Has anyone seen anything like this before? Definately for a hot climate. The buttons are beautifully made. When walking the wearer would tie up the skirt to reduce the length and lengthen it when riding some animal . The tapes would be released and the whole of the skirt would be lengthened. The skirt was meant to be long enough to cover the animals knees. This animal must have been high - a camel !! What would a lady be riding when she needed to let the whole of the skirt down. Suggestions please!
Dress of clotted cream coloured heavy cotton or holland, the short bodice with large curving collar, diagonal bust seam, shaped foldover front, a small dart just off centre front, each side with ten macrame style silk covered buttons, a vertical buttonhole on the narrow waistband, slightly puffed narrow tapering sleeves with deep cuff, set back sleeves with deep pleats, typical diamond seamed back with four more buttonholes on waistband, back boidce lined with white cotton, the dress with white cotton bodice with deep scooped neck and bosom protectors, the skirt with a fall front top having two covered buttons and two buttonholes to the narrow waistband, the skirt made from six gores of fabric with cartridge pleating to the back with a further four buttons, very full and very long skirt, inside with silky tape loops along the hem and ties further up, for reducing the skirt length, bodice 12 1/2 in; 32 cm shoulder to high waist, shoulder to hem 68 in; 1.73 cm;
Very very good. There are two buttons missing from under the collar on the left hand side. not noticeable when fastened. Two buttons could be removed from the dress back, where they would not be seen and placed on the bodice. There is slight foxing to the front bodice and right hand cuff. The left hand sleeve front has a small light mark near the cuff. The vertical buttonhole has on the bodice front waistband has been badly re sewn partly with white cotton. This could of course be easily improved upon. A small slight whitish mark to centre back and some small foxing marks to front.
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