#kellyrichardson

1930s Autumnal Velvet from Indiana University

I have long thought browns don't get any respect and this delightful printed velvet dress confirmed my belief that they deserve a lot. This is a soft silk and/or rayon velvet printed in brown, orange and tan which was then trimmed in brown velvet and gold metal for the tie and the belt. The pictures do not do it justice as it simply glows with color because of the nature of velvet which catches the light so beautifully. I would happily wear it come fall.

The collar and tie are one of the many clever necklines invented during the 1930s. This one has tunnels around the sides of the neck to hold the tie which is then tacked at the back and shaped into a bow in the front with the help of the metal piece. The bow is large and shaped and stiffened with some kind of interfacing inside. The waistline returned to its normal spot by the mid-1930s and hemlines dropped to lower calf, but skirts always had some kind of flare below the knee whether from a pleat, a godet or the cut of several gored panels. There was always a little flirty swing as a woman walked, and in velvet, the skirt would catch the light in a playful way. You can see how the bodice is shaped with a piece that comes up from the waistline in a soft curve and then gathers above to shape the bustline. It has long sleeves gathered at the cuffs, and a long shaped skirt.

Being in velvet, which is a delicate fabric despite its thickness, this is a dressy daytime outfit, something for a luncheon or a tea or an afternoon concert. The colors make me think of fall, and back to school events. Which makes this a good time to share it, I thought.

Coffee Bean Ensemble at Indiana University

I would wear this outfit today because of the print which says something about its appeal. This is a part of the Elizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection, at Indiana University and dates from the 1930s or possibly late 1920s. Dresses slowly regained normal waistlines after 1930 having lost them entirely during he 1920s or moved them down to the hipline. I got to see it when I visited with the Director/Curator of the collection, Kelly Richardson,  which is held down in Bloomington, IN. I got to see their 1930s dresses and I will be sharing more of them on the blog.

This is a jacket-dress combination, a softer ensemble than the tailored suit which means it could look much less serious. The jackets were always loose, like this one, sometimes collared,like this one, sometimes not, and then the dresses could be loose or more fitted. This coffee bean print does make it playful. You can see the the dark cream and brown were reversed, making for two prints, and a harmonious whole.

Taking a closer look at this, we realized that it was of rayon, loosely cut, so that it needed no opening to put on. The front placket with buttons is a trompe l’oeil as it has neither an opening nor buttonholes. Then the neckline is finished with a bias-cut strip of fabric. The skirt flared out from the shaped midriff piece which allowed plenty of room for your legs to move. And then the dress cuff echoed the point on the shaped midriff piece. I always enjoy a close look at vintage fashion because I found them full of choices and techniques that are no longer part of our fashion vocabulary.

Trim Yet Swirled: A 1930s Evening Dress

We so often underestimate the past. I have students who are floored to discover sarcasm in fashion commentary from a hundred years ago, and they are equally surprised to find printed fabric that seems so modern it might be found today on a modern dress.

This delightful evening gown from the 1930s combines two sheers. The top of the bodice with a banded v-neck and sleeves is trimly made of white silk organza, a stiff fabric that has an air of formality as a result. But the knotted tie and the rest of the long dress are made of a printed silk chiffon, a softy, drapey fabric, with partial, swirling circles. They overlap each other giving a sense of movement which is further enhanced by the panels which flare out as the get nearer to the hemline. It seems a perfect combination for a sweet young woman who wanted to enjoy herself at a dance and let her dress cut loose just a little bit. The 1930s saw a difference made between day time dresses which hit the calf and evening gowns which dropped down to the floor.

Both fabrics need to be handled carefully in sewing as they are each delicate, and often the garment's life was short, but I like to think this one witnessed some joyful of occasions.

This dress is in the Elizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection which is part of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design at Indiana University in Bloomington. Kelly Richardson, the Director/ Curator of the Sage Collection was kind enough to show me items from the 1930s collection and those are her purple-gloved hands you see in the photo.

The Floral Bouquet on the 1930s Fairy Dress

The appliqué bouquet at the center of the front bodice is clearly the highlight of this charming dress found in the Elizabeth Sage Costume Collection at Indiana University which I got to see when by courtesy of the Director/Curator of the collection Kelly Richardson. It has the long, leanish, floor-length silhouette which marked the evening dresses of the 1930s and is made of silk netting with a contrasting slip.

The main elements are the flowers and leaves made of silk chiffon which have had their edges rolled--probably by a process of stretching the bias and a bit of water and a bit of simple hand manipulation. Then their little edges were tacked down with thread. We tend to think of appliqué as fabric bits with their raw edges tucked under, and these rolled examples are less usual. Only a tiny bit of fabric was needed to make them. A good reminder that bits of fabric remnants can serve many purposes.

Look closer and you will see that the centers of the flowers and the stems of the yarn were made with chenille yarn in dark red and green. But wait, there is more. Tiny plastic flower, probably originally buttons, were given red bead centers, and then sewn down around each of their little petals. It is a mix of materials in an asymmetrical that coheres as a whole.

I give you the back of the appliqué bouquet as well, so you can see that it was clearly created prior to the dress on a separate piece of netting and then applied over some of the seaming. A smart way to allow yourself to work closely on a small section without having to cram a whole dress into your lap.

The Fairy Dress from the 1930s at Indiana University

This charming dress made of layers of silk netting made me think of a slender young woman dressed as a fairy. It is part of the Elizabeth Sage Historic Costume Collection and shared with me by the Director/Curator Kelly Richardson. While the bouquet at the center is what catches the eye, I want to blog today about the garment cut and construction which I found instructive.

The silhouette of this dress was long and slender, but shaped. Which dates it to the the mid-1930s when women’s waistline reappeared after disappearing in the 1920s. Also, during the 1920s, both day and evening wear where the same length, around the knee or above if you were daring. By the 1930s, day dresses’ hems dropped down to mid-calf and floor-length evening wear came back in fashion. This long dress has a sweeping swirl of net by the time it reaches the floor.

A netting dress needs a slip, of course, and you can see pinkish one that went with it, and was clearly meant to enhance and lighten the color impression made by the dress. Look closer and you will see that the straps of the slip were made of a different fabric, more of a dark cream color which was supposed to disappear against the flesh of the wearer. This would have added to the lightness of the impression made by the dress and is a forgotten detail worth remembering. Little lingerie straps with tiny snaps can just be seen at the top of the photo of the two garments. Also notice that netting was simply cut, not hemmed, as you can see in the close up. This also added to the impression of lightness.

In order to get into a dress that was fitted at the waistline, they added a snap placket, a much lighter choice than even today’s plastic zipper. Zippers on clothing were a much touted innovation of the 1930s, but they were made of metal and could not hang nearly as well as the snap placket. A hook and eye were placed at the actual waistline to take the greatest tension. Then the belt of ribbons came from just under the bust line and around the back.

 I will feature the bouquet applique tomorrow.