The 19th Century Deets

19cd1.jpg

I keep banging on about the ‘deets’ that I have an eternal fascination with and so very much want to acquire and wear in the clothes that I buy but I’m usually limited by funds and also the fact that there is a DISTINCT lack of ‘deets’ in modern clothing.  Things have become a lot simpler and less fussy and less labour-intensive.  From this book ’19th Century Fashion in Detail’ by Lucy Johnston that I was browsing from my sister’s bookshelf, I visually gorged on many a deet that though in the context of the full garment is all a little bit too much like an overembellished, overpuffed Prestat chocolate box, when isolated and looked at up-close, I can really imagine them being trnasplanted and incorporated with the simpler shapes of our modern wardrobe and really make an impact.   

The ivory silks billowing from four openings at the top of the sleeves of a yellow silk British dress c.1810.   

19cd1

Puffs of linen lawn interspersed with bands of silk satin and lace from a 1868 dress with Maltese-style bobbin lace used

19cd2

Princess evening dress with a boddice of jacquard-woven silk and ruched silk 1878-80. 

19cd3

The back cascade of pleated frills from a woman’s 1877-79 dress and fine chiffon pleats on the front of a bodice of a jacket from Paris 1897, similar to the later Fortuny pleats. 

19cd8

The bodice of a Charles Frederick Worth/Jean-Philippe Worth jacket 1890-93.  Made of silk, with ribbon stripe and trimmed with silk chiffon and lined with silk and whalebone strips in a ‘Directorire’ style.   

19cd4

19cd7

The bodice of printed wool gauze gown 1855-60. 

19cd5

The folds in the back of a man’s British greatcoat c.1810 that were constructed to look like sword vents on eighteenth century coats. 

19cd6

30 comments

  3. I think you’re onto something here Susie, absolutely gorgeous detail shots, all that colour, patterning, lace etc should be too much but somehow it works to a T.

  5. i was at a museum in florence where they had loads of these clothes, and i think it’s really interesting to look at them.

  6. The Worth’s bodice is utterly stunning in use of colour, fabric combinations etc. After 4 days of high street/designer stores all I can say is this has restored my faith in the potential of clothes! It is truly all in the detail and boy it needs to be incorporated into modern day clothes even subtly.
    All these archive pics are gorgeous

  7. The Worth’s bodice is utterly stunning in use of colour, fabric combinations etc. After 4 days of high street/designer stores all I can say is this has restored my faith in the potential of clothes! It is truly all in the detail and boy it needs to be incorporated into modern day clothes even subtly.
    All these archive pics are gorgeous

  8. My favourite fashion era, not an easy one to pull off these days but taking certain elements from these pieces could be made very wearable. I love your blog, Miss!

  9. Lots of interesting details! It is a shame you don’t see that on modern clothes so much. It does mean the clothes are easier to wear though, you can layer and not worry about covering up any great details 🙂

  13. wow lovely. I love that first shot and would totally wear something like that now, good call susie

  14. the first two look very medieval-inspired! I love all the detail in garments of this period… so labor intensive, and so beautiful.

  15. I can’t help but think that, when looking only at the details, these clothes look thoroughly modern! This is a feast for the eyes, thanks Susie!

  17. I appreciate these inspirations form the past – I only hope that we are finally departing into the FUTURE and I hope Marc Jacobs is not reading this post as he may go even further back in fashion history and – God forbid – design a medieval collection… I think we should be modern and design clothes that represent the new millennium, finally! Although I apprechiate the 50’s style and the 70’s and even the 80’s but… when will our time become a fashion style?

  18. This is a lovely post.
    Do you know of a good book that has a complete history of fashion? Thanks in advance.

  19. I love these details, too. I don’t usually wear details like these, though, because everything I have is very pared down.

  21. They are lovely. I suppose the idea nowadays is to add the little details yourself to the less labour intensive clothes.

  23. This is what I love about this site…the interest in far ranging topics. Susie…the 1st one is done in a technique called “slashing”….it’s to let the fine linen show thru. I wish I could see further done the sleeve of the 1810, but even the sleeve in 1878 could have been worn in 1810, ironically enough.
    It’s funny when people talk about modern fashion and look at these. All of these are 19th century w/ techniques and shapes going back hundreds of years before. So much of what looks Victorian here is actually 14th-18th century…w/ a great emphasis on the 18th century. The Victorian Era was crazy about the 18th century shapes which you see very clearly in the bodices above, but also the shapes of the skirts.
    Just goes to show that Marc Jacobs wasn’t alone in being inspired by the past from his time, so was Worth and other anonymous designers even earlier.
    BTW, Marc Jacobs has actually had pieces w/ that go back to the 18th century in his collections that I’ve seen (haven’t seen them all) so he’s CLOSER to the medieval period than you’d think.

  26. Pearls would be the perfect accessory to these medievel looks! http://www.premiumpearl.com offers a large selection.
    PremiumPearl.com is a leading online pearl jewelry site. Combining high quality pearls, exceptional customer service, and expert advice, Premium Pearl has successfully served thousands of customers. Read more about premiumpearl.com and it’s founder.
    High Quality
    To ensure your selection is of the highest quality, all Premium Pearl jewelry is made in our San Francisco office, and quality controlled strictly by our pearl experts.
    We travel the world to find the most beautiful pearls. To maintain the integrity of our designs, we use high quality pearls, mostly AAA quality.

  29. Seriously. Who would buy pearls from a company that spams blogs??? That doesn’t really seem very ethical now does it!
    Go away Premium Pearl.

Comments are closed.