Things Liana Likes

A striking portrait of Mrs Day and her cat 'Little One'. 'Little One' is wearing a NARPAC collar. According to the original Ministry of Information caption, the National Air Raid Precautions for Animals Committee was "an animal lover's voluntary wartime organisation that ensures that, should he stray in blitz or black-out, he will be returned safely to his owner".

Daughter of James I; painting; oil on panel; Painted at the time of her marriage to Frederick, Elector Palatine, this portrait probably shows Elizabeth in her wedding dress. The royal coat of arms and the heraldic lion and unicorn can be seen on her lace collar. The black arm band is in memory of her brother, Henry, Prince of Wales, who had died the previous year.; Jewellery; Royalty and Society; Scotland

Marie Taglioni was the greatest ballerina of the 19th century and the Sylph in La Sylphide her most famous role. At a time when many men idealised women, her performance as the Sylph became a symbol of ideal womanhood - feminine, spiritual, ethereal and unattainable. Although published in 1860, when Taglioni was teaching at the Paris Opera, the print is a copy of an 1830 image. The dress follows the outlines of fashionable dress of the 1830s, and it is this costume, with various modifications, that becomes the 'uniform' for the ballerina - low-necked, fitted bodice, swathes around the upper arm and bell-shaped calf-length skirt. Even the shoes are essentially fashionable heelless slippers, with a little extra darning behind the toes to give a little support. The modern blocked pointe shoe did not develop until later in the 19th century.

The ballet The Sleeping Beauty was mounted especially for the London debut of Pauline Duvernay in 1833. As the plot requires the Princess Iseult to be asleep for a good part of the action, an extra scene was introduced in which Duvernay appeared as a water nymph. The water theme is carried into her costume in the coral coronet and the water plant trim on the dress. And no ballerina of the time would have appeared without her pearl necklace and bracelets. Duverney's solo was so successful that surviving prints of her in this ballet show her as the Naiad, not as the Princess. She became a great favourite with London audiences. The teenage Princess (later Queen) Victoria, was an especial fan and often drew Duvernay in her art lessons. She retired from the stage in 1837 and married Stephens Lyne Stephens, supposedly the wealthiest commoner in England.

The dress was made and worn by the wife of Sir Hamo Thornycroft (1850-1926). He was a sculptor and designed it for her. They were both interested in the dress reform movement and conceived the dress in accordance with the movement's principles so it did not restrict the waist and arms. It fits a natural, uncorsetted figure and is cut fairly full, with smocking at the back and front. The sleeves are elbow-length puffs, smocked and gathered, to reflect historical styles. The skirts consist of an overskirt, draped with tapes and gathered up, and an underskirt, mounted on a white cotton lining and tied back. The sewing is not professional and the dress has been altered. The Liberty's material is a thin, probably Indian, washing silk of a type that seldom survives.

The dress is dominated by the boldly embroidered panels imported from Turkey and made up in London. In style this dress is transitional between the pronounced curved shapes of the early 1900s and the straighter lines (with high waists) that had become current by about 1909. There is some evidence that an earlier dress may have been adapted to suit the tastes of 1908. The inside of the bodice has a grosgrain waist stay (grosgrain is a heavily ribbed silk) with the woven label of Jays Ltd, which bears a taffeta ribbon marked 'Lady Pearson', the name of the wearer.

The Duchess of Windsor patronised top Paris designers throughout her life. Christian Dior was a particular favourite. She was sixty-two years old when she selected this black evening dress. It was called 'Bal Masque' and came from the 1958 spring-summer collection designed by Yves Saint Laurent for the house of Dior. The style of the dress is influenced by the bell-shaped skirts fashionable in the 1860s. This influence can also been seen in the way it has been constructed. This dress has a tightly fitted boned corset and a bell-shaped skirt supported by a layered petticoat.The lightweight overdress is made of a double layer of spotted black tulle. It is studded with sparkling black bugle beads which are arranged in festoons caught at intervals by 42 bows of satin ribbon. The dress buttons down the back.

This ensemble is an example of fashionable women's daywear for summer in the late 1860s. The light muslin bodice and skirt are unlined, but they were probably worn over an opaque under-dress. There is an overskirt over the back of the dress, accentuating the bustle that by this time was worn underneath. The off-the-shoulder seam and sleeves with width at the elbow are typical of the 1860s.

Machine-made net was developed from the late 1760s. It became a popular ground for embroidery and machine-made laces. Its light weight and airy texture suited the simple style of early 19th century women's dress. This example in black allows for a dramatic contrast when worn over a white under-dress. The applied satin rolls and rosettes at the hem and shoulders were a new decorative trend in women's dress, which was moving away from the very plain styles of earlier Neo-classical dress. Between 1815 and 1820 the waist was very high, reducing the bodice to narrow strips of fabric at the front and back.

