#2627 $1,600 Reserved
Lingerie-style dress embellished with Irish crochet, c.1905
Delicate sheer cotton, profusely decorated with lace and ruffles, first appeared in Edwardian lingerie. The style, too popular to stay in the boudoir, migrated to the lingerie dress. Likewise, the ultra-feminine lingerie-style dress is too beautiful to keep covered up.
Made from white cotton crepe, the dress is sheer and will need a slip. I photographed it without a slip to display the fine detail. The design combines a textured assortment of machine lace with accents of handmade Irish crochet flowers and hand-embroidered floral appliqués. I love the smocked shirring on the sides of the lower skirt.
The soft feminine style and delicious detail will appeal to your inner princess. Since the dress no longer has the original boned underpinnings, it is comfortable and easy to wear. The closure starts at the center-back neckline, moves across the bottom of the neckline lace, and continues down one side of the back lace panel.
The skirt is several inches longer in back, creating just a hint of a train. The dress would be ideal for an informal wedding. The skirt has a stepped back closure of small snaps with a hook at the waist.
The designer ingeniously used small Irish crochet flowers thematically throughout the intricate design. The flowers either encircle or delineate most of the other design motifs. Irish crochet played an important role in fashion history. The European craft of crochet achieved an aesthetic pinnacle in Ireland, where crochet artists used 17th century Venetian needlepoint laces as their inspiration.
The condition is excellent. It is clean and ready to wear.
It measures: 40" bust, 27" waist (room to let out), 42" hip, and 59" from shoulder to front hem (longer in back).
