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Leimomi (she/her)
@thedreamstress

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This ca. 1820 ensemble features a matching dress and spencer in ivory silk/alpaca, with accents of blush silk satin. Both dress and spencer feature flattened bow & half bow motifs.⁠ .⁠ .⁠ The early 19th century name for fabrics made of animal fibre (usually goat) and silk was camlet. This example is unusual in being made from alpaca and silk. Alpacas were domesticated almost 5,000 years ago, and the 2,000 year old Paracas textiles from Peru almost certainly include textiles made from spun alpaca fibre. Spanish conquistadors recognised the value of the fibres and began importing them back to Europe. The fabric for this dress and spencer was probably woven in Continental Europe, as attempts by British manufacturers to weave alpaca camlet in the early 19th century failed, as they could not successfully balance the strength of the warp and weft threads in the silk and alpaca fibres. ⁠ ⁠ Dress and Spencer, c. 1820, Silk & alpaca mixture, trimmed with silk, The John Bright Collection⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #1820s #1820sfashion #1820sstyle #lateregencystyle #earlyromanticerafashion #puffedsleeves #romanticerafashion #pipingtrim #1820sdress #spencer #regencydress #janeausten #prideandprejudice #regency #empire #empirefashion #regencyfashion #regencystyle #janeaustenstyle #thedreamstress⁠