Gold embroidery on a court dress and train

Evening dress and court train with gold embroidery, ca. 1815. KSUM 1983.1.2011 and KSUM 1986.97.28. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

We have recently received a few inquiries about this beautiful dress and court train and while editing the photos, I decided to share them with the public in a blog post. This evening dress is of ivory moiré silk faille, which has been richly embroidered with gold and is paired with a detachable court train of green velvet also embroidered with gold. These pieces are English and date from 1810-1825. Although they have different accession numbers they were both donated to the museum by the founder, Shannon Rodgers and have been exhibited together several times.

Full profile view of evening dress and court train. KSUM 1983.1.2011 and KSUM 1986.97.28. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Back view of evening dress and court train. KSUM 1983.1.2011 and KSUM 1986.97.28. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Detail of gold embroidery on court train, KSUM 1983.1.2011. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Detail of gold embroidery on court train, KSUM 1983.1.2011. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Detail of gold embroidery on ca. 1815 evening dress, KSUM 1987.97.28. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Detail of gold embroidery on ca. 1815 evening dress, KSUM 1987.97.28. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Detail of gold embroidery on ca. 1815 evening dress, KSUM 1987.97.28. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Detail of gold embroidery on ca. 1815 evening dress, KSUM 1987.97.28. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Three-quarter back view of evening dress, ca. 1815. KSUM 1986.97.28. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Three-quarter back view of evening dress, ca. 1815. KSUM 1986.97.28. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Front view of evening dress and court train, ca. 1815. KSUM 1983.1.2011 and KSUM 1986.97.28. Collection of the Kent State University Museum.

Sara Hume, Curator/Assistant Professor

Choosing the mannequin

In an earlier post, I discussed the process of preparing a custom mount for our upcoming exhibition, “The Great War: Women and Fashion in a World at War.” I thought I would show a comparison between the pieces dressed on these custom mounts and how they appeared on our other mannequins. Among the pieces in this exhibition that have been displayed before are these two dresses from 1912.

The first is a beautiful dress of green silk chiffon and lace. This dress had been in an earlier exhibition about the Gazette du Bon Ton. when it had been mounted on one of our “Christy” mannequins. The long torso and the pelvic thrust of the mannequin make a significant difference in the silhouette of the dress. In fact, the dress would have originally been worn with a corset that extended to mid thigh (like this one) making this pose impossible. The “Christy” is also too tall for the dress so that rather than pooling on the floor the dress ends at the ankles.

A second dress from the exhibition that had previously been exhibited is the purple wool and velvet dress that was worn by the mother-of-the-bride to a wedding in 1912. In an earlier exhibition it was mounted on a “Kyoto” mannequin which was designed for 19th century dresses and works wonderfully for a number of our pieces (like this or this or this). However, at the turn-of-the-century, the shape of corsets changed significantly and created a different silhouette. Rather than pushing the bust upwards and creating fullness nearer the armpits, the corsets allowed the bustline to fall much lower as the chest was pushed forward and the hips backwards. The sideview of the dress on the two different mounts shows how the differences in body shape change the way the dress hangs.

1912 silk and lace evening dress on a “Christy” mannequin.

1912 silk and lace evening dress on the custom mannequin.

1912 silk and lace evening dress on a “Christy” mannequin from the side..

1912 silk and lace evening dress on the custom mannequin shown from the side. The slight tip forward would be created with the corset.

1912 silk and lace evening dress on a “Christy” mannequin from the back.

1912 silk and lace evening dress on the custom mannequin shown from the back. The train falls evenly and straight down the back.

The 1912 purple wool and velvet dress on the Kyoto mannequin.

The 1912 purple wool and velvet dress on the custom mannequin.

The 1912 purple wool and velvet dress on the custom mannequin from the side. This angle shows how the bust is prominent and raised.

The 1912 purple wool and velvet dress on the custom mannequin from the side. The bust line is lower than on the Kyoto.

Certainly there are positive aspects to the mannequins, namely the head which  allows the complete ensemble to include hair and hats. However, achieving the proper silhouette provides a better sense of the way that the dress originally looked. Posture was as important to achieving the fashionable silhouette as the drape of the skirt and the placement of the waist.

Sara Hume, Curator

Snaps, and hooks and eyes, and more snaps

As fashionable silhouettes change  it sometimes takes a while for dressmaking techniques to adapt to the new styles. An example of this is this 1921 wedding dress.

It has the 1920’s youthful look, the bust and waist are de-emphasized and the arms and lower legs are exposed. But the construction of this dress is still is very similar to the way dresses were made in the mid-teens. A wide waist tape still anchors the dress in place and layers of fabric still  wrap around the body. Below are step-by-step images of mounting the dress.

The dress on the hanger.

Curator, Sara Hume, starting to get the layers in place before fastening the multitude of closures.

The waist tape has been closed with hooks and eyes and the net under bodice had been snapped closed. You can see there is a snap on the waist tape that the skirt will attach to.

Sara secured the the skirt to waist tape and the side of the bodice.

Bringing the front bib across the body.

Here is a view of the side snaps. Both rows of snaps are on the exterior of the seam so when connected they are hidden, as if in a seam.

Fastening the side snaps.

The front bib snaps at the shoulder to the back bodice.

Finally, the train hooks and snaps to the shoulder.

The elegant, draped exterior of the garment gives no hint of the complex dressing required.

