#eyelet lace blouse

[vinceaddams]

I know this is almost certainly a stretch, but I was wondering if you know what these are:

They're made of mother-of-pearl with turquoise topped screws on each end. Similar ones I've found on Etsy/eBay claim they're collar stays but I can't for the life of me figure out how they're meant to be worn, the screws aren't pointed enough to go through fabric. I was gifted them for my birthday so all I know is they're from an antique shop

Neat! I've never seen things like that before!

I do know that little pieces of metal were sometimes used to keep the collars of those lacy Edwardian blouses and dresses standing straight up (someone gave me an antique one once that has that) but I'd not heard of pearl ones. Maybe the screws go through the eyelet holes in the lace or something? Hopefully someone who knows more will see this post.

[somnambulant-seraphim]

I really love this sweater :) The patterns and colours are just so pretty to me! I wore it with a brown belt and plaid skirt, some crystal necklaces I made, and bird cage earings (with little three-sided dice in them >:] ). 

And today I’m wearing all black: a lace shirt under a flowy, eyelet-patterned blouse and a long black skirt. I really like the way the bell sleeve layered over the bishop-style sleeve (though I couldn’t fully capture it). I’m also wearing some necklaces with my little black kitty earrings and did my nails! <|:^)

[coven-witches]

Zoe Benson list exacts

I’ve been looking around on tumblr to see if anyone made a exact list for clothes that Zoe wore and I only found small posts made by @harmonaesthetic and to make it easier for Zoe collectors I’m just gonna list items they found to their posts

Dresses:

Topshop Chiffon Lace Midi Slip

Topshop Strappy Lace Vintage Slip in Blue

Opening Ceremony High-Neck Plisse Short-Sleeve Shift Dress

Malia Sheer Eyelet-Lace Midi Dress

Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent Western Dress

Shirts:

Zara Tokyo Crop Top

Free People Waterfall Graphic Tank in Charcoal

Topshop Photo Dove Tee

Topshop Long Sleeve Cape Blouse in White

See by Chloé Flowy Button-Front Blouse in Eden White

Alexander McQueen Asymmetrical Button Down Shirt

Marc Jacobs Silk Tie-Neck Blouse in Ivory

Topshop Chambray Work Shirt

Bottoms:

Topshop Cutwork Mensy Fit Shorts

Topshop Dill Overalls

Jackets/Cardigans&Sweaters:

Topshop Chinoiserie Flower Bomber Jacket

Addison Mia Cropped Overlay Sweater in Grey & Black

Urban Outfitters Sparkle & Fade Slit Pullover Sweater in Grey

French Connection Honey Lace Insert Sweatshirt

Topshop Longline Fringe Kimono

Alexander Wang Sleeve Drape Wool-Mohair Tuxedo Blazer

Shoes:

Jeffrey Campbell Wesley Heeled Oxford

Loweffler Randall Fenton Buckle Booties

Accessories:

Earthling Jewelry Moonstone Ring

AEAOA Lace Parasol Umbrella in Black

[crrows]

Visited Nanzenji proper this time rather than just looking at the aqueduct and going home. Headdress, cape, heart apron, and skirt made by me. Details in read more.

This set is my child fr. It's so comfy and so cute. Sewing it all was a small journey so I'll split the details in to sections.

Skirt

I saw the fabric in the shop and knew I wanted to make a skirt out of it. I used the beginners skirt pattern from Otome no Sewing 5 and added eyelet lace for extra fun. The advantage of sewing in Japan is that you can actually find a lot of the same laces that Baby and Meta uses in their designs. The lace here is the eyelet lace Baby uses a lot. The skirt is fully elasticated so it's the most comfortable thing in the world. It makes it so hard to go back to Baby's partially shirred skirts that death grip my waist. My only regret with the skirt is that I should have sewn down the ribbon running through the lace as it likes to catch on things. However, that's something I can do in post too.

Cape

The days were getting colder but I wanted to keep showing off the skirt. All my coats are long, so I decided to make a little matching cape for warmth. I traced the pattern off a capelet on an Innocent World coat I own and then adjusted it so it was longer and curved up at the front. The cape is lined with black satin and interlined with thin wool. It's super cute and the wool makes it a little warmer. The front lines of eyelet lace were inspired by Wirehead Shop's designs. I forgot to account for the larger neckhole that the coat capelet had (to account for the giant coat collar) so the one I made tends to shuffle around more than I'd like. In the future, I might add a button closure to the front rather than ribbons, so it fits tighter.

Heart Apron

I fell in love with Meta's old heart aprons with their curved skirt, I thought they added a bit of something different to the usual straight lines of lace you usually find in egl. This apron is a blatant rip off of that, just with torchon lace instead. The heart bib took a while to get right. I spent about an hour drawing the correct heart shape, bought new fabric so the flowers could be in the centre, and then completely changed the heart shape once I'd cut it out. The ties around the neck are a bit of a train wreck - next time I'd just use black grosgrain ribbon. I'd love to try pairing this with a white or black op (or another floral op for full granny curtain pattern clashing), but I'll have to wait for a nice one to pop up on Mercari.

