#4142 $1,800 Sold
Boué Soeurs style lace dress, c.1918-1922
This fabulous dress from a French collection is one of the finest I have found. What sets it apart is the exquisitely subtle textural coloring. The dress is fashioned from oyster colored cotton tulle with matching handmade filet lace panels. The loose fitting style closes on each side of the neckline with tiny snaps.
The hand-embroidered floral design has a very faint blue tinge, which suggests fine Appenzell embroidery. The soothing color effect would be equally lovely (but different), depending on your choice of slip. The picture above shows the dress without a slip so that you can see the detail. In the pictures below, I used a cream colored slip.
With its delicate curvilinear leaves and tendrils, the embroidered central floral motif shows the influence of the early Art Nouveau aesthetic. Disdaining the exaggerated, writhing plant forms of other Art Nouveau artists, the designer emphasized restraint and formality.
At the neckline and hipline are the type of ribbon art flowers favored by Boué Soeurs. The superbly executed handmade lace panels; the signature ribbon art flowers; and the fact that the dress came from a French collection—all lead me to think this could be a Boué Soeurs piece.
With the label, this magnificent creation would certainly be worth more. In 2004 I consulted with a Paris authority on French couture, who told me that a couture label was all to the good, but that the garment itself was more important than the label. Without the label, the value (but not the price) is not less. "A rose by any other name smells as sweet."
This dress would be lovely for an informal wedding. You would have "something old" and "something blue" all in one.
The condition is excellent. It is clean and ready to wear.
It measures: 46" bust and waist, 52" hip, and 51" from shoulder to hem.
