Broderie Anglaise?

I've got a couple Victorian/Edwardian underskirts that have some beautiful white-on-white embroidery and I was hoping that someone here could take a look and confirm if I'm being accurate to call it broderie Anglaise, or if there is a more appropriate style to call this?

First skirt-


Second skirt-

 

It does have the elements of Broderie Anglaise. Parts of it also resemble Apenzell embroidery. Can you show us a close up of the hem lace?

It is gorgeous!

 

Thank you, Barbara! Now that I see what Apenzell is, the first skirt definitely looks like that may be it. See below for close up images of the hem of the 1st, and then 2nd skirt.

 

Mary Jane- Ayrshire looks very similar as well! When looking at items with Appenzell or Ayrshire, I'm seeing that most items with Appenzell are hankies, linens, etc. Whereas Ayrshire is more frequently on clothing items. Maybe that just my search engine luck today, but does that maybe make sense?

 

The more I look into Ayrshire emboridery, the more convinced I am that this is what the first skirt has. It's so strange though! As you mentioned above, Mary Jane, this is in what looks like a typical christening style, with the embroidered side flaps and general design- but this is absolutely an adult woman's size skirt. I looked to see if maybe a front panel had been sewn to a different back, but no- the bottom trim continues all the way around and there is no change in feel/look to any of the panels.

Also, if this is Ayrshire, it is likely quite a bit older than the Edwardian skirts I bought it with-which honestly, makes sense now that I see them all together. The Edwardian ones are a different style, with dual layers underneath, and not a single layer like this one is.

So interesting! Always glad to learn more.

 

Ayrshire, yes!

 

Ah-I think I see what's going on with this. It probably did start out as a child's christening gown, then was modified into a woman's skirt at some point 100 years ago, lol. In most of the christening gown images I see, there are many, many gathers sewn into the waistband, as seen in the below image pulled from online. But on mine, there are a few gathers on the front, and they gradually gather more and more as you approach the back seam, second pic down. They just let out a lot of the front gathers and turned it into a ladies size garment.

 

I enjoyed the exchange about the various embroideries. Thank you for the discussion.

I have several long dresses which I bought at the London markets. All of my dresses are handmade which, even in the late 80s, were becoming hard to find. After the invention of the sewing machine, it was a status symbol to have a machine-stitched dress or so I was told.
According to a dealer, I bought from that little peek showing over the gathered skirt indicated a boy's dress.

 

Yes, from what I read about these christening gowns, if the peak was out as shown in the internet pic I pulled, it was worn by a boy but if it was for a girl, the little peak would be pushed inside a small flap in the waistline.