Other Coord Details

Blouse: Baby (Luanna Blouse)

Bloomers: Baby (2005)

Socks: Metamorphose (2023)

Shoes: Doc Martens (90s)

[desertdollranch]

Getting dressed with Kirsten

It's a bright January morning on the Minnesota frontier, and Kirsten's bedroom is almost as cold as it is outside! She's going to get dressed as quickly as she can in her warmest winter clothes. Kirsten is restless and tired of being kept indoors, so today she'll be meeting up with her cousins Lisbeth and Anna, who have a fun surprise adventure planned for the three of them. Kirsten is so excited!

First she warms her freezing feet over the foot stove--it's full of hot stones and gives off a comforting heat.

She slips her warmed tootsies into a pair of soft, felted sockor that came all the way from Sweden.

She starts with pantalettes that are hemmed in pretty eyelet lace. Even when it's muddy and slushy outside, Kirsten is expected to keep her pantalettes snowy white.

Over those, she puts on a white flannel chemise. In the summer, she wears a lightweight cotton chemise, but in winter she needs the extra warmth.

Next, she puts on a quilted flannel petticoat.

On her feet she wears her thickets and warmest knit stockings, with her most durable leather boots.

Now for the outer layers! She puts on a crisp white blouse and a black woolen skirt with a pretty waistband.

Her sweater was made in the traditional Swedish style that mothers have been knitting for their daughters for many generations.

Before putting her mittens on, she ties up her braids with ribbons that match the waistband of her skirt.

The mittens she puts on match the lovely patterns and colors on her sweater.

The pompom hat also matches!

Kirsten always wears her amber heart necklace given to her by her grandmother.

She finishes her outfit with a bright red woven scarf.

All bundled up now, Kirsten is ready for the surprise adventure that Anna and Lisbeth have promised.....

The perfect sledding hill!

Kirsten's sweater, hat, mittens, white blouse, pantalettes, boots, stockings, and hair ribbons were made by Pleasant Company. Her petticoat, chemise, and skirt were made by my mother when I was Kirsten's age. Her necklace, scarf, and felted sockor (made from alpaca fiber) were made by me.

[phoenixyfriend]

I know I'm a nerd because the amount of time I've spent obsessing over the Vojvodina dress is. Way too much.

This dress doesn't actually have a name (probably), but it's from late 19th century Vojvodina, and I kind of obsessed over it when I was at the Serbian Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade (main site is available only in Serbian).

(Unfortunately, I'm trying to work within the tumblr image limit, but here's a google drive!)

BTW, if you enjoy this post, please consider leaving a tip! I spent more time than is reasonable putting this together.

Also, due to tumblr being Odd, you may want to open this in a new tab to avoid having the posts expand to full; the dashboard view only lets there be one image per line, for some reason. If you open in a new tab, they are much more neatly organized into sets, and quicker to scroll past.

Due to the fact that I can't really describe these photos in a way that means anything to readers unless they have a large technical vocabulary or background in Balkan fashion history, and there being so many pictures, I will not be including image descriptions. However, my commentary on those photos throughout the latter half of the post should hopefully give you a solid summary on what the photos contain, even if it's not going into details for most.

Here is the general shape of what you see in 19th century Serbia (incl. Kosovo), Montenegro, Bosnia&Herzegovina, and Croatia:

You can see a few throughlines, even with the variety from one region to the next. Certain types of fabric are more common, especially that heavy plain-weave white fiber (I think usually cotton, nowadays, but probably historically flax) with the small knots; my grandmother's apartment is still stocked with that as the default bed linen! You see it all through the exhibit, most frequently in the skirts, but often for blouses or chemises, too.

There are a lot of hand-woven fabrics, which you can see on display best with the aprons, and a very specific style of applique trimmings on the cropped vest. The arm's eyes and necklines have similar proportions. The lengths are similar. Most things are cut on the rectangular, or not cut at all. Hems are often tassled, for complex weaves, or simply folded under for the white base fabrics; plain, non-white fabrics tend to get a textured applique at the hems. Lace is usually eyelet.

There are exceptions, of course. I'd love to know more about that mint green cardigan(?) from Montenegro, with the gored pieces. I think it's made of doeskin (the tight wool weave, not the leather), and I wish I could get more information on the history. Most of the larger green dyes, not counting floral motifs or minor elements of a multicolored weave, are from the Bosnian section of the display (wide stripes along the collar, for instance), presumably due to Ottoman influence leaving a large Muslim population. And then there's this mint green cardigan from Montenegro made of a fabric I'm not seeing on any other garments? Tell me more, please.

(Also, in the close-ups, you can see that the hook and eye closure has released rust stains onto the blouse!)

There are so many more pictures, but unfortunately, I have a thirty-image max and really want to talk about this one specific dress:

The image description on the floor below describes this as:

Woman's festive dress with a zlatara cap, Banat, Vojvodina, late 19th century

(I have minimal commentary on the hat. It's a traditionally Serbian vestment, but there's nothing too unusual about it.)

So, here are a few things to note at first glance:

The arm's eye on the vest is wide. It dips further in towards the neck than most vests, and swoops further down towards the ribs. Most of the traditional vests have a much tighter arm's eye.

Relatedly, the straps are much thinner than most of the vests, maybe half as wide. This is partly the arm's eye, and partly the width of the neckline to start!

The vest comes down in a slightly pointed oval ending at the swell of the bust, rather than curving back up or being a rounded shape a few inches higher. It's also finished with these little satin triangles?

