1904-1906, Grey silk beaded long gown

Description

Early 1900's ladies long beaded evening gown. The outer shell of the gown is made of an off-white silk tulle that is elaborately hand-beaded in small grey sequins, black seed beads and grey metal leaves, which cascade from the top of the shoulders to the edge of the scalloped hem. Large clusters of floral and bud motifs of padded sequin and seed beads line the front and back neckline, side seams and down the length of the side front and side back of the skirt. The gown has a low rounded neckline in the front and black with an appliqued net border in grey-blue silk tulle. The mono-bosom silhouette style of the bodice is gathered into a fitted waist decorated with sequins clustered together in the look of a wide band. The gown has a full, fluted skirt and a long train in the back. The shell of the dress is underlined in off-white silk marquisette with a ten inch long fluted flounce hemmed in a grey silk velvet ribbon. The inner bodice is made of a powder blue silk shantung attached at the neckline and armscyes. It is made up of twelve panels, four in the back and eight in the front, has a V shaped waistline and is boned. It closes at the center back with thirteen hook and eye fasteners and has a draw cord where it is attached to the neckline that ties at both the center front and the center back to control the shaping. Sleeves contain a lining of the powder blue silk shantung in a fitted straight style, with volume added by an overlayer of a larger puffed sleeve made of the off-white silk marquisette, which is gathered and trimmed in the grey silk velvet ribbon with an added bow at the back and a one inch band of the grey-blue netting with applique beneath that. The outer layer is a long heavily beaded over sleeve attached only at shoulder top. The five gored, blue shantung underskirt is attached at the waistline with a bias cut band of the fabric and has a four inch ruffle at the hem. The gown closes at the center back in a seventeen inch long opening that fastens with hooks, eyes and thread loops sandwiched between the tulle/marquisette and a bias facing made of the blue shantung.