1810's Short Sleeved Spencer Worn Later as Fancy Dress

From the seller:

This vest has a stamp that says:

200
BROOKLYN'S
SS & P or R CO
TRADEMARK - FAIR AND SQUARE
ODORLESS
LIGHTWEIGHT
4 K

20 inches armpit to armpit.

16 inches top seam to bottom.

Vintage used condition.

Has slits on front velvet

Underarm seams need stitching.

Bottom seam is worn out.

Descriptio:

This listing is for a stunning woman's vest from a traditional folk costume. Very well made using high-quality materials and braid decoration with tassels. It is coming institched under the armpit.

Some of the velvet is ripped and shoulder metallic braided trim is lose. The braiding on the rest of the vest is well stitched and in good, sturdy condition.

The stitching around the neck and on some of the bottom of the vest is worn and fringed.

Please see all pictures as they are part of description. I am not sure of true origin so item is no longer listed as antique or museum quality.

Stunning piece!


From Me:

If you look closely at the photos, the stamp is on the underarm protectors. The protectors are frequently in older garments because the garment was reused later as a fancy dress or a costume for some ball/play/ect. I'm pretty sure that's all we are seeing here. The spencer itself is hand sewn - notice the whip stitch along the neckline. The trim looks to be real metal and the typical ball fringe that was popular in the 1810's. The cut is also consistent with other 1810's garments.


In other news: Would the spammers please stop spamming? I'm hosting this site on a google web server so it's not like the DDoS you've been trying to do for the past week will work - particularly when you are only trying 140 hits in a second. Seriously, just go away and stop messing with my stats! /grumble

Yeah, the spammers have been trying to pull together in force and it's been annoying to watch. Of course, they can't really do much with a DDoS against a google server so...eh. It's just messing with the stats which are fun to watch at work.

Regency Era Bodice Redone in the Victorian Era

From the seller:

This auction is for an original lady's ball gown bodice from the Empire period. It is made of black China silk. It is trimmed with fine black cotton net ruching and silk covered wooden buttons. It is lined with brown cotton. The back is very narrow and the front crosses over and is secured, presumably by sewing it back in the day. Here, I have pinned it closed. There is a separate decorative front which covers the lining. The remains of the open-robe style skirt are still present at the high waist. There's a good bit of it at the back, so you can really see how it was pleated. Internally, you can see there is a set of ties to help secure the dress to the figure like a petersham did in the Victorian period. On the outside, you can see the beautiful silk cord is still mostly present. Originally purchased from England.

Condition: The skirt was obviously cut away, There are tears to the silk, the tassels are missing from the cords. the underarms have holes. Please see photos. The front piece has been stabilized with a bit of grosgrain ribbon and a snap. I have left them in place, as they aid in display.

Measurements are: The bust measures 34 inches, The high waist measures 30 inches. 6 inches across the back.


From Me:

It's the waist ties on the inside that give away the Victorian (maybe Edwardian?) destruction of this piece. I'm pretty sure they added the trims as well. Also, notice the tape along the inside front of the bodice with the snap? Yeah, snaps weren't invented until 1885.

So here's what I think it really looked like - it was a dress. The skirt was cut off at some point - notice that the back flap is just pinked so it was probably cut off when this was "remade". There wasn't any trim. The front flap may have actually been the "apron front" to the dress and just stitched to one side during the Victorian era.

It's a cute piece but there have been a lot of additions that don't make it great for study unless you know the eras really well.

Regency Era Straw Hat!

From the seller:

This is a rare find indeed!

This bonnet probably dates to the late 1820s-mid 1830s. Hats and garments from this era are highly desirable and hard to find. Clothing was worn until styles changed or the owner outgrew it, but it wasn't thrown out or even stuffed in a trunk unless it was a very special garment. Dresses would be restyled or cut apart to use the fabric for new clothing or quilts, or put in the scrap bag when a small piece was necessary,

A straw hat like this would have been worn frequently; it obviously wasn't a special occasion piece, making it a rare find. A fancier hat that was worn for formal affairs may have been stashed away, but a piece like this would have been worn until it fell apart. Perhaps this dear lady met an early demise like so many women of the time.
The fact that the straw is still in good condition is even more amazing.