The vest is laced at front, rather than hook and eye closure.

The bottom edge has tabs!

The hems on those tabs are chain stitched in yellow, and then the hem is wrapped in a thin orange ribbon that I would hesitantly say is satin? Plus all the other yellow embroidery, which to my eye looks really different from the embroidery you see on various aprons, and also different from the metallic appliques you see on most vests!

That bottom edge also appears to be straight across (most of the vests curve up slightly at front), and is very tight to the body. While some of the vests are tight, those are generally the shorter ones. Longer vests are much looser than this one, which cuts off and cinches at the waist, right where it meets the skirt.

The fabric itself! I'll get back to this but it seems to be a satin jacquard??? A jacquard that matches (in thread, not in pattern) to the skirt? Insane.

[Disclaimer: Some of these deviations, such as the arm's eye size or the dropped shoulder hem, could be a matter of the mannequin being the wrong size for the clothing. Unfortunately, I don't have enough background information to be sure. It could be just the right size. It could be far too small. I only have these photos and the most basic of background information to go off of.]

Okay moving on to the blouse:

It's not completely unique to be sheer, but it's definitely uncommon!

The chest is not pintucked or a flat weave, but rather the sheer fabric has thin stripes of more opaque weave? I don't actually remember what that's called but it's definitely cool to see.

We also see a net lace at the cuffs, which is similarly uncommon; most of the fashions I saw had eyelet lace instead (which we can see at the collar of the blouse).

The dropped shoulder! The shoulder seam sits much higher on most of the pieces I saw (there are a few exceptions, but mostly from regions nearby). In fact, most of the examples had the shoulder seam hidden, between the higher seam and the width of the vest; it's both the dropped seam and the thin straps of the vest that let us see this here!

That metallic embroidery. Again, most of the embroidery we see on the other pieces is cross stitch or done with a much thicker thread; sometimes, you get lineart, but not filled in in this manner. This kind of thin-thread embroidery that fills the space between the lines isn't common in the other pieces!

I don't think I can actually say much about the sleeve length? I feel like most of the pieces have sleeves that are full or bracelet length, while this one is a three-quarter, but I'm not 100% on that actually being true. It's a bit hard to tell in some cases. Might just be summer clothes?

The skirt:

SATIN JACQUARD

BOX PLEATS

SLIGHT OVAL HEM

SATIN RIBBON TRIM

I'm gonna be honest this was a huge part of why I began to obsess over this dress let me just. Whoo!

This fabric is, as far as I can tell, a satin jacquard, very probably machine-woven. It is very different from basically every other fabric we see in this exhibit. This is not a plain weave, and it is not a hand-woven design. This is a meticulously, mechanically repetitive pattern done using satin-weave manipulation to adjust which sections have shine and which don't. Given the time period, it's probably silk. (Take a look at this portion of a video on silk by Nicole Rudolph to understand what I mean by jacquard. If you want to know more about satin weave, you can watch the full video.)

I'd guess that the vest is made of the same type of fabric, even the same threads, just in a different pattern.

The pleating! If you take a look at the other photos, the general pattern is 'put together some rectangles, gather at top, and you have a dress. Cover with a hand-woven apron in front and possibly in back.' There are, again, some exceptions, but this dress has both the box pleating and the satin jacquard. The structure of this skirt is completely different from 90% of this exhibit.

In conjunction with the pleating, the skirt had a very slight oval shape around the bottom. I didn't get a good photo of that part, but it's typical of 1890s dresses in Western Europe to have a sort of egg-shaped hem if you look at them from above, through use of pleating, strategic panel shapes, and bum pads or petticoats. In short, the dress is just slightly longer at back without being a full-on train. Most of the other pieces, due to the rectangles and gathers, are a much simpler circle shape around bottom.

Length! Part of why the egg-shaped hem is happening is because this dress actually brushes the floor. Ankle-length is the default across the exhibit, even for formal wear.

Simple satin ribbons for decorative trim, rather than something textured, shaped, or multicolor!

Then, the actual hem of the skirt: a center-pleated green ribbon. This is, again, really different from most of the hems. Most of the skirts don't reach the ground, and aren't made of a fancy fabric. Those white dresses/skirts that form the base of most looks are easily washed and have hems that don't drag on the ground. If they aren't left to just the selvage, they're very simply hemmed; I think what I saw most frequently was a double-folded hem. The pieces that have more decorative hems, like blouses and vests and aprons, aren't pieces that get the same form of wear. However, since this dress does reach the ground, it needs a centimeter or so of additional fabric to take some of that wear to protect the fancier skirt fabric, like hem braid, which the easily-replaced ribbon could conceal for this skirt since it's a festival item.

I think that might also be part of why there's a seam about twenty centimeters up from the bottom edge; it's a replaceable section in case it needs replacement, or the seam is for a protective layer inside. However, it could also be a seam used for a stiff inner lining meant to help the skirt flare out just a touch, like this.

Now, finally, why is all this even a thing, and why do I care?

Vojvodina, the region this outfit is from, was under Austro-Hungarian control during the latter half of the 19th century; whether it was officially Hungarian, Austrian, or both changed from one decade to the next, but it was definitely under that sphere of influence for a very long time. Despite this, it was and is culturally Serbian, and is majority Serbian in terms of population; it was even back then! However, the 19th century saw a large number of ethnic Hungarians and ethnic Germans in the region as well, and the cultural impact from Vienna was not to be underestimated.

