -verb: Adorn; beautify
Be·ing: -noun: Fulfillment of possibilities; essential completeness
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V&A
Paris
c. 1889-1892
This dress was worn by one of the two Rogers sisters, Cara or Anne, daughters of a wealthy American industrialist. Cara Rogers later became Lady Fairhaven - she was a ‘Dollar Princess’, one of several heiresses who came to Britain in the late 19th century, and married into the British aristocracy bringing much-needed glamour and financial capital.
Lady Fairhaven kept several spectacular outfits bought in Paris and New York for her sister and herself in the 1880s and 1890s. These surviving garments give us an insight into the sisters’ taste, and the range of dressmakers they patronised. Many of these dressmakers emulated the work of the House of Worth, which produced the most luxurious gowns created from bold French silks, combined with ingenious design touches in embroidery, lace and chiffon. The contrasting black and ivory textiles of this ensemble create a dramatic effect, while this is softened by the delicacy of the lace, and the rows of narrow ribbons encased in chiffon.
(Source: collections.vam.ac.uk)
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All I can say is YES KATE, YES! That suit is ten types of beautiful and it suits you beautifully! Pun intended :D
I love that colour on the Queen and it’s lovely to see Prince Phillip. Bless him he looks wonderful!
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Isabelle de Borchgrave – Eleanora of Toledo (Details), 2006
“Isabelle’s favorite Medici painting, is this Bronzino portrait of Eleanora of Toledo and her son. She was particularly enthralled by the richness of the jewelry, noting that “all the jewelry created by Fulco di Verdura for Chanel in the 1930s was inspired by the dress in the Bronzino portrait.” Eleanora was Duchess of Florence in the 16th century, and is credited as having been the first modern consort.
A pervasive myth tells that this exact dress served as Eleanora’s shroud, or burial gown. When her body was exhumed in the 19th century, the dress was quite similar to the one in Bronzino’s portrait. New research has found that it was a different dress, but that Eleanorawas buried wearing a nearly identical pearl encrusted hairnet.
(Source: johnabouttown.com)
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SILK FAILLE BUSTLE DRESS, 1868-1872
November 2, 2011 NYC
- New York City
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circa 1888
I love the evening bodice!
“ The bustle silhouette, although primarily associated with the second half of the 19th century, originated in earlier fashions as a simple bump at the back of the dress, such as with late 17th-early 18th century mantuas and late 18th- early 19th century Empire dresses. . .”
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As promised, this is a preview of what is to come tomorrow. For some reason this reminds me of the Abbesses Métro station near Montmarte in Paris. Perhaps because the scroll work on the dress is so Art Noveau! I use to make my mom walk to that station just because I love Guimard!
Keep in mind this is not one piece of fabric! If you have ever tried to match patterns on fabric you’ll understand that the most beautiful part of this piece is not the dress but the pattern matching. I sat there for about ten minutes just clicking through the pictures in amazement. The lovely people at the Met have even given us a photo of the inside seam where the pattern is spot on. You can hardly tell when one stops and the other starts.
Ensemble
(a, b) House of Worth (French, 1858–1956)
c. 1898-1900
