This is a lovely pink silk charmeuse dinner gown, ca. 1908. It originally came from Augusta Auctions and was auctioned in New York April 20th 2016. The piece is entirely handmade and has Brussels lace applique on tulle, along with a Brussels mixed lace bertha.
When I received this gorgeous gown, the lining was completely shredded and needed to come out. It had to be taken to an outdoor space to remove the lining, since the lining was disintegrating the more the piece was handled.
I credit my dressmaker Leslie Aitken for really fixing up this dress. It was a very tough job because apparently whoever had it made in 1908 did not have a clue as to how to properly create a dress. The hemline was super wonky when worn. We both later came to the conclusion that who ever made it, had looked at other photos of ladies of the time period and had observed how they swiveled the train to the front for their pictures, and from this deduced that the train went to the side. The fabric had literally been cut with a slant to the side not the back. It made it a very difficult piece to fix. The skirt did not even have a finished waistline and was held together by a small thin nail! Can you imagine? I am happy that after loads of countless hours from Leslie that we were finally able to fix this piece up and properly sew it together!
Edwardian Lady Gwendolyn Lilliette Garland 