This dress is a great example of how a culturally Serbian individual would have clothing that integrated those foreign influences. For most of the Balkans, the greatest influence was the Ottomans, due to five centuries of imperial rule, but this dress is a great contrast due to Hungarian occupation, and then Austrian. It contains elements of the culture that birthed it, yes, but the influence of the West is so very, very clear.

(I wish I could talk more about the Pannonian elements in general, but I'm still learning.)

I hope you enjoyed this rambling deep dive into a single outfit from the Serbian Ethnographic Museum. Visit it if you get a chance!

And if you've read this whole thing and feel like dropping a tip, you can do so on this blog, post, or over on ko-fi. You could even join my Patreon!

[cheapieclassic]

🕸cottage goth skirt flip🕸

Hello and happy new year friends :) hope you all had a nice rest over the holidays- I did, and finished off this skirt flip I've had in progress for ages!

🕸Thrifted linen skirt, linen scraps, deadstock eyelet lace, made up into a milkmaid style dress with a ruffled bust. Self draft pattern.

🕸Styled with : new look blouse, monsoon velvet jacket and vintage purse, office boots, silver bangle and onyx ring, all items thrifted! Except my silver dragonfly from Accessorize, which is a very old and loved gift :)

[jaspersspace]

Alice and Bella go Shopping <3

Most of the time dating Alice Cullen was a dream come true, her life felt more fantasy than reality since the tiny vampire’s arrival, but sometimes the terrifying reality of the situation Bella had gotten herself into would make itself salient. Vampirism wasn’t the problem. Bella already planned to join the Cullen family after her graduation in 3 months, she was only waiting for Charlies sake. Nor was she bothered that Alice was a thousand times more bubbly and extraverted than Bella would ever be, this was a plus since Bella was never left trying to fill awkward gaps in conversation. Bella never would have imagined that the real horror of dating a vampire would be that vampire’s obsession with shopping and irreverent spending.

Alice was obsessed with clothes while Bella had literally worn an old green work shirt to her first day at Forks High last year. Following future trends and keeping the Cullen family one step ahead of the latest styles coming out of New York and Paris was a key point of Alice’s artistic expression. While Bella always admired Alice’s adorable yet somehow elegant style and the way it enhanced the vampires beauty she had stubbornly clung to her worn jeans, bulky sweaters and khaki skirts.

Today that was all changing. After a year of whining, begging, and pleading Alice had finally managed to convince Bella to let her restock her closet. Yesterday the two of them had spent all day holed up in Bella’s room sorting through her scanty closet. Alice would have just taken it all to good will but Bella fought her tooth and nail over every article of clothing. In the end Alice had only conceded 2 items for Bella to hold onto - her favourite white eyelet lace shirt and the blue blouse Bella had worn when Alice took her to the Cullen house for the first time.

It was nearly impossible for Bella to refuse Alice too long in anything, what with her lovely wide eyes, adorable hair and the endearing way she looked while pouting. If Alice’s pleading face didn’t get Bella to capitulate a soft kiss and roaming hands did the trick sure enough. As she thought of this Bella’s frown turned to a soft smile. Annoying though the pixie might be Bella had never loved anyone more. There was no one in the world quite like her Alice.

Once Bella’s hair was smooth, running down to her mid back in a chocolate waterfall, Bella grabbed her purse and bounded down the stairs. Alice and Charlie were playing a game of cribbage while they waited for Bella to make herself presentable. At the station Charlie was the reigning champion but he hadn’t managed to beat Alice once which baffled and annoyed him. To Alice’s delight Charlie found her company charming enough that he continued to play various card games with her, no one else indulged her anymore since she won every time. Charlie, unaware as he was, still had hope that one day he might win.

Alice played a two of hearts and marked three more points on the board for her run then turned to Bella with a dazzling smile.

“You ready to go now love?”

Bella could never get used to Alice’s beauty. She was unable to answer for a moment as she walked to her side and ran a hand through Alice’s choppy black hair.

“Uhm… we can wait until you two finish the game if you’d like?” Alice was just across the skunk line while Charlie trailed pitifully behind.

“No, no. Please take her away Bella,” Charlie groaned looking chagrinned, “I don’t think I can take much more of the beating I’m getting!”

“We can leave the game here, but only if Charlie agrees to count it as my win!” Alice declared with a sly grin in Bella’s direction.

“Anything to end the torture! There’s a game starting soon anyways.” Charlie agreed with a chuckle as he got up from his chair and lumbered into the kitchen to grab a beer.

Bella frowned after him. She’d hoped to buy herself at least a few more minutes before the shopping begun.

“Oh don’t worry love,” Alice chirped seeing Bella’s expression, “it’s going to be fun! Besides, I have a special present waiting to reward you so long as you cooperate.”

Alice winked and stretched onto her toes to give Bella a soft but teasing kiss before gently nibbling the taller girls lower lip. Bella’s fingers hooked in the belt loops of Alice’s jeans as she pulled her closer and so their foreheads were pressed together.

