Antique English Christening Gown Museum Quality Honiton Lace Appliques on Tulle

Description

Welcome to
~FRENCH VINTAGE LINENS AND ANTIQUES~
Where You Will Find Beautiful and Unusual Vintage Linens & Apparel and Antiques from France
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Antique English Christening Gown Museum Quality Honiton
Lace Appliques on Tulle Exquisite...w/Bonnet
Extraordinary Antique English Cathedral Length Christening Gown Magnificent Hand Made Lace...with Petticoat and Bonnet
c. 1890's/1900's....antique Honiton bobbin lace Christening gown.
Decorated throughout with handmade Honiton lace appliques with decorated robings either side of the beautiful front panel.....this gown is a lovely item.
(Honiton lace was chosen to decorate the wedding gown of Catherine when she married Prince William and is also used on the Royal Christening gown.)
This small delicate, very long and very elegant English antique gown is truly exceptional.
We acquired this gown from our best source in England for exceptional antique Christening gowns
Surely commissioned by and made for a family of nobility, this gown is a 'tour de force' of hand made Honiton lace appliqués on silk tulle...the finest tulle possible.
The lace is lavish and skilfully executed.
The bodice, the central front panel with its robings and the hem have been covered in floral motifs of the utmost delicacy all worked over a century ago by the very sure hand of a highly skilled needlewoman.
This gown is in remarkable antique condition.
I see only one tiny hole and no tears anywhere in the fine tulle.
There are however some faint and small areas where the gown shows its age by slight darkening.
I have soaked the gown in cool water and this has diminished somewhat.
These small flaws would likely disappear with professional care.
This reflects the delicacy and the age of a gown in tulle but we think with the petticoat these small flaws would be barely noticeable...and given the magnificence and the age of this gown are truly not serious.
Measuring:....Chest underarm to underarm.....8" (21.5cms) across approx. Waist 16" (43 cm).
Length at Front.....44" (112cms) long.
At Back....46" (117 cms) long approx.
This gown would be suitable for a very young baby or a treasured doll.
As shown in the last photograph I am enclosing a fine silk petticoat in pristine condition which is the most suitable I can find to be worn under this gown.
However, the design of the neckline and sleeves of this petticoat as shown are different to the gown and need to be adjusted.
A good seamstress will certainly be able to deepen the neckline and remodel the sleeves without much difficulty.
The Bonnet which came with this gown is also made of a lavish amount of fine Honiton lace and is decorated with the original silk ribbons which remain in excellent condition.
This Fine Antique Christening gown will surely be a treasured Family Heirloom for many generations to come.
Price: For Gown, silk Petticoat and Bonnet 50.00
++This item is eligible for our Multiple Payment Plan (Layaway)++
Our preferred method of payment is by PayPal.
However we also accept all forms of payment offered by eBay.
FVLA# 5084
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PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR MORE PHOTOS.
Shipping from France to Europe, the US and Canada will be FREE by French Colissimo International Airmail which includes Insurance and a Tracking number with delivery on a signature for added security.
As in the past, we are always happy to combine items to save on shipping costs.
Returns:
We hope, and even expect, that you will be satisfied with your purchase, but if for any reason you are not, please return the item in described condition within 7 days of receipt for a full refund of the purchase price. Shipping costs both ways remain the responsibility of the buyer unless a buyer feels we have grossly misrepresented an item. In that case we will refund return shipping also. As well it is our policy that an item returned to us must be insured for its purchase amount by the purchaser. Your purchase of this item assures us that you understand and agree with our shipping and returns policies.
So far we have had 100% satisfaction with our items.
Please take a minute to have a look at our Feedback.
We work hard to maintain our 100% customer satisfaction and we hope it continues.
To that end we make every effort to describe our items accurately and fully and to note any small flaws which are inevitable in these vintage items.
Also please see our Comments on Condition and Pricing below.
We welcome and encourage your questions regarding measurements, condition, etc. before purchase. We will respond in the shortest time possible. Please note that we are 6 hours ahead of EST and 9 hours ahead of PST. For example when it is noon in NYC, it is 6:00 pm the same day here in France.
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Finally we request that you Carefully Verify Your Shipping Address
and that you provide us with a Telephone Number which we will add to the Shipping form
that will be attached to your parcel. This can help insure safe and speedy delivery.
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It is our policy to abide by all eBay Rules and Regulations to the best of our ability and understanding
for the protection of our customers and ourselves.
We are a fully liscensed and legal business in France. Our Siret Number is 502590573.00015
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Comments on the Condition of the items we sell:
Virtually all the items we sell are "vintage" which means they have, in the majority of cases, been used, and are at least 50  to 75,  and occasionally even more than 100 years old. Having said that, we do not sell items that are so used that they are obviously  heavily worn, faded, or too fragile to use.  Almost all our items were made by hand in France during the first half of the last century--most would date from between about 1890 and 1950, although it is quite difficult to be certain of an exact date in most cases. It would be quite unusual to find this kind of fine hand work in France after about 1960. Again because these items are Vintage they have, in the vast majority of cases, been used.  However all the items we sell have been carefully selected and inspected when we purchase them for their Very Good to Superb vintage condition. Still it is inevitable that occasionally there may be a  hardly noticable tiny pin dot stain or a tiny rend on any given item.  We always carefully launder and iron our items and in doing so inspect them carefully for a second time. If we notice a small flaw on an item we put that in my description.  It is our hope that our customers understand that we would not and do not sell items which are not clean or have evident large stains or tears.
But please do understand that because the items we sell are Vintage, and usually are at least 50 to 75 years old,  they are rarely absolutely "pristine and perfect" as if  they were new. If one expects that, then it is probably best not to purchase vintage items.
Like all fine antiques, they will have their own sort of "patina." Some sellers do sell these vintage items in the state in which they find them and of course they inform their customers of that fact. We prefer to do laundering and ironing for our customers before shipping an item. In that way you can use and enjoy your purchase immediately.
Comments on Pricing:
Because the items we sell are generally much sought after here in France and abroad, they are becoming more rare, and certainly more difficult to find.  We travel far and wide in our region of France to visit flea markets, brocantes, antique shops and private sellers. We visit Paris from time to time, and we search  for these rare items in other areas of France when possible.
Generally our buying costs are rising all the time as these Beautiful Handmade Vintage items become more scarce.
Our travel costs to seek out new items are significant.   Very importantly for our customers, I spend a great deal of time laundering and ironing the items we sell.  This always involves lots of  energy (both electrical and mine!) and time, and often requires specialized laundry products which can be costly.  As well the percentage we pay both  eBay  and Paypal for listing , sale and transaction  fees  are significant.  Finally we are a legal business here in France. We accurately report our eBay income and pay taxes on it.
For all these reasons, the prices of these vintage items may seem a bit high--but the fact is that almost all these items are rare and special by virtue of being Handmade. Many are virtual works of art, (some are actually of museum quality), having been made entirely by hand by highly skilled, but sadly now unknown, seamstresses and embroiderers.
These skilled craftswomen have all but entirely disappeared.  This kind of French hand work is virtually a Lost Art and these items are rare.  Still, in the face of the expenses involved in running our business, we do our best to keep our prices as reasonable as possible because it really is a great pleasure to package something very beautiful and very special and send it off to someone who will appreciate a lovely European Treasure From the Past.
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