The brim is 7 inches wide at the chin and 5" wide at the top. The crown is also 5" high. I tried it on and I think it would have been really annoying to wear it because it hides your face and blocks your peripheral vision, but of course it was the height of fashion at that time. Ladies weren't supposed to be gawking at everyone anyway.

The original woven silk ribbons are still attached. The inside of the crown was lined with a soft webbed fabric, but this is torn. There is also a bit of vintage fabric sewn in the inside at the bottom of the hat where it would have rubbed against the neck--probably came from her scrap bag.

Unfortunately, this hat was pressed flat when I bought it. I have restored it pretty much to its original shape, but the straw has some breaks in the front where it was flattened.

Although the straw braids are in very good condition for their age, the stitches holding the bands together are missing in many parts. It is all handstitched, no machine work at all.

It's not a difficult job to restitch the hat, but it is a tedious one. However, it would be well worth the effort to further restore this beauty.




A lovely edition to your vintage clothing collection.

Please look at my other listings for vintage Barbie clothing, English riding boots, a dressage show coat, jewelry and more antique clothing.


From Me:



The above fashion plate is from 1816. I doubt I need to say much more.

Regency Era Button Back Dress

From the seller:

This is a really exquisite dress dating from about 1815. It is of pale coffee silk with cream trim. The high waist is in the style of the day, it has long sleeves and back fastening. The skirt falls from the high waist and is generously gathered at the back. The hem, sleeves and shoulders are trimmed with delightful padded "cushions". The bodice is lined in beige cotton/linen.
The highlight of this lovely dress is the fine hand.pleating on the back bodice.Narrow hand worked pleats which must have taken hours of difficult sewing. In addition to this, there are the original tiny buttons and buttonholes, all beautifully worked. Delightful!

This lovely dress is in very good condition. There is very slight fading to part of the skirt and one sleeve,but this is only visible in certain lights. The silk reflects, so the fading is not a great problem. There is one very small hole at the back waist. The under-arms are good. Just a little creased from wear, but no shattering of the silk or bad marks. The bodice lining is slightly marksed from wear, but in keeping with the age, and having been worn.
I cannot detect any obvious alterations. All in all a beautiful dress and very much "of the era". Strong silk and no weaknesses that I can detect.

Measurements: Length from shoulder to hem 56". High waist approx. 28". Across shoulders 13"

From Me:

I think this dress was reworked several times. There are elements of a couple of different decades. The back pleating is very 1790's. The extreme high waistline is 1800's. However, the roped hem and the puffy decorations on the dress are more in keeping with the late 1810's/early 1820's.  There is one from about 1819 in the Met with similar decorations and looks to have a corded hem.  I'm putting this in the 1810's but know it could have easily been worn in the early 1820's as well.

Blue Stripy Regency Era Dress

From the seller:

This is one of the prettiest Regency dresses I have ever seen. Unfortunately there is damage.
The dress is in pale blue and cream silk with a pretty neck pleated decoration in blue chiffon. It has the most delightful puff sleeves with "butterfly" type decoration. The sleeves are long to the wrist. There is wide tucks to the hem and back closure. The bodice is partially lined.
Now comes the bad news! Firstly, the front. There are three small holes just under the waistband. There is a rip in the front of the skirt of about 2 1/2". The rest of the skirt is very good.
The sleeves are very good, especially the puff sleeves. But there is considerable underarm damage and staining.
The back of the skirt has a rip at the base of the opening, and there is wear at the waistband.
The pretty chiffon around the neck is partially damaged, although when displayed this is not immediately noticable.
Some of this damage could be conserved or repaired, especially if you are good with the needle. It could be used as a template for copying the dress design.
However, it would, of course, be best displayed on a mannequin, and the damage minimised by how it would be arranged.
Please bear in mind that the damage is as stated, so kindly take this into consideration, and study the photos and my description carefully.
The silk is not quite as shiny as it appears in the photos. This is from my flash.

Again, on a positive note; the dress has never been washed so the silk is still crisp. It appears never to have been altered, so it is complete, and original

Measurements: From shoulder to hem 51". Across waist approx. 12". Across shoulders approx. 17".

From Me:

Very late 1810's or very early 1820's based on the decoration. The faux growth pleats were a thing in the 1810's but the bodice length is more in keeping with 1819-1821.