“Alice,” she whined. Bella kissed Alice’s cheek, her pointed nose, the sharp angle of her jaw. She was just about to connect their lips once more when Alice suddenly danced out of her grasp and adjusted Bella’s hold on her so now only their fingers were linked. Bella’s broken complaint was cut short by Charlie.

“Okay, you girls have fun in Seattle now. Alice, drive safe and Bella, don’t be too difficult, okay?”

“Yes Charlie!” They chorused, though Bella sounded significantly more disgruntled.

—

Then they were out the door and in Alice’s bright yellow Porsche. As they turned onto the highway Alice got a gleam in her eye and turned to Bella with a smile that made her regret not demanding they take her old rusted truck.

“Now then, the first part of any fun day is not spending all of it in the car sooooo,” Alice drew out the word as her grin grew wider, “you’re not going to get upset when I spend correct?”

Bella pressed her body against the seat and gripped the arm rests in panic as they began accelerating. She glanced over just to see the speed creep past 100mph. The trees were a hazy green blur alongside the road. Cars going the other direction flew by them like bullets.

“Wrong! Wronng! So wrong!” Bella chanted, her voice tight with fear. “Remember Alice we talked about this? I can’t walk away from a Volvo - or Porsche - pretzel.”

“Ye of little faith! We talked about this,” Alice took one hand from the wheel to tap Bella’s forehead, “Fortune teller, remember? I’d see an accident coming from at least a mile away. That’s plenty of time to change course.”

“Nope, still don’t like it.”

“Listen love, I’ll hold your hand the whole way and the sooner we get there the sooner shopping will be over.” Alice encouraged, prying Bella’s hand from the arm rest nearest her and lashing their fingers together.

“I think I’d prefer you kept two hands on the steering wheel.” Bella grumbled though she tightened her fingers around Alice’s deceptively dainty hand. At this point Bella didn’t know why she even bothered protesting, captivating as Alice was she would always get her way.

—

All in all the drive hadn’t been that bad. Bella focused on Alice’s face as Alice detailed the plans she had to create a cohesive look for Bella’s wardrobe, in an attempt to forget about how fast they were moving. Alice’s goal was for Bella’s entire closet to go with each other well enough that no matter what items of clothing Bella chose on any given day she would still look put together. This was referred to this as “Bella proofing” much to her chagrin.

Bella could just imagine all the Cullens laughing at her, next time she saw Emmett she was sure she’d never hear the end of it. At least she’d be strong enough to take his pride down a few pegs soon. Alice had told her she’d win every arm wrestle or fight for at least the first three months of her being a newborn. Bella couldn’t wait to take full advantage of that.

Though the contents of her wardrobe weren’t of much interest to Bella she adored watching Alice’s excitement grow as they approached the massive mall. Seeing someone Bella loved so clearly in her element was always heartwarming even when the subject of their interest was entirely foreign to Bella herself. She had to hold onto Alice’s hand as tightly as possible to keep her from bouncing away at inhuman speeds once they had parked. Bella briefly contemplated getting one of those backpack leashes people used to keep toddlers from running off which earned a scoff and eye roll from Alice when she had a vision of that suggestion being made.

“If anyone needs a leash it’s you, darling.” Alice said in her characteristic lilting way. “How else while I get you into the stores without a tantrum?” She batted her eyelashes at Bella with faux concern.

Bella smirked, “You can get a leash for me if you want Alice, but you already know I’d follow you anywhere.” Just saying the words had a warm blush blooming across Bella’s cheeks but the way Alice’s mouth popped open in surprise at her response was worth it. It wasn’t often that Bella could catch Alice off guard so she nearly always took the chance when she had it, even if it meant embarrassing herself.

“Well come on then,” Bella tugged the hand of a still stunned Alice, “you wanted to shop didn’t you?”

Mention of shopping broke Alice out of her surprised stillness. A dazzling grin appeared on her face before she gave Bella a kiss then she set off through the mall. Now it was Bella’s turn to be stunned but Alice was much stronger and easily towed her along towards her first target, Chanel.

“First things first, we’re getting rid of that horrible bag!” Alice pointed accusingly at the brown leather purse Bella had slung over her shoulder.

“Aw Alice, not the bag too.” Bella whined, but Alice was unwavering.

“The only reason I didn’t make you throw it out yesterday is because you needed something to carry your wallet in today. In approximately five minutes and fifteen seconds you will be the proud new owner of a quilted leather Chanel handbag and that…” Alice paused as if deliberating which word to use, “unfortunate bag of yours will no longer be necessary. Remember love, we can do this the easy way or the hard way but you already agreed so either way it is happening!”

She sounded maniacal, Bella thought to herself, but she gave up fussing about it. This would be a long day.

—

Four hours later the girls stopped for a break in the food court so Bella could have something to drink while Alice considered how best to tell Bella about the surprise she had planned to reward her for making it through a full day of shopping. There was only one store left on the list and though it was the most exciting Bella was more bashful then Alice so she had to be sure to bring it up in the correct way.

Bella sat across from Alice, caught in her own thoughts. Every item of Bella’s clothing, save the undergarments, was different than what she had walked into the mall wearing. As they shopped Alice had her switch from what she referred to as “sorely outdated” clothes into their most recent purchases. Alice had kept Bella in the nature themed palate she was already accustomed to but elevated the style in a way Bella hadn’t known possible. Browns and cremes were used as base colours with deep blue, olive green and forest green accents. Bella was rather surprised to find she loved everything Alice picked out for her.

