Bodice

This is a bodice, made of carnation pink silk damask with an allover woven bowtie pattern. The bodice’s neckline is wide, low, and oval-shaped. It has two large puffed sleeves, about elbow length; the sleeves are stuffed with tissue paper, and have short cuffs. The front of the bodice is embellished with a triangular lace panel, which comes to a point at the waist; its central pattern is of three flowers, and its borders sport triangular points at even intervals. The lace panel is studded with false pearls and translucent white glass beading, particularly along the three flower design, the neckline, and the triangular points. Two darts are on the front, one on either side of the lace panel. Narrow bands of lace, similarly embellished with false pearls and glass beads, trim the cuffs and the waist. The bodice closes at the back with a set of original hooks and two sets of eyes. This closure is hidden by a placket, which itself is hidden by two wide box pleats. One set of eyes (most likely the original) are set about 1” behind the left-side box pleat, partially covered by the left-side placket. A more modern set of eyes line the very edge of the left-side placket. 

Inside, the bodice is mainly lined with white glazed linen (with the exception of two vertical panels at the front, made of white—possibly synthetic—fabric). The bodice has 13 bones (each encased in a translucent pink casing) and wide, pinked seams. Two small loops made of the same casing are attached to the bottom of each shoulder seam.

Skirt

This is a skirt, made of carnation pink silk damask with an allover woven bowtie pattern. The skirt is bell-shaped and made in nine gores, with a flat center-front panel. This center-front panel is decorated with four wide, horizontal bands of lace, of a flower-and-vine pattern; the lace is studded with false pearls, usually within the centers of the flowers. Much of the skirt’s fullness is gathered towards the rear. The skirt is gathered via a narrow waistband; the front portion of the waistband is of self silk damask, while the sides and rear of the waistband are made/reinforced with pink (possibly synthetic) grosgrain silk. The skirt opens at the back; one side of the waistband overhangs the placket by about 2”. A modern hook and eye close the skirt at the waistband; another hook and a corresponding eye (made of thread) is situated about halfway down the placket. A narrow dust ruffle, made of pink velvet, trims the skirt’s hem.

Inside, the skirt is lined with white glazed linen. The center-front panel seams are wide and pinked, while the rest of the seams are plain. A narrow linen strap (about .5″ thick) runs the perimeter of the skirt about a third of the way up from the hem, with the exception of the center-front panel (See Notes, Resources).  

This dress was previously owned by Dolores O. Luckow, a teacher and dressmaker. According to her obituary (published Dec 16, 2012), Luckow was born in Mexico City in July 1941, daughter of Carlos M. Ojeda and Maria Dolores Ojeda. Dolores demonstrated a passion for designing and sewing her own clothes as a child, and in her professional life was “one of the most sought after custom clothiers in the Northwest [United States]”. Her repertoire included “haute couture and one-of-a-kind designs for wedding gowns, skating costumes, and beauty pageant dresses” made at her business, Originals by Dolores O. Luckow, located in Clackamas County, OR.

Alongside her own creations, Dolores boasted a collection of historic garments which she cared for, of which this dress was a part.

I purchased this dress from Tova’s Vintage, located in Connecticut, in January 2026. 

Notes

It may not look it, but this bodice and skirt have been altered. Many of these alterations are subtle and therefore easily overlooked–the hallmark (in my estimation) of someone who knew what they were doing when it comes to altering bespoke pieces. Perhaps Dolores Luckow put her skills as a couture seamstress to the test with this piece?

The most visible of these alterations is found at the back of the bodice. The box pleats here cleverly conceal the fact the bodice was widened for a slightly larger waist, from 24″ to its current 26.5″. The original row of eyes that once held the bodice shut are still visible on the left-hand side (see Photo 3), with a 1.5” extension made from self material and pink grosgrain fabric coming off this side. The new row of modern eyes, tacked on at the very edge of the extension, further confirm that this was an alteration to accommodate a different-sized waist. Going down to the skirt, this would explain the pink grosgrain extensions and the modern hook and eye at the back of the waistband—though, the pink grosgrain could just as well serve as a reinforcement for the original, shredded waistband.

Regarding the bodice lining, the two vertical panels of white synthetic fabric along the front are serged at the edges, a modern sewing technique. They are also placed where (usually) the front darts would be—however, there are no darts here. (Unpicked seams on either side of the lace panel however suggest there once were two very small darts in these areas).

Also: the linen strap tacked to the skirt’s lining serves two purposes. The strap keeps the billowy, fluted pleats neatly folded at even intervals, and it forces the pleats to remain at the back of the skirt (instead of spilling out to the sides) when moving. It’s one of many clever methods a fashionable woman could’ve used to attain the desired, distended bell-shape silhouette.

Resources

A ca. 1898 haute-couture evening dress from Larue Bordeaux-Biarritz gives a wonderful example of an evening gown with similar design elements. Click here for the link.

For more on methods women used to maintain the fashionable silhouette of the 1890s: https://zipzipinkspot.blogspot.com/2020/02/1895-outfit-period-methods-to-add-skirt.html

For more about Dolores Luckow, see below:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1093373693/?article=dc9293a8-ae81-4b69-9fe8-8322c0832ef5&terms=%22Dolores%20Luckow%22

https://www.newspapers.com/image/1089653048/?match=1&terms=%22Dolores%20Luckow%22