The Polonaise That Traveled Through Space and Time
by Laurie Nienhaus
You can well imagine my surprise: 
I'm sitting in a Tampa restaurant having lunch with Lana McLaurin, who has been scouring antique stops and estate sales for over 25 years and has the most impressive collection of Victorian clothing I've yet to see.
Lana is gazing into her salad as I mention that my first and most adored pattern is Past Patterns’ 1880’s Polonaise and Walking Skirt. She calmly looks up and says, “You know, I have the original.” I dropped my fork.
A Better Understanding
To understand the extent of my delight, you must know that at this time I was still a woman possessing only modern fashions. Yet, I was beginning a chapter of the now defunct Ladies’ Tea & Rhetoric Society and so was in need of a Victorian reproduction garment for my first event. I knew nothing of vintage fashion, but was told by the founder of the organization not to worry as she had the most perfect piece. She'd immediately send it along.
When the package arrived at my Oregon home, I thought there had been a mistake. The “package” was only a padded envelope. How could the most perfect Victorian reproduction garment be contained within this? Parachute silk, however, requires little space and from the envelope poured a gorgeous skirt with tiered ruffles and a long tunic embellished with lace. With a happy heart and a skip in my step, I retired to my room to don what surely had been made for a princess.
I was quickly deflated. Never would the tunic close over the front of me! Hearing my very dear neighbor, Cheryl Halter, I threw open the front door.
"It doesn’t fit!”
I first took her words for sympathy. “Turn around and let me see.” She brightened as I performed a sad pirouette. “Well,” she said, “I'm sure it'll fit me!”
The polonaise fit her perfectly, and while Cheryl spun in graceful circles around my living room, I called Past Patterns.
In the end, I made my own in brown and coffee colored silk, and I helped Cheryl stitch one for herself of sage green and black silk. And the copy from New York? Before making its 3000-mile journey home from Portland, it traveled to Bend, Oregon where Dawnya Sasse of Start A Tea Business wore it for her first event.
The polonaise is defined as a tight fitting tunic bodice ending halfway to three fourths from the floor. Drapery puffs, called panniers, are formed by drawing up the fabric on each side and in the back.
While a variety of fabrics were used for both summer and winter, the polonaise was considered most fashionable when made of a fabric differing in shade from that of the skirt.
First popular in the 1700’s, the polonaise experienced widespread revival 100 years later with the auction of Charles Dickens' belongings after his death in 1871.
Dickens created the character of Dolly Varden for his novel, Barnaby Rudge. A beautiful, spoiled, and coquettish character fond of colorful clothing, Dolly was one of Dickens' favorite characters.
The Dolly Varden look was inspired by her polonaise of green chintz and pink polka dots worn over a bright silk petticoat. Originally a summer look designed for wear with a bustle, it was accessorized with a “little straw hat trimmed with cherry coloured ribbons, and worn the merest trifle on one side – just enough, in short, to make it the wickedest and most provoking head dress that ever a malicious milliner devised.”
Dickens himself was so taken with his Dolly that shortly before he died, he commissioned William Frith to paint a portrait of her. This painting was among the items auctioned at Dickens’ death and helped to revive the polonaise and the Dolly Varden look.
About Lana's Polonaise
Lana chanced upon her polonaise in a Knoxville antique shop in the mid-1980’s. It had come from an estate sale and, although some trims were missing, it was in good condition. Made of a cream colored cotton lawn, it is machine made. The lace is hand stitched to the garment and at the neckline it is sewn with quite large stitches spaced a half inch apart. This would have allowed for easy removal of the lace for laundering or for use on another garment.
Lana had first contacted Saundra Altman of Past Patterns in her search for a side saddle dress pattern. They began talking and it was decided Lana would send Saundra the polonaise so a pattern could be created.
When Saundra saw it, she realized it was made after the original Dolly Varden look had faded into the past. It was most likely created between 1880 and 1882, an interlude in which skirts were less full and without bustles. The narrow drapery still created a bustle-like effect, but provided a softer and more fluid silhouette.
The main clue lay in the direction of the folds creating the panniers. Panniers designed for wear with a bustle would be folded down rather than up so no sections of fabric would be protruding in odd directions. The panniers of this piece were folded up. It would have been a day garment – perhaps for visiting. Without needing to disassemble it, Saundra Altman created one of her best selling patterns.
If Only She Knew
As with most vintage pieces, information about the original owner is simply not to be had. In this case we only know the woman was tall, with a narrow back and fairly normal sized waist.
We can easily imagine a young woman wanting to possess a beautiful polonaise and the excitement she must have felt when perhaps receiving it from the Butterick company.
We also might wonder what she would think of her dress traveling through space and time, from one woman to another, across the country. My guess is she would be astounded, but pleased…very pleased.