Dress #054: Edwardian dress in mulberry. 2016

This hand-stitched Edwardian paper gown is based on a dress from ca. 1911. The dress is made from Japanese paper in a berry shade, with a silver bodice and an overlay of seikaiha watermark tissue to imitate the sheer layer of silk tulle on the original. A tassel topped by a glass bead hangs from the bottom of the overdress. Hand-embroidered lines imitate the seams and folds of the dress. It is stitched onto cold-pressed 100% cotton paper. The original dress is held by the Kyoto Costume Institute (accession AC1000 78-30-14). It features the high waist and flowing drapery of the early 1910s, new synthetic dyes enabled the use of bold colours in delicate fabrics. Dresses in this style can be seen in the early seasons of Downton Abbey.

The dress is six inches tall, stitched by hand on 8x10 inch 100% cotton watercolour paper, which means that it will pop right into any commercial frame in that size, and be ready to hang on your wall.

Materials: Japanese paper, glass, bead, and cotton floss on cotton paper.