About a Dress

One of my favorite elements of Gilded New York were the fabulous clothes--I absolutely adore bustle dresses!  A year ago I decided I needed a tangible remnant of the era in my home for inspiration.  I owned a framed fashion plate from 1874 but I wanted something more substantial, something I could touch and use as a time machine.

"Les Modes Parisiennes" Peterson's Magazine, June 1874

What I really wanted was dress from the House of Worth because I was convinced Susie was wearing a Worth gown in the first photo I ever saw of her (see my first entry, "An Introduction").  So I googled "Worth gowns for sale" and came up with nothing.  Turns out Worth gowns are very hard to come by, and those that are available are so expensive only museums can afford to purchase them.  For months I searched the internet until I stumbled upon a site I'd overlooked for the Charles A. Whitaker Auction Company (www.whitakerauction.com).  

This is what their "About Us" section said: "Our firm represents museums, historical societies, universities and other institutions bringing to market museum de-accessions & patron donations, with sale proceeds earmarked to benefit their permanent collections. We also represent individuals & select estates in liquidation of rare items and collections that complement our spring and fall catalogued fashion and textile auction sales.

I had hit the motherlode!  Better yet, they had a number of beautiful bustle dresses for sale and their auction was only a month away!  I immediately placed an absentee bid on an exquisite silk and embroidered gown attributed to Mme. Dellac, ca. 1878.  It was a decommissioned piece from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute so I knew it was a piece of high quality.  Luckily for me, I won the bid and a large box arrived a few weeks later. 

One thing I wasn't prepared for was how tiny the gown was.  In anticipation, I'd ordered a dress formI thought matched Whitaker's specifications had.  However, I realized my mistake as soon as I tried to button the waist.  I hadn't allowed for the corset worn under the garment (perhaps even one manufactured my my great great grandfather's manufacturing company Strouse Adler) and therefore I had to re order a child-sized form.

Now I have this beautiful dress in my bedroom--which is where I do a lot of my writing.  

I've tried to learn more about Mme. Dellac and discovered she was a French dressmaker who worked in New York City.  In 1880 her shop was at 14 West 24th Street, only 4 blocks away from Susie's home.  It isn't too much of a strech to imagine Susie was her customer or perhaps even once was the owner of this very dress.  I think I'll write that in...