It arrived yesterday and I am scared to open the box- that is HOW overwhelmed I am hahaha The idea of touching fragile old things is fascinating yet terrifying to me! So to give you the story, my dream was always to own a PURPLE Victorian dress but I never sought it out due how expensive they are in general so I wanted to save myself the heartbreak. Somewhere this dress showed up on my Ebay feed and the bidding was pretty low so I kept my eye on it . I assume there would be a huge bidding war that would sky high but towards the ending time of auction it was still in an affordable range so it became even more desirable because it attainable . Now, I had lost every single auction thus far literally at the last second so I told myself not to get my hopes up. The more I looked at it the last hour the more I realized this was THE dress, the one that was everything I loved and symbolic as well as inspiring to keep me going with my passion. It was not in "great" condition, it had it's rips & flaws but hey so do I ;) I prepared for another heartbreak to get outbidded, the bidders were getting aggressive so I put my poker face on and put in my max bid the last couple of seconds and the rest is history, my first bid war success! I *might* have shed a tear but I def was shaking like a leaf 7 clammy from the adrenaline rush. Now thank goodness my husband is supportive so when he came home from work and I told him the price of my new treasure he didn't walk back out the door- I just had to pick up his jaw off the floor . The price of being super frugal on a daily basis, makes what people normal priced items seem over the top so same goes with my antique shopping but I give myself some dangerous kind of freedom saying some things need to be " investments" ...You know like a antique dress I will never fit into!
So I present to you ...The Lilly Violet Dress!
Here is the info on the dress from the seller:
Lovely antique purple print silk dress exquisitely made by CUMMINGS ST LOUIS. This dress came out of local historical house in Fort Smith, Arkansas' downtown district. It is quite tattered and torn throughout the the body of the dress, as the fabric is very thin, delicate and old. Some of the tears are large and within the body of the dress and not along a seam. The bodice is pin tucked and decorated with rolled medallions and several floral embroidered appliqués front and back, from the waist up. The lace has a lightly colored daisy floral pattern, is trimmed in a blue braided trim and is in good condition on the front, back, and both cuffs. The back is completely hook and eye closures. The bodice is backed with a boned ivory cotton under bodice, and the dress is unlined below the waist. The CUMMINGS ST. LOUIS, MO. label is attached at the waist on a long ribbon that has a hook and eye at each end. Please note that the silk is discolored in several places from exposure to light, possible soiling and perspiration, even though attached to the dress are underarm perspiration pads, trademarked Kleinert Swan. Still, it is a beautiful handmade piece that is well over 100 years old!
This dressmaker is infamous fashion. Check this out: http://www.stltoday.com/suburban-journals/metro/news/history-museum-clothing-collection-covers-years-of-fashion/article_5e66e16f-1956-51c9-b4b6-7741d6a3b963.html
The famous Annie Cummings dress displayed at the Missouri History Museum:
Also I * believe* this was may have been Lizzie Borden's personal dressmaker, how awesomely creepy is that?
Anyway, this dress is a rare piece from the designer, I have only come across one other dress of hers online displayed at a museum and nothing else . I don't know if I would ever sell it because it is such a milestone for me . I am tempted to contact the museum to see what it would go for, maybe they can restore it to it's full beautiful potential and be burrowed for a display?
This is indeed the ultimate find in my eyes and now it's MINE :)
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