History & Notes: This dress was part of the collection amassed by costume collector Eileen Exleton Hollinger. Born in 1914 in Oklahoma, Eileen considered herself a "city girl" but quickly took to life in the wilderness of Idaho. Eileen attended college at the University of Idaho where she met her husband Harvey Hollinger. The pair traveled extensively throughout the state and retraced the steps of Idaho's early Euro-American pioneers. Some of Eileen's pieces featured in historic fashion shows in which she had contemporary women model historic costumes to highlight the lives of women from years past. In 1989, Eileen donated several pieces from her collection to the Idaho State Historical Society.
Description: Day dress of lavender cotton with white floral embroidery. Square neckline is framed by embroidered panels bordered by tucked fabric with white top stitching. Each tucked band is embellished with five buttons covered in a white crochet design. Four bands of white crochet lace decorate the center front panel of tucks. Back bodice carries the embroidered bands into a V shape framing a panel of tucks and crochet lace bands.Sleeves are 3/4 length and are also trimmed with a band of white floral embroidery studded with two crochet covered buttons above a band of tucks at the cuffs. Waistband is embellished with a belt like panel wrapping around the back and terminating in points just before reaching the center. Skirt begins with narrow tucks radiating over the hips and left and right front and back of the piece while. Construction exhibits a tunic styling with the upper 3/4 of the skirt embroidered with same white floral motif and seamed on the left and right sides with panels of heavily embroidered cloth studded with crochet covered buttons. Bottom 1/4 of the skirt is plain with four narrow tucks, top stitched in white thread, with the hemline finished in white cord loops.
Object Number: 1989.055.0002
Object: dress, day
Category: Women's Garments
Circa: 1910
Materials: cotton, metal