The Game: Round Two

Good morning! I'm making an executive decision and moving my Fashion in Film posts to Monday. Thanks for bearing with me as I monkey around with the schedule and content. Just so I don't leave you in the lurch, let's play a game. No, not thermonuclear war. I was thinking more about The Game. Check out the rules if you don't know how the game works. Let's get started!

All of the images in this post are courtesy of ornamentedbeing.tumblr.com, a very nifty historical fashion Tumblr.

This is raising a lot of question marks for me. It's 19th century, that's for sure, but I can't tell when exactly. The low bodice and the full skirt say 1850's to me, but the skirt isn't nearly humongous enough, and the details on the dress isn't anything like the mid century. If I were to take a shot in the dark, I'd say that this is a court dress, since those were notorious for not following the fashions of the day. The stately ribbon detail hints this as well. It's somewhere in the second half of the 19th century, but I can't say when for certain. I'm thinking it must be some time where a fitted, low-necked bodice was in style for evening wear, but a fuller skirt was just going out of style. An era that matches up with that is the late 1870's. I'm inclined to think that it was the later 1870's, since skirts were still rather full at the beginning of the decade. So, I'll call it 1878.

My guess: 1878

Actual date: 1867. Hey, not too bad for a total guess. Let's see if I can do better with this next one.

Well, this photo of the bodice already screams 1870's to me (what with the high collar, dark jewel tone fabric, and structured corset), but with the help of some handy additional images, we can see that this dress has a slight bustle, and a massive train that shows that this is no ordinary day dress. I honestly don't know what the crazy train is all about, but I do know that the bustle matched with the relative fullness of the skirt means we're dealing with the early 1870's. Perhaps early to mid-decade, since the bustle seems a bit lower than those at the beginning of the decade. I'll go with 1874.

My guess: 1874

Actual date: 1885. And hey, guess what? It's a court dress. I guess that explains the funky train, and the fact that I thought it was earlier.

Well, this fluffy white cloud definitely says mid-century. It's not the 1850's, since the skirt doesn't resemble a sphere. The volume seems to be drifting more towards the back of the skirt, so I think we're looking at the mid to late 1860's. The high-necked, long-sleeved nature of the bodice lends to that as well. I'll go with 1867.

My guess: 1867

Actual date: "1870's." Close enough? I'm dying for a win after two strikes. Well, let's try one more and see if I can make it.

Those sleeves definitely say 1890's.  The corset and the high neck say the same thing. Those sleeves aren't the size of young children, so I have to think that this is from the early decade. I'll say this is from 1893.

My guess: 1893

Actual date: 1885-89. At least it's within my five-year range for a correct guess. 

Well, the fun thing about writing this blog is that I always have things to learn. See you on Monday for the new installment of Fashion in Film!