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Morris and Burne-Jones families. ca. 1874. Pre-Raphaelite dress generally took two forms: modified contemporary fashion, or historically-inspired styles. If choosing modified contemporary fashion, gowns would be styled according to the dictates of Reform Dress or "Rational Costume," which advocated comfort and freedom of movement, fabric breathability, and natural fibers and colors in an effort to promote greater health. Mrs. Mary Haweis, an American reformer, wrote that dress is an art object in itself; she argued that no “imbecile ornament” should be worn, because it is artificial, and came up with Seven Dress Rules: 1. retain the human form under all circumstances. 2. allow the human form to determine the folds and trimmings. 3. see that the proportions of the dress obey the proportions of the body. 4. allow the dress to reasonably express the character of the wearer. 5. consider the fitness of times and seasons. 6. avoid discomfort, and weight sufficient to cramp and disable either really or apparently. 7. avoid colors too pure, or brilliant enough to overpower the features of the face. In following these dictates, Pre-Raphaelite dresses had high jewel necklines, loose Bishop style sleeves that were set into the bodice at the shoulder line (instead of dropped on to the top of the arm as in contemporary fashion), loosely-fitted or un-fitted waistlines (because the dress was worn without a corset underneath), with long, full skirts worn without hoops, bustle, or multiple petticoats so that they fell in heavy folds and swept the ground. They were untrimmed except with “Medieval” embroidery, large free-form embroidered sunflowers, daffodils or other organic forms, or smocking, functional buttons or belts, or perhaps a single ruffle near the hem, in contrast to the ruffled, ribboned, lace-covered, fringed, and otherwise heavily-decorated mainstream fashion. "The Blue Silk Dress" by D.G. Rossetti. 1868. Pre-Raphaelite women's gowns were made of wool, Liberty silks, or velvet fabrics in old-fashioned (because they came from the old natural dyes instead of the new chemical dyes), faded, earthy, “antique” colors like sage green, indigo and soft blues, salmon and muted reds, terracotta, soft browns and amber-gold. Fabrics could be hand-painted or hand-printed, as well as solid color, but lacked the elaborate multi-color patterns popular at the time. These fabrics gave an impression of quaintness and luxury, but not garish opulence. Shoes appear to be almost entirely flat or with low heels, but the length of the gowns' hems makes it almost impossible to see what the rest of the shoes or slippers looked like! Instead of multiple pieces of jewelry, the Pre-Raphaelite women confined themselves to a single strand of beads, especially natural amber, or Oriental-inspired pieces. Single pendants, or maybe a pair of plain gold bracelets, or a single "artistic" brooch were worn in many period photographs. Pre-Raphaelite women also were not shown in the fashionable bonnets and caps of the day, although certain "antique" forms -- like the Conquistador helmet -- were adapted for bonnets and hats, as shown in some contemporary illustrations. They appear most often with only flowers in their hair, or perhaps a delicate metal circlet over the forehead, decorated with natural forms like a wreath. "Picking Apple Blossoms" by Millais. 1856. Instead of glossy curls, waves and braids pinned into elaborate hairdos, Pre-Raphaelite women often wore their hair down, crimped, frizzed or curled into thick waves with lots of volume, or loosely pinned back into a simple bun at the back of the head, preserving the volume around the face. Detractors often described their look as “windswept” and “untidy” but it was meant to be “wild” and “natural.” We can understand Anne of Green Gables’ affinity for the Pre-Raphaelites when we realize that many of the “ideal beauties” who appeared in their artworks had red hair, which was yet another diversion from mainstream fashion. To be continued ... "La Ghirlandata" by D. G. Rossetti. For more information: “The Aesthetic Dress Movement: Fashion History of Aesthetics” by Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com “Morgan Le Fay” The Pre-Raphaelite Online Resource “Pre-Raphaelite Ideals and Artistic Dress” by Consuelo Marie Rockliff-Stein “Artistic Flair – Aesthetic Dress of the 1880s” “Aesthetic Dress” Clothing and Fashion Encyclopedia Reforming Women’s Fashion, 1850 – 1920: Politics, Health, and Art by Patricia A. Cunningham.

Emilie Floege in a reform dress. Weissenbach. Lake Attersee. Photograph by Gustav Klimt. 1906. Emilie Flöge in einem von Gustav Klimt entworfenen Konzert-Kleid (Hängekleid

Emilie Floege in an artistic reform dress. Photography by Gustav Klimt at the Attersee lake, 1906. [Emilie Floege in einem kuenstlerischen Reformkleid, aus der Serie der von Klimt und Floege...

