Princess of the Orleans Family French Royal Silk Dress 1890s to 1900s

This dress is a very rare find, a 1890s to 1900s silk evening gown in great condition. To add to this it carries the label 'To the Princesses of the Orleans Family' C.W King, Richmond. I can't find anything about C.W King who must have been dressmakers or couturiers in Richmond at this time.

Princess Amelie d'Orleans

Princess Helene d'Orleans 

Princess Isabelle d'Orleans and her cousin Princess Marie d'Orleans. Could Isabelle have worn this dress?

 Princess Louise D'Orleans - this is most likely the wearer of the dress and would match the style of her era. 

Above are the princesses who may have worn this dress.

The dress was found in a shop in Clifton, Bristol recently. The collector I purchased this dress from found it in a shop in Clifton, Bristol. The sellers thought it was a costume. Where it came from before this, we don't know. What we do know is that the last French Royal family were exiled in the UK in 1948. They lived at Orleans House in Twickenham in the borough of Richmond.

You can read more about the Orleans family here.



Painting of Orleans House, Richmond painted by Joseph Nicholls.

If the dress was worn by one of the princesses it was most likely Princess Helene d'Orleans married 1885 at Kingston upon Thames,  Princess Isabelle d'Orleans married 1899 at Twickenham or Princess Louise d'Orleans married in 1907 at Evesham.  Their father was Prince Philippe, Count of Paris and claimant to the French throne.

The dress is made from a soft gold silk jacquard with a boned bodice and separate full length skirt. There are bows decorating the neckline and the waist and look as if more lace an embellishment had been added at some point as there are still some threads over the neckline and sleeves.
Inside the stays are covered with a fine cotton voile and a silk brocade ribbon woven with the crest of the Orleans family makes the waist stay.

The skirt is full length with a small train and more volume at the back. Fully lined in cotton with a ruffled ribbon hem. Both the skirt and the bodice fasten with the original hooks and eyes laid out alternately to ensure a strong fastening.

The dress is in very good condition considering it is silk and the age. There are storage and wear marks on the inside of the dress and a couple marks on the outside of the skirt. The colours have faded a little on the back of the skirt but overall it is lovely.
The dress hasn't been cleans and will need dry cleaning by a specialist if intended for wear.

The dress is available to purchase in the vintage section of our shop and would be wonderful in a French Royal Family collection, House of Orleans collection or a costume collection covering this era.

More details of the dress.

2016 Bridal Collection - 1920s Dress Inspirations

1920s champagne tulle Pannier Dress 

1920s applique lame gown by Boue Soeurs

Louise Brooks in 1920s Ziegfeld Follies costume

Boue Soeurs lace floral 1928 gown

Black Chantilly lace 1920s gown

1920s fashion illustration

Chartreuse Green 1920 Lanvin silk gown

A sketch of the second piece from our new 2016 Bridal Collection. 1920.

Inspired by the vivacious 1920s era of sparkle and champagne.  The 1920 dress will be made in champagne iridescent sequins layered over a tulle tiered slip creating a draped pannier shape. 

I love the 1920s pannier designs from the Ziegfeld Follies and flappers. Looks that produce a modern version of the 18th century court gowns of Versaille.

Inspiration Images taken from pinterest.

Edwardian Dress Inspirations

Miss Lily Elsie, 1912     

Leonard Misonne, 1910 
Zinaida Gippius, a Russian Poet 1917 

 

1912 Lucile Tea Party 

Images from A Room with a View

Two Edwardian ladies with parasols 1914

June 1900  - I love these fitted sleeves

1912 lady in white two piece and wide brim hat

Edwardian women in whites

1911 fashion plates of day wear. 

The latest Bridal collection has had the last thread cut and now I can share this inspirations and sketches behind the new gowns.

The collection will be titles 'decades' and features a design from each decade from the 1910s Edwardian era to the 1970s where the post modern design comes full circle.

I love the images above of Edwardian ladies in their white lace and cottons. The simplicity of the cuts with lots of embellishment and romance. The film 'A Room with a View' has always been an inspiration.

Our design will need modernisation and I will take elements of cut and embellishment to feed into the dress.

All images found on Pinterest.

1930s Inspiration

Inspiration images from pinterest - Vionnet Lame bow dress - Schiaparelli colour spalsh dress - Vionnet draped silk gown, Vionnet sage crepe dress - Rosemary and Sage berry bundle - 1930s distsy prints - 1930s backless evening gowns

The latest 'Good Hope' sage gown is inspired by the 1930s.

The 1930s was a depression and wartime era but one of the most elegant and glamorous for fashion with long slender silhouettes, the sexiness of the 1920s and beautiful, beautiful cuts.

I had a length of original vintage crepe in a sage green with a typical thirties ditsy print in white etched flowers. I knew it was begging to be cut on the bias but wondered of it could work as an evening gown instead of the obvious tea dress?

With a little research I discovered these muted colours were in evidence throughout designs from the 1930s. These Vionnet dresses above carry the dull colour well albeit in metallic lames. The dress with the colour splash is a Schiaparelli and I loved the contrast, it was a kind of hope in a dress.

Being depression era and using what is quite a depressing colour teaming a bright scarlet red for the lining would add that bit of hope. I also decided to use it for the neckline with a seductive flash of red over the sweetheart. The cut had to be long and lean with an added train for drama (if you you should). A draped bodice would bring texture and a low cut back was a must to give that naked elegance.

And so the 'Good Hope' dress was designed.