“Golden curls bounced down over her shoulders as she shuffled the deck. Her hands moved expertly over the hearts and diamonds, the cards floating down like the wings of a dove. After a couple blocks, the buildings became refined in appearance. Several restaurants and hotels were open for business. Fancy carriages and well-bred horses lined the street. Dignified looking gentlemen escorted sophisticated ladies dressed in the latest fashions. Silk dresses layered in embroidered ruffles fluttered gracefully in the wind. Restaurant windows displayed silhouettes of couples illuminated by soft candlelight. ”
Autumn Lady, AnneMarie Dapp
http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Autumn-Lady/AnneMarie-Dapp/9781682992340
It’s time for another Wordless Wednesday blog post! Let’s take a look at some lovely autumn inspired gowns from the Gilded Age! Here’s a unique selection of dresses ready for the Halloween season!
Evening dress, silk velvet embroidered with glass beads and sequins and net embroidered with beads lined with silk and stiffened with unspecified boning, 1894.
French Silk Evening Gown, 1888. Gold damask in an abstract floral pattern. One piece with boned bodice having 3/4 sleeve trimmed in gold chiffon ruffles, trained skirt wit cutaway front. Panel with rows of chiffon ruffles
The Goldfish Bowl by Charles Edward Perugini, 1870
Afternoon dress, American, ca. 1882. Olive ribbed silk & silk velvet. Probably made from European textiles, which were most likely woven in Lyons, France. Front panel of voided velvet has stylized floral pattern that recalls antique Italian and Ottoman textiles depicting pomegranates or carnations. Fashion Institute of Technology
Date: 1876–78
Culture: American
Material: silk
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
French Jet Hair Comb
Date: ca 1870
Victorian Mourning Boxed Hair Accessory
The Spanish Comb on Ruby Lane
Date: 1875–85
Culture: French
Material: silk, glass
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
2 Piece Purple And Orange Bustle Gown Made Of Silk Brocade With Purple And Orange Flowers And Foliage c. 1878-1883
Duck, Duck, Goose 