Joanne Arnett
Curatorial Assistant

 

A Peek inside a Charles James gown

This week, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened their latest exhibition, Charles James: Beyond Fashion. The Kent State University Museum has several Charles James dresses including a nearly identical dress to one in the Met’s exhibition. James first designed the dress in 1949 for Mrs. William S. Paley, but also made additional copies of the dress for a number of women including Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, Jr., Eleanor Lambert, Milicent Rodgers and Gloria Swanson. Eight women wore their copies of this gown to the finale of a March of Dimes benefit. The dress in the Kent State collection is the one worn by Sloan Simpson (wife of New York Mayor William O’Dwyer).

Charles James gown in the collection of the Kent State University Museum

Sloan Simpson in Charles James dress now in the collection of the Kent State Univeristy Museum. Courtesy of the Baltimore Sun Photo Archive

This dress was included in the 2007 exhibition here at the Kent State University Museum, entitled simply “Charles James.” In the context of that exhibition our March of Dimes dress was photographed inside and out. The interior pictures attest to the exquisite craftsmanship and architectural scaffolding that underpin a Charles James dress.

Sara Hume, Curator

Custom Mounts for World War I Exhibition

We are currently working on dressing pieces that will be included in our upcoming exhibition: “The Great War: Women and Fashion in a World at War.” Fashions from the period covered, 1912 and 1922, are particularly challenging to dress. First, many of the pieces have condition issues owing to the preference for very sheer, fragile fabrics. Second, the silhouette does not suit any of the mannequins that we have. Our Kyotos, which we use for 19th century pieces, are too buxom and have shoulders that slope too much, while our more contemporary mannequins are too broad shouldered and have inappropriate hip thrusts. Normally we might just use dress forms but many of the pieces have sheer fabrics around the neck and sleeves that require mounts that have arms. Our budget does not allow us to purchase mannequins that would be suitable for these pieces so we decided to make custom mounts out of fosshape and foam.

This base form was created by shrinking fosshape to fit a dress form.

Magnets were placed in the form and on the arm to attach them.

The magnets securely hold the foam arms to the form.

The fosshape form was covered with padding to perfectly fit the dress. The padding is first held in place with a layer of stockinette

White jersey was fitted to the shape of the neck and shoulders and used to cover the layers of padding and stockinette.

When the piece is dressed the neck, shoulders, and arms do not call attention to themeselves.

The form is first dressed with petticoats to fill out the dress appropriately.

The custom mount creates the silhouette of the period for this green silk and lace dress, ca. 1915-17, (KSUM 1996.58.391).

Jim Williams, our exhibition designer/preparator, and I adapted an existing dress form into a shape that would be small enough to fit the smallest pieces in the exhibition. Jim used this piece as a mold to shape fosshape forms onto. (We also used fosshape as bases for wigs which we covered in an earlier post) He then positioned magnets in the forms and into foam arms so that the arms could attach to the form.

I padded the fosshape form so that it would fit this beautiful silk and lace dress from 1915-17, then covered the padding with a layer of stockinette to hold everything in place. I sewed together white jersey to cover the neck and shoulders of the form. I also made matching covers for the foam arms, leaving openings for the magnets so that the form and arms could hold together.

When the dress is on exhibition, the mount should not attract any attention to itself. Hopefully our visitors will just be able to admire the beautiful lace dress.

Sara Hume, Curator

A Closer Look at an 18th-Century Gown

We just completed photography of several of the pieces in our “Fashion Timeline” exhibition, and this dress photographed so beautifully (well, because it is so beautiful) that I felt it deserved a blog post of its own.

Robe à la française, German, ca. 1750s, KSUM 2002.35.7 ab.

This dress is made from a luxurious textile which has a striped ground with beautiful ombré blue stripes on the cream. There is then a pattern woven with a supplementary warp so that the figures are in twill weave while the ground weave is satin. The resulting textile has a subtle variation of color and texture. The peach or salmon color has faded over the years and is darker and brighter in the folds, but this does not diminish its beauty.

Obviously this gown was intended as a showcase for this stunning fabric, which cascades uninterrupted from neck to hem in the back. The fabric has been carefully laid out so that the stripes fall down along the center of the Watteau pleats. The fabric that has been pleated into the ruched trim, however, is arranged so that the stripes run horizontally. These decoratively pleated pieces are edged with braid that carefully coordinates with the fabric of the robe.

The robe is paired with a quilted petticoat of cream satin which was part of the same donation. The information from the donor of the dress suggests that the dress was German. One interesting aspect of the dress is the neckline. In the more usual cut of a robe à la française, the trim (or robings) run straight down the front of the opening at the bodice then down the skirt. You can see this construction in this yellow robe à la française.  However, the trim at the neckline on this piece curves around form a 90 degree angle from the neck to the front opening.

The textile has a satin ground with a pattern in twill.

The textile is laid out so the stripes fall down along the center of the Watteau folds.

The textile is laid out so the stripes fall down along the center of the Watteau folds.

The curving neckline of this robe à la française is unusual.

The curving neckline of this robe à la française is unusual.

The ruching that trims the opening of this gown is arranged so the stripes run horizontally rather than vertically as they do in the rest of the gown.

This detail shows the carefully arranged pleating that forms the trim. The edges are finished with a coordinated braid trim.

This piece is currently on exhibit at the Kent State University Museum in the “Fashion Timeline,” which is an permanent installation featuring a survey of historical pieces from our collection covering 200 years from 1750 to 1950. The pieces are rotated out regularly and this robe à la française will remain on view through summer 2014.

This robe à la française is on view in the exhibition, “Fashion Timeline.”

Sara Hume, Curator

A Closer Look at an 18th-Century Suit

This gallery contains 10 photos.

This magnificent red silk velvet suit from the 1770s had been in our Fashion Timeline exhibition for the past several months but, we recently took it off exhibit. The textile is a remarkable textured velvet and it is  trimmed with … Continue reading →