Object: Two-piece dress
Date: c. 1855
Medium: Floral printed silk taffeta, pink satin, white linen, chenille, and ribbon
Country: USA
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Van Nostrand
Object number: 76.208.10
DescriptionBoned bodice in floral wrap printed silk taffeta in green, grey and red on pale green background; woven pink satin striped; off the shoulder finished with two rows of scalloped floral bandings; neck short sleeves finished and filled in horizontally with rows of bandings; V pointed back has holes for lacing; back with white linen. Matching skirt with soft side pleats across front and with gauging across center back at slit opening; seam pocket at right front; 2.5 cm self waistband lined with glazed linen; hook closing at center back. Matching separate day boned bodice; cardigan neck dropping to pointed waist edged with two rows of chenille and ribbon; trim continues around hem to side slits and around flared back peplum; back fitted with princess seaming pointing at center waist; dropped shoulders sleeves are widened at cuffs, split at front and edged with trim; bodice backed with linen; peplum lined with silk; hook closing at front waist.
Label Text:In order to make the most of a luxurious textile during this period, many women had their dressmakers create separate afternoon and evening bodices for the same skirt. This example has an evening bodice (shown here) and an afternoon bodice that is less revealing. By the 1850s, the fashionable silhouette had reached extreme proportions, thanks to the crinoline. The floral motif and delicate scalloped ribbon of this dress further exemplify how women’s clothing diverged from men’s clothing. While tailored men’s suits project rationalism and power, women’s wear became increasingly associated with ornamentation and “frivolity.”
Exhibitions:
- Night and Day
- Minimalism / Maximalism: Fashion Extremes
- Ravishing: The Rose in Fashion