Some Gorgeous Worth Gowns
13 May
I can’t think of anything to say today so how about feasting your eyes upon some beautiful examples of the work of the iconic design house, Worth. Inventive English fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895) is generally considered to be the father of haute couture thanks to the luxurious and inspirational designs produced by the fashion house, Worth and Bobergh, that he founded in Paris in the 1850s and which served as a forerunner for the likes of Chanel, Dior and Yves St Laurent.
I first came across Worth as a little girl when I went through a phase of reading my grandmother’s Barbara Cartland collection and particularly enjoyed one that involved a gawky spectacle wearing Irish heiress marrying an indifferent peer then going on honeymoon in Paris and losing the glasses, dressing up in a lot of Worth goodies and pretending to be a Parisian ingenue called Desirée or similar in order to woo her own husband. I’ve tried looking on Google for the title but ‘cartland novel honeymoon Paris’ isn’t coming up with anything, funnily enough.
Oh wait, it was called Desire of the Heart. Check it out, if you like that sort of thing – it’s a great read.
Not content with dressing Empress Eugènie and all the most fashionable, elegant and celebrated women of his day, Worth also created one of the most famous gowns of all time:
Empress Elizabeth of Austria in an unforgettable swirl of foaming gauze. This has surely got to be one of the most romantic dresses ever.
Ball gown, 1900.
Ball gown, 1898.
Tea dress, 1900.
Evening dress, 1902.
Evening dress, 1898.
Evening dress, 1900.
Evening dress, 1900.
Evening dress, 1872.
Afternoon dress, 1872.
Afternoon dress, 1872.
Evening dress, 1887.
Evening dress, 1897.
They’re beautiful aren’t they?
"You'd find it easier to be bad than good if you had red hair," said Anne reproachfully. "People who haven't red hair don't know what trouble is." - Anne of Green Gables.
Gosh the detail on those ball gowns is incredible – beautiful!
It’s so amazing. I love the butterfly one – just imagine sauntering into a ball wearing something like that! Very head turning! :)
Worth AND Winterhalter *sighs*
Two of my favourites! I love Winterhalter’s portraits – they are so elegant and yet romantic. :)
They are ALL gorgeous – I’d love to wear them – even if it meant having stays and all the other accoutrements. How regal are they? *sighs*
Oh gosh, yes. I wouldn’t mind the stays and general cumbersomeness! I want the one with butterflies all over the skirt – it’s magical!
They are scrumptious! I’ve always wanted to wear everything the House of Worth ever created. Interesting … the silhouette on the bubblegum-pink satin evening gown from 1900 is “so” 1790! Just goes to show you that then, as now, fashion is cyclical!
Oh me too – Worth and 1950s Dior are perfection and I would happily wear everything they produced!
I noticed that too – it’s a very close match to a 1790s silhouette isn’t it? I’ve noticed that a few times with dresses of that period, actually, which is nice but sometimes a bit confusing! Possibly Empress Eugènie’s passion for all things Marie Antoinette had an effect on high fashion in the mid to late 19th century? :)
These are gorgeous, Melanie! I too read/still read ahem, Barbara Cartland and love reading about the dresses by Worth.
I don’t know if you’re aware, but in the film The Phantom of the Opera, the dress worn and hairstyle worn by Christine when she sings ‘Think of Me’ is inspired by the one worn by Empress Elizabeth. There’s a picture of it on imdb here http://www.imdb.com/media/rm697207808/tt0293508
and it’s mentioned in the trivia here (halfway down the page – it says it’s a replica, but I don’t think it is exactly the same).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293508/trivia
I love Barbara Cartland’s books! :)
I haven’t seen that film but that dress is lovely! It’s so romantic and flouncy! :)
Oh just swooning, here! Have been thinking a lot about Worth since reading My Last Duchess by Daisy Goodwin (have you read it? I loved it! Full of descriptions of gorgeous Worth creations) and so wish we lived in an age where one had tea dresses & afternoon dresses and day dresses and and and…! Though I am sure we should find all that re-dressing somewhat tedious these days – it would be Worth it! (I apologise profusely for that parting shot. Really, I do). X
I have had that book on my wishlist for months but still haven’t read it! Will do so now, definitely!
Haha, I think all the dress changes would get really tiresome wouldn’t they!
These Worth dresses are so gorgeous! Think i’ve fallen in love with the house of Worth!!! I too wish we had such marvellous dresses to wear but alas these days it’s all about cheap comfort!
They are amazing aren’t they? The care, workmanship and eye for detail that went into them is extraordinary! :)
Good grief, Madame G, I remember that Barbara Cartland story! Though you’re doing better than me, because I didn’t remember that BC wrote it. There must have been something about it for it to stay in my memory, because most BC novels slide straight on through my consciousness without leaving a trace. A bit racy for BC, because the heiress seduces her own husband without him recognizing her at all, which makes him a typical aristocratic cad of the times, I guess, but it’s All Right because they are married (even if one half of the couple doesn’t know it!) BC philosophy encapsulated – if you want to get your man you need gorgeous gowns and plenty of makeup in your arsenal :)
Gorgeous images, wicked text, love it — but no information on the sources….am I looking in the wrong places? thanks so much!
That’s so weird. There was originally a bit at the end of the post to say that all images are from the collection of the Met Museum in New York but it seems to have cut it off! I seem to recall that I wrote this post in Pages and then pasted it in so that seems the most likely explanation!
Sorry about that – anyway, yes, they are all in the Met.