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"Miranda: The Tempest"
by Waterhouse |
According to
Consuelo Rockliff-Stein, one of the founders of The Ladies’ Tea and Rhetoric Society, “Artistic gowns ... were never intended to be exact replicas of the clothing worn by models in Pre-Raphaelite paintings, nor were they intended to replicate clothing of the classical and medieval eras. These gowns borrowed design elements from all these sources, but were distinctly Victorian in overall effect.” This led to vaguely historic-looking clothing, mixing elements from totally different periods in the same garment. “Medieval”
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"Venetian Ladies Listen To The Seranade"
by Frank C. Cowper |
sleeves, “Elizabethan” ruffs and “Grecian” drapery could be found on the same dress. The Watteau-back dress, a princess-line dress that had a fitted bodicein front, but a large section of loosely-pleated fabric from the shoulders to the floor in back, was inspired by 18th century French sacques, and was one way that Pre-Raphaelite ideas were absorbed into mainstream fashion. It became a favorite look for the “tea gown”, which became popular in the 1880s as informal daytime social dress.
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