Bustle Dresses and Tractor Tires

 I made myself a bustle dress. I made my sister a bustle dress. It was time for step 3 of the plan - wear them together and take pictures!

We enlisted our brother as our photographer, and then set about figuring out how to get all three of us together at the same time and place to make these pictures happen.

A plan was hatched - we would meet my brother in the town where he lives, all dressed up, get coffee at a local coffee shop, and then proceed to the city park for pictures.

Where we found tractor tires!!

Of course we had to climb on the tractor tires.

How could we not?!?!?

Bustle dresses pair perfectly with tractor tires, right??

Totally lady-like.

Nothing scandalous at all here. . .

We are well-behaved young ladies who keep our ankles covered!

Mostly.

Eventually we decided to move away from the tractor tires and take the pictures we'd actually come to the park to take.

Using the delightful foliage as a back drop!

And still having fun!

We tried to get pictures of all angles of our gowns.

All angles.

Our dresses are about 5 to 7 years apart in style.

Mine is from the "first bustle era" - mid 1870's.

The height of "floof"- lots of ruffles and trim with a good sized bustle in the back. 

My sister's gown is from the "natural form era" which lasted from about 1878 - 1882.

It's a slimmer, longer, silhouette, with very little bustle.

It's incredibly unlikely that by 1880 (approximant year of my sister's dress), someone still would have been wearing the floofy big bustle of the mid-70's.

But nearly 150 years later, who cares about that?!?!

We're just happy to have dresses from similar-ish eras to wear together!

Having a sister you can dress up with is just the best!