As she got rid of the clothes she had come in and switched to wearing the perfectly fitting designer items she began to feel more confident and more like herself. It has shocked her to find out that at a couple stores Alice had even called to get items made specifically to Bella’s measurements for them to pick up. Bella realized she had no idea how much time her wonderful whirlwind of a girlfriend had spend considering each individual piece, though she was sure it must have been months for everything to work this well together.

“Hey Alice?” Bella asked, breaking into the other girls reverie.

“Yeah, love?” Alice beamed, already seeing what Bella was going to say.

“I just wanted to say thank you for all this.” Bella gestured towards the mountain of bags beside where they sat. “I know it must have taken a lot of time and consideration for you to plan everything this perfectly and, well, I’ve actually had fun with you today. Also, I know I wasn’t keen at first but I really do like the clothes you’ve picked out. It’s all so kind of you.”

Bella blushed, embarrassed to be saying her feelings out loud but it was well worth it to see Alice’s delight. She hopped up from her chair and walked around the table to sit in Bella’s lap and wrap her arms around the taller girls neck.

“Thank you for tolerating it,” she grinned up at Bella. “I saw that you’d like it but there was a possibility that you wouldn’t enjoy the new clothes until a week from now. It means a lot that you’d indulge me with this when I know it’s not your favourite way to spend a Saturday.”

“My favourite way to spend a Saturday is with you, what we’re doing doesn’t matter much. Though, I suppose some things are extra fun…” Bella blushed as she trailed off with a suggestive smile.

“Speaking of that, I still have to give you your surprise.”

“Speaking of ‘extra fun’ you mean?” Bella asked intrigued.

“Mhmm but it’s a surprise!”

“Aw really Alice?” Bella whined.

“Trust me, you’ll love it.” Alice emphasized the word love in a way that made Bella’s stomach tighten with anticipation.

“Alright let’s go then!”

Alice laughed as she let Bella scoot her off her lap. “My, my, isn’t someone eager now?” She teased causing Bella’s blush to deepen.

Despite her teasing Alice could smell Bella’s arousal which sent her hurrying to grab their bags just as quickly as her partner.

“Okay, follow me!” Alice chirped as she took off in what Bella realized was the opposite direction of their car.

“Um Alice, shouldn’t we be going the other way?” Bella hesitated, maybe she had misunderstood what Alice meant by extra fun.

“Trust me, I’ve already seen that you’ll love this.” Alice turned back to her with a smile so seductive Bella nearly melted right there. Then she danced off through the mall leaving Bella blushing and rushing to catch up.

—

Bella stomach was tight with anticipation as she followed Alice into an unmarked store. There was a single counter in the centre of what looked like a small waiting room. Behind it a tall woman with perfect black ringlets and an inviting smile glanced up from her computer.

“Hello, welcome to Sensations by Arielle Dejour. Did you have an appointment?” She asked in a remarkably alluring voice.

Bella blushed nervously, unsure how to answer and glanced at Alice.

“Yes, thank you. We have an appointment for a viewing under ‘Cullen’.” The smaller girl responded confidently.

It never failed to amaze Bella how Alice seemed at ease in every situation. Perhaps it had something to do with almost always knowing what was coming, or maybe it was the vampirism. Either way, Bella desperately hoped that once she was an immortal she too would be able to carry herself with Alice’s casual confidence. At least she wouldn’t be able to blush. As Bella mulled this over the receptionist had gotten the two girls checked in for the mystery appointment Alice had planned.

“Okay, everything is set. You will be in room three today, everything is waiting inside ready for you to try. If you need any assistance don’t hesitate to ask.” She talked while leading Alice and Bella down a hallway to a door marked with the number ‘3’ in gold paint. “At the back of the room you will find a small changing room then in the main area there are surrounding mirrors which provide a 360 degree view of each item. Enjoy your time.” She beamed while opening the door a sliver. Then without another word she clasped her hands, nodded, and headed off back to her desk.

“Uhm Alice?” Bella shot her a questioning stare once the receptionist was gone.

“Don’t worry my love!” Alice opened the door with a grin and flourish, “After you.”

After a moments hesitation Bella stepped into the room, setting her shopping bags down just inside the door. There was a sort of entry way with coat hooks and a mat for shoes. Confused but trusting Alice’s judgement, Bella unlaced her new combat boots and hung up the wool blazer Alice had put her in. The click of Alice locking the door sent a strange shiver of anticipation down Bella’s spine. After Alice had removed her own shoes and the cropped motorcycle jacket she had been wearing she took her girlfriend’s hand and led her forward so she could see the rest of the space.

It was a relatively small square room, empty save for a plush leather ottoman in the centre and full body mirrors which had been placed near the walls in a circle surrounding the ottoman. In the back left corner there was a little dressing room with a thick black curtain that could be pulled across for privacy. Bella gaped, understanding filling her the second she caught sight of the mirrors.

She had told Alice a few months ago that she had always fantasizing about having sex while she could see every angle of it unfolding in mirrors. But she had never dreamed Alice would aim to fulfill that fantasy in a setting like this, she had envisioned a few mirrors placed around the pixies bedroom in the Cullen house, not something as extravagant as the room they were in now. Besides, the setting felt so public - but maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing Bella conceded as she felt her arousal grow at what would be happening now.

