This delicate beauty is fromthe turn-of-the-century, my estimate is from the late 1890’s to 1910. It is made of Battenberg or Tape Laceand is made entirely by hand. Thebest part of this 2-piece wedding dress is that it is adjustable, and with someTLC, it could be worn by some lucky bride.When found last year at the estate sale of a serious lace and textiles collector with quitean amazing collection, this had old, stretched-out elastic strung through thetop of the skirt and the lower edge of the bodice. It has been replaced with an antique silk grosgrain ribbonto use as a drawstring and is entirely adjustable. I believe this could fit a range of sizes from XS to a smallMedium.
The skirt is all-originaland features a small train in back.It has a wonderful pattern in the front of flowers, inverted gothicarches and stylized Art Nouveau floral medallion figures. There are thread-covered dimensionalrings in the center of the flowers.It opens at center back with a 13” deep placket. At the base of the placket on the rightside is a piece of torn tape and a few broken threads which need to be repaired[photo #6]. It should be a minor repair and in re-examining the area I findthere is a 5”-long piece of the original thread which could be used to re-attachthe tape. I will put a small pieceof tape on the end of the thread so it can be easily found. The top edge of theskirt is finished with two rows of tape with stitching between into which hasbeen inserted the silk ribbon for a drawstring.
The bodice silhouette is inthe Gibson Girl or pigeon breasted style, being longer and ‘blousy’ in thefront, while shorter in the back.The short sleeves are gathered at the shoulders for fullness and at theouter arm they are gathered into folds and embellished with three small goldensilk ribbon rosettes. Itappears that the collar and front placket are a later addition. Included with the two pieces is anextra piece of Battenberg lace with unfinished ends [photo #10, lower right]that I took to be a belt, and some of the photos show it thus pinned around thewaist. It would be gorgeousstitched onto a wider piece of colored silk ribbon to totally cover thewaist. This same lace is veryslightly different than the original and is used to form the collar and thefrontispiece that goes under the original attachments. Photos #10 and 11 show the way thebodice fastens with hooks and eyes at the petals of the flowers. Photo #10 right shows the frontispiecewhich is just loosely stitched on.If it were mine, I would remove it and just fasten those petals over anew lining, which would really show off the flower details…… The upper and lower edges of this addedplacket are unfinished [photo #11, upper left. The lower edge of the bodice is a single row of tape. A ribbon has been woven just above thisto provide a drawstring. Otherthan replacing the drawstring ribbon, I am offering this exactly as found. I have not attempted to clean it orlaunder it so the finish is original.
Measurements are taken lying flat, so please doublewhere applicable:
BODICE:
Bust:19”
Waist:17”
Shoulders Across Back: 14”
Sleeve, shoulder to tip: 6-3/4” and from underarm toend: 7”
Total length in front: 17-3/4”
Length in back from base of collar: 15-1/4”
Lower edge extended without any gathers: 38”
SKIRT:
Waist:14-1/2” with gentle gathers, with drawstring it could be much smaller
Waist completely stretched out, actual measurement31-1/2”
Hips:21”
Length in front: 42”
Length in back with train: 50”
Sweep is approximately 57” across the front, 63”across the back
Condition is very goodantique. The skirt needs theabove-mentioned repair at the lower side of the placket opening. There is a larger brown stain at theside of the skirt which is visible in photo #6 left at just about what is thecenter of the combined photos.This is shown in detail in photo #7 left. There are other minor spots here and there, shown in photo#7, right. Numerous broken bridesscattered throughout both pieces.On the bodice, just under the collar in the back is one such area ofbreakage. Photo #11 shows this inthe upper back [upper right] and one the shoulder [lower left]. There are some darker spots insplotches under the arms, particularly the left, although my camera could notpick them up well. Please messageme and I will try to get a better photo if desired. Bodice has had a long ago addition at the collar and frontplacket. It looks like there was aslight alteration at top of shoulders in back to accommodate this.
Paymentis expected via PayPal within 4 days of sale’s end. Please ask any questions,or let me know if you would like to see additional photos before offerding, asall sales are final. This itemweighs 15 ounces unpackaged. Washington State Residents must pay9.5% sales tax, regrettably.
InternationalBuyers are welcome. Import duties, taxes,VAT and fees are the buyer\'sresponsibility and are not included in the item price or shipping charges.Please check with your country\'s customs office to determine what theseadditional costs will be prior to offerding/buying. Merchandise will bemarked at the sales price, as required by the U.S. Government. Thisinternational package will be shipped international priority mail for tracking. Seller will provide insurance. I am not responsible for any delays dueto weather or customs. If you have zero response, please contact mebefore offerding.
Thankyou for looking - Halcyone Vintage
