I guess I'm paranoid about docents wanting to do a cutesy Laura Ashley look.
The worst of the costumes we have in stock are ones which were
donated by well meaning individuals who thought they looked right.
And since we're a historical museum it will be almost impossible to
de-acquisition (= get rid of) these pieces. But I am now in a
position where I can put them all into a box and seal it, and refuse
to issue them to anyone. And I guess I could put someone into the
bad example dress, photograph it, and use the image to hold down the
zero end of the scale of one to ten where ten is our perfect ideal.
Yes, seal the box! :-) While Laura Ashley dresses look
old-timey or traditional, they are from the late 1970s/early 80s.
You could equate them with other styles of that era. Also point out
what makes the dress Laura Ashley and not 1901.
My impression is that they are more of a little girl style than
grown-up. But you don't want to give the impression they're ok for
girls, either.
We do 1901. There is a posture shown in many contemporary
illustrations where the bust is pushed forward and the butt is
pushed backward, such that a standing woman is bent into an S-shaped
curve (think Gibson Girl). I can hardly present this un-natural,
but historically correct, posture as flattering. (It's really hard
on the back too - I've tried it.) But many dated contemporary
photographs show women not exhibiting this posture. So I'm going to
have to be careful playing the "flattering" card here. And the
silhouette I present as the one to copy will have to be taken from
the moderate end of what was done in our period.
I tend to think a good period outfit is more flattering than
20thC elements thrown together like a kid playing dress-up. Isn't
this the era of the movie "Room with a View"? There's an example of
beautiful, flattering costumes. On live human bodies, not Gibson
Girl drawings!
I'm sure you've looked at yourself (or others well-dressed) in
1901 dress and said "Wow, that looks good!" It's a matter of
communicating that enthusiasm to the other volunteers. If you find
the posture unattractive, it won't be as convincing.
-Carol
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