”Well?” Alice asked as she wound her thin arms around Bella’s waist from behind and stood on her toes to nibble her ear. “What do you think?”

Bella turned in Alice’s embrace so the shorter girl could see the nervous anticipation of her expression as she shook her head, slightly dazed.

“I- I don’t… I don’t think, Alice. I…” She trailed off unable to find the words to express her desire.

Alice frowned slightly as if worried but before she could get the wrong idea Bella ducked her head to catch Alice’s mouth in a searing kiss, opting to show Alice what she thought of all this rather then trying to find the words. Alice gasped, tightening her arms around Bella until it was impossible to pull her closer as she pressed up on her toes to deepen the kiss.

For a moment Alice almost entirely forgot her mission, Bella’s scent was a thick haze in the air around her and it turned her usually iron will to jello. But then Bella pulled back slightly, needing to breathe, and Alice was able to refocus on the plan. She peppered a few kisses into the flushed curve of Bella’s neck and across her collar bones, trying to keep Bella open to experimentation while she calmed herself enough to speak.

”There’s one other part to your surprise,” Alice smiled suggestively.

”Oh?” Bella wondered aloud, “I’m not sure this could get any better. Though I am confused about how all this is legal and in a mall.” She gestured to the mirrored room around them.

“Well technically this is a store, love. Go into the dressing room in the back and you’ll see what I mean.” Alice shooed Bella towards the curtained corner.

Hesitating only slightly Bella pulled the velvet curtain aside to reveal a tiny dressing room with dozens of bra and panty sets hanging on the wall. Alice heard the gasp that escaped her and chimed in “They’re all in your side, specially made for you… or us that is.”

Bella could feel her cheeks turning pink and knew Alice would be able to taste the scent of her arousal in the air. Without another word she pulled the curtain closed behind her and began shedding her clothes as quickly as possible, for once eager to let Alice dress her up and do whatever she pleased. From this day forward Bella knew she would never turn down another shopping trip with Alice for as long as they lived.

[ange-la-ange-ootd]

Filed under: outfits that do not fare well when you need to hike 2 miles (whoops). Bonus vampire nail art, since the print does have a few red accents.

Galaxy Witch JSK - Lady Sloth blouse - Uniqlo eyelet ring beret - Listen Flavor Shoot for the Moon earrings - Kikay AP style “brand whore” bow ring - Star Glazed Delights star ring - Holley Tea Time Pop! Star Acrylic Heart necklace - Puvithel boots - Demonia

"Getting rid of dead bodies is such a pain" nails: The Charmed Ones (pinkish silver) and Nothing's Impossible, Charlie (red) from Glam Polish

[ID: A black, blue, and ivory lolita fashion coordinate. The main piece is a dark grey print jumperskirt with blue galaxies, moths, skulls, cats, and other witchy items. It has black chiffon and lace trim and is layered over a simple ivory blouse. The rest of the outfit includes a black wool beret decorated with eyelets, black tights, and black platform boots. The accessories include star and moon earrings, a star ring, an enamel bow ring, and a pastel blue heart necklace.

A close-up photo shows the matching nail art: pink-toned silver nail polish with purple and red glitter. An accent nail is painted with a glittery bright red and black polish. The same red color is used to add drippy blood designs to the ring and pinky nails.]

[spookywhitt]

The blouse and doublet were a little bit difficult to pattern from scratch but I managed to do it. Here are the progress pictures I was able to find to backlog those.

Blouse done, now for the doublet

First came the black outer shell. But what I did back then that I kicked myself later for was putting the lining in BEFORE sewing on the gold lace strips.

Lesson: Cut doublet shell out first, sew the gold lace striping to the pieces, THEN sew together followed by the white lining. Top stitch.

Gold lace stripes with little stickers so I could organize them.

After digging the costume out of storage, black ribbon was then added to the lace. Again, DON'T DO WHAT I DID! Get the lace on before sewing everything together.

So far your doublet should look relatively like this.

You will then cut your trim out on the bias. Fold and iron and then attach to the doublet machined one side, folded over and then hand finished on the inside.

Insert your eyelets and then with embroidery floss, sew around them to hide the shine and reinforce them.

Next came the lined strips for sleeves sewn to lower arm length cuffs, also lined and laced up.

Doublet and blouse complete

[marzipanandminutiae]

Greetings. You mentioned before that Edith's one nightgown was likely lingerie; was lingerie a novelty in the era or had it been around for a while? Also, was it readily adopted when it was invented or was there initially a stigma? Thanks so much.

I'm assuming that by "lingerie" you mean "pretty, visually interesting, or sexy underwear?" I usually just use it to mean "conventionally feminine undergarments" if I don't put another modifier in front of it, but I've heard your definition, too.

I think Edith's nightgown could possibly be a ~*Wedding Night Garment*~, yes, given its sheerness and relative fanciness compared to the usual pretty-but-functional women's nightwear of the day. Lucille's, too, potentially.

