Name/Title
Fitted Wine Silk Taffeta Bodice and Skirt, Leg-of-Mutton Sleeve, Bustle SkirtDescription
A) Bodice -- puffed sleeves called leg-o-mutton - jacket has peplum (slight flare) - length of bodice is 20" - overlay of printed silk taffeta with lapel of collar -- silk moire of pink, pale aqua, soft golden yellow and grey in a swirl free farm design. Jewel neckline rolled 1/4" self fabric, wine taffeta. Center front opening with 15 hooks and eyes -- they alternate viz loop and hook different than the normal technique of having hooks on one side and eyes on other. Eleven stays - black with metal tips at each end or 22 tips. Four inch waist cinch on which there are 5 black hooks and eyes. Waist cinch is a tab attached to first stay - size of waist cinch is 4" X 2-1/2" - lining is tan linen. Tacked down beaded over collar is pleated and attached at sleeve arm high. Sleeve is in two parts - 11" length narrow lower sleeve and 9" in diameter - has 2-1/4" slit on outside seam for ease of slipping hand through sleeve. The exaggerated puff sleeve is massively gathered over the armseye. The back of the sleeve section is 15" and the front is 9" fullness. A ruffle is 3/4" wide in moire taffeta attached on outside seam of sleeve. The width of the back is 12-3/4" and has a center back seam mid armseye seam that tapers into waist line and a second seam that is lower than previous armseye seam. The flare portion at waist line - the side seam is 4-1/2" long and the center back is 5" long. Peplum is lined in self fabric. Center front jacket is a tab 1-1/4" wide of which hooks and eyes are attached.
B) Bustled skirt silk taffeta wine color matching bodice with six hip tabs with inverted box pleats and one sewn down. self fabric tab, 3 on each hip diagonally placed - first one 5" from top of skirt - end of tab is 9" from top skirt. The length of tab is 5-3/4" and width is 1-3/4". Second tab is 3/8 of inch apart from top tab. Its length is 9-1/2" X 1-3/4". The third tab is 5/8 on an inch from second tab. Length is 12-3/4" - width 1-3/4". Buttons are 1-1/4" wooden dome form buttons covered with printed silk moire matching bodice collar in the pink, golden yellow, grey. The buttons are placed 1/4" in from tab point - two buttons per tab. Waistline - has roll top self fabric 3/8 of an inch wide and is hand stitched to skirt. 31-1/2" waistline. Some of waist band is coming off. One button missing on lower tab or right hip. Front skirt panel 9" at waistline and 19" at hem line marked by fold of first pleat. Skirt hem is weighted by a 1" ribbed corduroy attached to bottom edge, 3-1/4" taffeta self fabric goes up and attaches to muslin tan lining. Box pleat is basted and tacked closed. Inside edge of seams are overcast. Bustle strips are attached in two places on side seams. Grograin ribbon of 5/8 of an inch wine color. Length of center back 40" - left hip has three pleats 1-1/4" wide and same on right hip. Two large eyes on waistband - one eye attached to bodice 2-7/8" from center of skirt. There is a placket closed and missing a hook. 3-1/2" from center back someone did some crude tacking to make waistline smaller. Width of skirt at hemline is 148". Skirt needs mending at waistline and other spots.Acquisition
Notes
Donor: Barbara Benson