#leicestershire fashion collections

Floral mini dress, 1960s
Label Sparva 

These small flowers look like they have been cut out of different stripy fabrics and stuck together on a stripy background, which is almost invisible. The green and the brown balance the pink and orange nicely.

Woman’s handmade floral pattern dress with drop waist, 1980

This is a more intricate pattern than appears at first glance. Initially the eye is drawn to the dark pink outlines but then one notices the subtle white pattern superimposed on the pinks, blue and grey. It gives you two patterns for the price of one.“

Green flannelette corset, 1900
Image of embroidery detail. A busk front corset produced in 1900. It is made from a heavy green flannelette, which has been lined with brown twill. Part of the Symington Collection of corsetery and swimwear collection. Some of the collection is on display at Snibston Discovery Museum, Coalville or can be viewed by appointment at the Collections Resources Centre

Two types of ribbon and the reinforcement stitching provide the decoration on an otherwise plain corset. The scalloped edged ribbon has been overlapped with a straight edged one. The top stitching used secures the ribbon while strengthening the top edge of the corset

Canada 1867-1967 souvenir scarf
Polyester twill scarf, ‘Travel Memorabilia 1967’. Hand rolled edges. Yellow ground with a 'Canada 1867-1967’ motif and scenes in white, red, blue and green. White edge with a yellow border. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard

The date on the edge of this scarf gives a clue that it is not just a souvenir of a country but of an event. 1967 was the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation which was celebrated with souvenirs like coins and scarves.

Muslin dress, 1870-73
White polonaise trimmed with mauve bows and ruching with mauve sash and skirt

This lightweight over skirt is fastened loosely with pretty lilac fabric bows. The edges of the fabric have been pinked, with special scissors, to give the zigzag edge. The pinking, while giving a decorative finish ,also prevents the fabric from fraying.

Holland and scenes souvenir scarf 
Polyester twill travel souvenir scarf  with machine turnings. White ground with a ‘Holland and scenes’ motif in blue, pink and beige. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard.

This scarf has a pastel colour palette and the pale pink outlines mean that some of the detail is lost. It uses the traditional images of tulips and windmills in an uninspiring manner. The blue border gives it definition which is missing elsewhere.

Wallis’ skirt and blouse, 1980s

These dark red, flame-like flowers look a bit like patterns from Turkish or Indian carpets. The flowers are angular, as if having been created on a woven grid. All the pattern is outlined in white to heighten the effect of the dark colours.

Women’s cape, c1900
Grey blanket cloth reversible white striped fringed thick wool

The fuzzy fringing with striped edges gives a very interesting finish to the plain grey side of this cape and picks up the bold stripes on the other side. The fleecy quality of the fabric means it doesn’t fray. Fringing has been popular throughout the world, often used on non-fraying fabrics such as leather or suede garments. Native American dress is one example of how effective this decoration can be on simple shapes.

Souvenir Riviera dei Fiori Scarf
Polyester twill travel souvenir scarf  with machine turnings. White ground with a ‘SOUVENIR RIVIERA dei FIORI’ motif with scenes. The Siddons Scarf Collection, donated by B.M. Barnard.

This Italian scarf uses illustrations of tourist venues in beautiful scrolled frames. The frames are like the gilded Italianate frames used for oil paintings seen in galleries and churches. This type of wearable souvenir would imply that the wearer had visited these foreign places.

Silk chiffon drop waisted dress, c1920s
Yellow, orange and brown floral dress with ruffles and frills at sleeve, waist and yoke with belt

This belt buckle has been carefully chosen to match the dress. It is an unusual shape, almost like little moustaches and combs, and fits neatly at the waist. It is not a heavy duty fastening.

Black front busk corset 1875
Detail of lace and stitching, made of of lasting, cotton twill, and Hessian. It is laced at the back and has a straight, four-stud, metal busk at the front. Part of the Symington Collection of corsetry and swimwear. Some of the collection is on display at Snibston Discovery Museum, Coalville or can be viewed by appointment at the Collections Resources Centre

This very broad band of black cotton lace gives a more delicate touch to the strong pattern created by the yellow sewing on the sturdy black fabric. Its straight edge overlays a thin strip of white scallop-edged lace to give the finishing touch.

Green half handling corsets

The lines on these corsets show how beautiful plain stitching can be. The stitching all serves a purpose; to keep the corset supports in place and to reinforce the fabric so it maintains the required shape when pulled around the body. Some stitching forms grooves and the look is like a landscape which retains the outlines of the medieval “ridge and furrow” agricultural system. In another place the cross hatching creates a diamond pattern in a bold waistline with metal eyelets for decoration. The use of colour is minimal but the decorative impact is strong.

Pink and blue floral cotton button through dress, late wartime

The use of little white lines in the shading of this pattern gives an impression of texture although the fabric itself is smooth. It is a reverse of the usual black lines on a white background and is very effective on this small scale pattern.

Printed short sleeve dress, 1941-49
Multi-floral print, thought to be utility wear.

This trailing print has a lightness to it as there is a lot of white background but the line drawings are swamped by the heavy overprinting of green and purple. The delicacy of the flowers clashes with the clumsy painting of stems and leaves.

Summer evening gown with floral print, 1952

The designer has been very clever as this is a very dramatic fabric using mostly pale colours, which is hard to do. The small elements of black stand out against the petals and leaves and are balanced by the solid blue ground

Jacket and dress of brown floral chiffon

This pattern is made up of tiny petals and leaves but the sprays of leaves fanning out across the brown background add a big impact. It is like a Catherine Wheel of flowers fizzing about in all directions or the flower displays of the same period by Constance Spry.

Women’s housecoat, c1935
Crêpe De Chine, blue black and yellow floral pattern

This pattern of Morning Glory is indeed glorious with its profusion of flowers bursting out with bright colour, and even black flowers. Used in the Victorian period for its delicacy and trailing nature, this motif has been radically updated for a 1930s customer who wants modernity.