As for the time period, the end of the 19th century/beginning of the 20th DID see an uptick in ornamented lingerie compared to previous eras, when a shift or a pair of drawers might have some eyelet or decorative tucks, but time and cost considerations generally kept undergarments in the Basic White Linen category. (White was the easiest color to boil-wash, with no worries about dye running or fading, but there was a small amount of moral outrage in the press when colorful corsets, stockings, and petticoats became more popular around the 1870s, which suggests that at least a few people had developed an association between white undergarments and women's PurityTM.) But later manufacturing and dyeing innovations- the widespread availability of machine-made lace, for example -made more elaborate undergarments and nightgowns easier to mass-produce and thus accessible to a large consumer base.

(Worth noting that ornamented and colorful undergarments DID exist before then. There's a reason I'm saying "became more common" or "became widely available," not "were invented.")

Despite those pockets of moral outrage I mentioned, these garments were massively popular and adopted among women at all levels of society. White remained the most common color for undergarments and linen one of the most popular fabrics- if for no other reason, then for invisibility under lightweight dresses and sweat-wicking properties respectively. And certainly plain undergarments still existed. But ornamentation (and colorful pieces) became much more common in general, as far as I've seen.

And some of that scandalized mindset categorized ANY piece of underwear with colors or designs as "lingerie" in the racier sense you mean, because clearly Pretty Undergarments Are Meant To Be Seen. And if someone is having their eye drawn to a woman's stockings or corset-cover on the street (the latter through a sheer shirtwaist, natch), then there must be hanky-panky going on! She is a Loose Woman! Society is sliding into vice and sin!

A lot of commentary I've found from the time, I will note, talk about that sort of attitude pretty much the way we would today: with rather an "are you serious?" tone. There was an article from around 1910 which I cannot find anymore for the life of me but which detailed, with wry amusement, one midwestern American town's attempt to ban "rainbow hose [striped stockings] and peekaboo waists [blouses with a large amount of insertion lace, thorough which undergarments and arms might be seen]." So there was stigma in some circles, but much of the public reaction to the outcry seemed to be "haven't they got anything better to do?"

You can find a bit of this trend for fancy underwear in Crimson Peak, too, with Edith's briefly-seen gold corset and lacy combinations:

(Tricky to make out, but if you watch this scene in the bathroom carefully it's more obvious than in any stills I could find online.)

and with Lucille's blue corset and petticoat from a deleted scene:

(Girl Put On A Chemise. At least set photos show that the actress wore some kind of liner under her corset while filming other scenes.)

Hope this answers your question!

[remastered-fate]

Pelipper mail: a jumper skirt with an elastic shirred back and small circle flounces on the straps, made of a pink and white gingham check with a print of whimsical little strawberries. It includes a hidden invisible zipper on the side seam, to make it easier to step into.

There’s also a blouse! It’s white, with small pin tuck pleats on either side of the buttons. The neckline is a Peter Pan collar, cut especially low in the back, and it comes with a brooch of a strawberry that’s almost gemlike. It has puffy little sleeves as well.

There’s even a matching pair of white knee socks topped with pink eyelet lace!

This is. Flouncy. Like extremely flouncy. And probably expensive.

... If I weren't doing a bunch of hiking I'd probably try it on, but I am hiking, and I bet you anything it'd get ruined.

...

Maybe eventually, though.

[babydollblueeyes]

Fell in love with this eyelet lace blouse today 🤍🤍

[real-time-twilight]

Twilight vs. Life and Death

🍏Life and Death🍏

My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. Though it was January everywhere else, it was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect cloudless blue.

I had on my favorite t-shirt--the Monty Python one with the swallows and the coconut that Mom got me two Christmases ago. It didn't quite fit anymore, but that didn't matter. I wouldn't be needing t-shirts again soon.

🍎Twilight🍎

My mother drove me to the airport with the windows rolled down. It was seventy-five degrees in Phoenix, the sky a perfect cloudless blue. I was wearing my favorite shirt--sleeveless, white eyelet lace; I was wearing it as a farewell gesture. My carry-on item was a parka.

I'll go ahead and say, I don't know why the "January everywhere else" line was necessary. This could either fall under the Beau is a Boy category or the Catch-All. It's difficult to tell, but I'm going to go with the former, since it seems like Smeyer tried to write Beau's narrative and dialogue as more casual and snarky than Bella's, so he would absolutely point out how his precious Arizona is Not-Like-Other-States.

There's a paragraph break here where there wasn't in Twilight and this was surely a Second Editing Run choice

Ah the Monty Python t-shirt. I don't know if Bella liking Monty Python was a detail in the original draft of the Midnight Sun chapters that got leaked and then put on the website. If it wasn't then it was an aspect of the character the Smeyer added as something She Wished She Thought of Earlier, or if it was something she emphasized for Beau and he's wearing a t-shirt (not a blouse) because Beau is a Boy.

I'm gonna put the omission of the parka, down as Catch-All

[virgin-martyr]

We passed them from hand to hand. A silken blouse. A dress of light primrose cotton. Knickers, ribboned, in black, in peach, in white, some of them spotted with blood, but we didn't recoil. We fingered the lace trims, the eyelets, the nightgown with pearlescent buttons all the way down the front.

Sophie Mackintosh, excerpt from Cursed Bread

[lovinagoodfind]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: ANTHROPOLOGIE Maeve Coralie Eyelet Layered Faux Wrap Top EUC sz 2.