Victorian evening bodice

Gorgeous rare antique Victorian silk brocade evening bodice, attributed to Charles Frederick Worth, ca. 1879.

A VERY rare find! This stunning bodice is made of silk brocade with little pastel flowers on a champagne backround and trimmed in soft blue and pink.

This bodice does not have a label, when we bought it we were told it was a Worth bodice, bought in Paris in the late 1870's. The family it came from had a lot of other clothing from among others Worth and Emile Pingat though, and an expert confirmed that we can assume this bodice was made by Worth, it has all the telltale signs.

Charles Frederick Worth (1825 - 1895) is often called the father of couture, he was pretty much the first fashion designer. Born in England and later moved to France where he started the leading fashion house of his time.

This bodice is amazing, the way it was made and the details are just exceptional. It closes in the front with buttons covered with blue silk, and over that goes a shirred silk panel. Even the hidden buttoned part is finished perfectly, showing its quality. From the ruched panel bands of pleated silk go over the schoulders and around the neck. The deep neckline is trimmed with gorgeous pleated lace. At the back there is a shirred bustle flap. The sleeves have pleated lace cuffs and are decorated with more blue silk and blue, pink and yellow bows. Around the neck and the cuffs there is double piping, around the bottom triple piping. Even the inside is finished perfectly, with every edge finished by hand with narrow bands. The bodice is fully lined. All details are handmade, and skillfully so.

The condition of this bodice is perfect. Waist approx. 58 cms, bust approx. 84 cm, lots of flare over the hips.

Any serious collector of antique clothing will know this is a VERY rare find!