Denmark 9 - Egeskov Slot - Part 2 - the fashion museum , hats and dresses and the way that dresses were made

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Part 2 - the spiral staircase up to the fashion museum

It is not often you find somewhere that has something for everyone . The garden lovers amongst us could wander through the stunning rooms of the castle gardens .

After the sensual pleasure of a garden it was possible to walk over the moat into the gatehouse which housed a surprise . We climbed the black spiral staircase to the first floor where we found case after case of clothing reflecting the fashions of the well to do owners of Egeskov Slot . Most dressers were of what we would call the Victorian period . Comginations of earlier prettier clothing particularly colourful and later more restrained black outfits . The dresses were displayed in glass cabinets and we had the floor all to ourselves which is always an advantage and a pleasure .

The dresses all were on the small size and none would have fitted me even though I am not tall . And even with a small waist these dresses were far too slimline to go round my middle . They showed how fashions had changed and how figures were so different then . Smaller waists held in with corsets . No skirts. They were a later invention . Now it was on to when and how these lovely dresses were made .

The full on crinolines had gone. Most of the dressers were flared but the fullness had gone . Although we did see one dress that was flat to the front and back but possessed massive wing like structures to the side . It must have stuck out at least three foot at the side or at least it looked that wide , If the lady wearing it wanted to go through a doorway she would have to have gone through sideways on. If she walked down a long narrow corridor she would have no chance of walking in a straight line and stairs must have been a nightmare . If she sat down there would have to be a large gap between the ends of her dress and the next chair . It looked ungainly, ugly and downright odd .

One dress caught my attention . The driver had moved on because I don't think men would have been very interested in the fashion museum. Perhaps I was being sexist there . . On the wall was a drawing . It was perfectly executed and it was the pattern for the dress I was standing in front of. The dress itself in the drawing had been completed in minature with the fabric chosen for the dress. No doubt the lady of the house would be given the picture to see what the dress might look like when it was made . It was stunning all pastels and flowers . I wondered if the owner described what they wanted and an artist turned up and produced a drawing . The drawing then was filled in with the material to be used . How much money would that have cost ? No buying off the shelf . I thought about making clothes . of going into the shop and rummaging through Simplicity patterns until I found the right one . School must have given the shop a list of the patterns they wanted us to buy and we found what we liked amongst those before going to the materials to chose the right material . It must have been much harder to show what a dress would look like a hundred years ago . I wondered on the cost . Just how much would it cost to buy a dress like this one and how much did the seamstress get paid for her hours and hours of work . Probably nowhere near enough . And that was before she lost her sight working in the darkness trying to finish off the dresses .

Next to this perfect dress were more dresses . This time all black and particularly formal . My peace was shattered when I was joined by an Italian family complete with two wild children .

I moved on to summer hats . All straw with black trims which reminded me of summer school hats . Gloves and bags and the odd pair of shoes .

In other cabinets I found mens formal wear . Black or grey and particularly sombre . I don't think I have ever seen so many clothes displayed so beautifully . For the fashion enthusiast it was a real insight into the making of clothes one hundred years ago and it possible to imagine what life must have been like for these very priviledged ladies . But ever onwards as we had the house see next .

I just hoped it lived up the expectation of the rest of the property . Garden down, fashions of the period done . It was a case of ever onward . The driver though was flagging with all that driving , all that walking and all that climbing .

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