The House of Worth

I got a book. And I've read...some....  I'm a rubbish reader, I'm so slow and have a stack of books I want to read so I'm not how sensible it was to get a new book from the Salts Mills book shop.  But my mum bought it, and its called Fashion Since 1900.  I am very interested in fashion history as a form of social history, I am also interested in how major events affected what people wore, and how fashion responded to social changes.  I've only got up to the 1930's (peeked ahead to the end and spied a picture of Rafael Nadal!) and the First World War only lasted a few pages but this post isn't about my book.

It's about Paris fashion design House of Worth who's Peacock Dress from 1903 caught my eye (when I saw it in my book, duh).  Unfortunately, digital cameras were rubbish in 1903 and the picture only offers a glimpse of what was probably a really cool dress.  So I searched online for better images and found a whole website of pictures (who knew the internet has pictures?!?)

Lady Curzon in 1903 in Delhi celebrating the coronation of King Edward VIII and Queen Alexandra as Emperor and Empress of India.

The image on the left being the photograph and on the right is a painting or drawing, so it's hard to know how accurate an image it is but I would have hoped the colours were more vivid in the real dress- like a peacock.  I definately think the photo is better as you can see how well it drapes on her body, although the poor woman will have been in cased in whale bone or steel (!) corset.  The House of Worth was founded by Charles Frederick Worth but the Peacock Dress was designed by his son Jean-Phillipe Worth. 

1898-1900 Silk evening dress

According to my book Worth clothes the wealthy movers and shakers ( well the ladies at least) and made them gowns of conspicuous expense (the fashion world really aint that pretty) to ID them as women associated with affluence and power.  In particular Worth appealed to the King's court to gain wealthy new clients.  The following are dresses, by C F Worth, I enjoy for there exquisite detail, ludicrousness and uncomfortable-looking-ness.

1883-85 Silk, glass, velvet Day dress

1887 Silk, glass evening dress,
1892 Silk, crystal, evening dress

1925, Silk, glass evening dress

And here's a fancy one by Jean-Phillipe from the 1920's that celebrated the slim boyish silhouette.  According to my book the ladies still wore corsets in this period but at this point it was to flatten their breasts not accentuate them.   I'm sure it all made sense at the time.