This ensemble characterises fashionable evening wear for women in the late 1870s. The elbow-length sleeves and square neckline show that it was probably a dinner dress rather than ball gown. Tiers of machine-made lace adorn the skirt and bodice; an overskirt of satin swathes the front of the dress. The bodice extends into a point below the waistline in front and back. This was a new style, known as a 'cuirasse' bodice, which appeared in fashion magazines about 1875 and remained fashionable through the 1880s.

By the period 1805-1810, brighter colours were becoming popular in women's fashion. This gown is shown over a reproduction red petticoat, but it could also have been worn over a white under-dress to show off the texture of the fabric. Machine-made net, which had been developed and improved during the later 18th century, was a popular ground for embroidery and machine-made laces. Its light weight and airy texture suited the simple style of Neo-classical dresses.

Object TypeThis elegant robe and petticoat are fine examples of a woman's formal daywear in the early 1760s. In cut, fabric and design they were the height of fashion.Materials & MakingThe pattern on the silk is hand-painted. The fabric was first sized with alum to make the paint adhere. Next the design was drawn freehand in ink or silverpoint. A variety of pigments were used, including white lead or a chalk ground for the highlights. The robe and petticoat are hand sewn with silk thread and trimmed with gathered strips of the hand-painted silk.TimeThe style and design of this ensemble exemplify the Rococo fashion in dress. The pale yellow silk painted in a variety of bright colours reflects the Rococo palette, while the scalloped sleeve cuffs and gathered robings create a decorative surface pattern. The robe is a sack back (a style of gown with the fabric at the back arranged in box pleats at the shoulders and falling loose to the floor with a slight train), and would have been worn with a wide square hoop under the petticoat.PlacesThe silk was woven and painted in China. The width of the fabric and the use of coloured threads in the selvedge (the cloth edge) differ from European silks. The floral pattern shows the influence of Western design, indicating that it was made expressly for the European market.

Pastel colours combined with cream were greatly favoured by fashionable Edwardians. This costume shows how designers of the period lavishly adorned plain cloth with a variety of rich trimmings. It has an alternative matching jacket, a pair of white kid shoes trimmed with ribbon, and white silk stockings, which are not shown in the image. The ensemble was worn by Viscountess Brackley, née Miss Violet Lambton, who became the Countess of Ellesmere (1880-1976). She married Viscount Ellesmere in the autumn of 1905 in St Margaret's Church, Westminster, London. This society wedding was recorded in The Queen, The Lady's Newspaper on 4 November 1905: 'the bride travelled in a blue cloth costume trimmed with Irish lace and braid and a hat to match'. This report was accompanied by a sketch showing the wedding-gown, travelling costume and bridesmaids' dresses.

On her wedding day a Norwegian bride wore more jewellery than at any other time in her life. If she did not have enough of her own, she borrowed from friends or relations. Some of this jewellery was also worn later, on Sundays and feast days, but some pieces, like this bruredalar, were only worn at the marriage. Throughout Norway, brides wore a circular pendant on a long chain on their wedding day. This had many names. It was sometimes called a bruredalar, or bridal dollar, because many were made from old silver coins. It was also often called an Agnus Dei, as the image of the Lamb of God appeared on many of them. The bruredalar usually had three pendants hanging from the lower edge. Filigree bruredalar like this one mainly come from the west of Norway. They sometimes open like lockets, when they were used to hold a coin for the offertory during the wedding service.

This hat is known as the 'ji fu guan', which means 'the hat worn with auspicious garments'. As the name suggests, this type of hat was worn (by empresses and imperial consorts) on festive occasions. This particular hat was made to be worn for a wedding. The 'ji fu guan' is similar to, but to be distinguished from, the 'chao guan' (the court hat) which was worn on official or ritual occasions. The brim of the hat is lined with fur, indicating that it was worn in winter. Summer hats tended to be lined with satin or velvet. The hat is also decorated with precious stones and blue kingfishers' feathers.

The combination of court dress and the 1860s crinoline makes for a most splendid garment. Dress worn to court was the most elaborate and expensive ensemble in a lady's wardrobe. This example characterises the rich embellishment of this type of dress, decorated with hand and machine embroidery, ribbons and silk gauze. Although presentations at court took place during the day, the arms and shoulders were bare as in evening dress. In addition to a skirt worn over a very large crinoline, a train extending for several metres was an essential feature of court dress. Young debutantes would spend hours practising how to curtsey and walk backward in such an elaborate ensemble before their first presentation at court.

An alternative to the sack-back gown was the so-called English style, a gown with a tightly fitting back, as seen in this example. It is made of silk damask in a pattern of large curling leaves typical of the 1740s. The gown was altered in the 1750s to reshape the bodice and update the style of the sleeve cuffs. The silk gauze apron is decorative rather than practical. It is woven in diaper pattern with floral motifs.