I’ll be the first to admit that anything older than 1915 is pretty much a mystery to me. Even so, I’m fully aware of the debt that modern dressing owes to the efforts of those far-sigh…

Museum for German and Austrian art from the early twentieth century. Located at Fifth Avenue and 86th Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Today I wanted to chat a bit about Artistic Dress. First began by the Pre-Raphaelites (well, the wives and female family members of the P.R.B.), the idea of Artistic Dress was begun for aesthetic and non-political reasons. Although the burgeoning Victorian dress reform movement encouraged this trend for furthering their goals of getting rid of the corseted and non-natural form of Victorian fashion, the Pre-Raphaelites and their families were more focused on the idea of incorporating nuances of the medieval style to their modern attire. However, in Pre-Raphaelite dress, as well as in their art and design, it wasn't sufficient to simply try to exactly reproduce the medieval era. The goal was to take the romance and purity of the medieval era, and make it relevant for the modern Victorian. Although I am a long-time admirer of the Pre-Raphaelites, I am a newcomer to the entirety of their influence. I only first heard of the Arts & Crafts movement about a year ago, and the Artistic Dress movement is a recent discovery. However, I find it to be, like so many other things I discover about the beliefs and revolutionary thoughts that orbited around the PRB, quite reminiscent of my own aesthetics and thoughts. Ah how I wish I had been born to a Victorian pauper and "discovered" by an artist in the Brotherhood sometimes! (My choice would likely have been Burne-Jones, incidentally) But I digress. The admiration I hold for the Artistic Dress Movement is twofold: first, it is near and dear to me that they sought to incorporate a medieval aesthetic into their every-day dress while still not appearing in "costume," and secondly that they were willing to undergo the criticism and mocking of the society as a whole in order to stay true to their personal ideals of beauty. Both of these sentiments are near and dear to me, and greatly admired. I have a friend, who I personally believe to be one of the most beautiful women I know, who I consider to be a modern-day Artistic Dresser. Although she lives in a conservative area of America, she wears breathtaking velvet skirts and jackets, Parrish Relics with everything, and her russet hair in a waist-sweeping length. This kind of devotion to one's personal aesthetic despite popular cultural "norms" is precisely the modern day lesson to be learned by artistic dress. Lisa, the epitome of modern Artistic Dress! The artwork at the top of this post is a satiric painting by William Powell Frith, showing the difference between artistic dress (worn by the women on the left and right in the painting) vs. the modern Victorian style (worn by the women in the middle). A diagram showing the horrifying effect that a Victorian corset can have on the internal organs over a period of time. The style of artistic dress, with its focus on fabric drapery and the revealing of the subtlety of a woman's natural un-corsetted body, fit in quite wonderfully to the aims of the Victorian Dress Reform Movement. Jane Morris, the Pre-Raphaelite beauty, wearing a wonderful example of an Artistic Dress. I found the biography of Jane Morris to be a wonderful source for information on Artistic Dress.

Vrouw in een reformjapon met poffende mouwen en split. Hoed met kokarde. Wandelstok in de hand. Verso tekstblad pagina 84. Twee losse bladen met vijf advertenties boven elkaar voor reform onder-en bovenkleding, waaronder 'zuiveren wollen onderkleeding', een 'borstdrager' en 'mantelcostumes'.

Well, I appear to be on a theme roll, because once again I’ve picked a dress with front view vs back view. This one is quite intentional though: it’s a tea gown with a specific over-robe effect. Last Week: an early 1860s dress in blue floral silk Last week’s dress was the opposite of the week before’s. A fortnight ago you liked the back view but not the front, last week you loved the front, but if you had any quibbles it was that you thought the additional back tails were awkward and misplaced. The dress was also quite different to last weeks in that many of you absolutely loved it – somewhat to my surprise. The Total: 8.9 out of 10 Not quite perfection, but getting there! This week: an 1890s Liberty Tea Gown This Liberty tea gown has all the classic elements that make a tea gown: a robe effect with an unbroken line flowing past the waist, rather decadent sleeves, and elements of exoticism and romantic historicism. It’s no surprise this tea …

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Emilie Flöge (1874-1955), was a pioneering Austrian designer, whose work is often overshadowed by or credited to her life companion, the painter Gustave Klimt. Emilie was Gustave's love and muse, though they were never married. In 1904, Emilie and her sisters, Helene and Pauline, had opened a fashion salon, smartly outfitted by the Wiener Werkstatte, in Vienna's Casa Piccola. This entrepreneurial venture (unusual for women at the time) was necessitated by the financial decline of the once-prosperous Floge family Emilie remained true to Klimt throughout his life and after his death maintaining a "Klimt room" in the salon premises after the Nazi Anschluss in 1938 forced its closure, Here she kept his easel and his massive cupboard housing his collection of ornamental gowns, his caftan like painter's smocks, and several hundred of his drawings.

Bibliography: p. 58