Redfern is relatively well known as an early couture and tailoring house, but the specific people involved, or their talents beyond women's suits and riding attire, are often overlooked when discussing the progress of fashion - which is usually distilled down into a few vibrant personalities and their innovations. Redfern's early years overlapped with Charles … Continue reading Redfern Ltd. (ca. 1855-1940)
Category: 20th century
Wedding Dress, 1905
Wedding photo of Grace Louise Fenton Ross, 1983.15.7 (Dress itself is 1983.15.4a-b, pattern at link.) It's possible that a lot of lingerie dresses in collections were worn as wedding dresses - around the turn of the century, they were very popular for that use. Being white, they fit into the already-established but mainly upper-class wedding … Continue reading Wedding Dress, 1905
Drawers, 1930s
CHM 1992.5.4 (pattern available at link) These drawers - tap pants, they're more commonly called now - were made by a Mrs. Shattuck who ran a "sewing room" in downtown Glens Falls. (The information came from the donor; there's nothing at all about Mrs. Shattuck that I can find online, although there was a local Shattuck … Continue reading Drawers, 1930s
Perfection Salad
Library book sales are wonderful, and the one here in Greenwich is especially well-stocked. I'm always coming across books that I've been wanting to read but forgot to request from the library or seek out specifically. The two I found last month were Perfection Salad (by Laura Shapiro) and Good Wives (by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich). Perfection Salad examines … Continue reading Perfection Salad
Evening Dress, 1911-1913
Evening dress, 1911-1913; CHM 1975.95.28, pattern available at link For the most part, I stuck to objects of definite provenance while working on the digitization project, but I had to make an exception for this one. The bright fuschia of the silk twill really stands out, and it's in spectacular condition. As you can see … Continue reading Evening Dress, 1911-1913
Mimic of Modes 