Rate the Dress: Fine Feathers for an Empress
This weekend I gave a talk on the ways in which the Pacific influenced Western fashion, including goods made from very Pacific birds: kiwi feather muffs, and bird of paradise bedecked hats. So I have...
View ArticleRate the Dress: 1870s Summer Frills
This week’s Rate the Dress goes from fish to flora, with a cornflower bedecked 1870s concoction. And concoction is really the only way to describe it… Last Week: a 1920s day dress with ‘scale’...
View ArticleRate the Dress: Red roses & rosettes
I’d intended this week’s pick for Christmas week, but it felt so right for this week you’re getting it early. I guess I’ll have to find something different and fun for next week! Last Week: a blue...
View ArticleRate the Dress: Bustle Era Border Print
Last week’s Rate the Dress was an evening dress for an event that didn’t usually call for evening wear. This week’s Rate the Dress is a morning dress for…well, presumably exactly what a morning dress...
View ArticleRate the Dress: Tasselled fringe & gold
Last week’s dress was all sweet and serene. This week is the first full week back at Toi Whakaari: The New Zealand Drama School. All our new students have arrived, and we’re back into the swing of...
View ArticleRate the Dress: ca. 1880 blue on blue on blue with bows
I’ve got a real soft-spot for ca. 1880’s fashion. There’s something about the combination of a fairly sleek silhouette and a ridiculous amount of trim that just tickles my fancy. It was also an era...
View ArticleRate the Dress: Bustle Era Historicism
Life’s been a little hectic for me lately, and unfortunately blogging hasn’t been a top priority. I can’t promise I’ll be able to get back to a regular schedule right away, but the worst of the...
View ArticleRate the Dress: Pink stripes at the end of the Crinoline Era
Do you know how some weeks are great, and some weeks you start out feeling like you’ve been punched, and just doing the absolute minimum is all you can manage? Yeah, this was one of the latter. And...
View ArticleRate the Dress: Brilliant Blue Bustle Era
Last week’s dress, and the reactions to it, were rather restrained. This week I’ve picked a very un-restrained dress, from an era that was rarely restrained. The first-bustle-era reception gown we’re...
View ArticleRate the Dress: Sportswear, 1870s style
The last Rate the Dress was rather frilly and, well…pink. To balance it, this week’s Rate the Dress is significantly more restrained, both in colour and silhouette. However, it still has lots of...
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