Wool bodice

This wool bodice is in poor condition but a treasure for the construction inspiration. Someone had harvested the buttons of the piece, naturally.  I've taken my brother to New York many times to acquire couture beads from my "bead man's railroad in lower Manhattan"; that when he saw the bronze metal tri-cuts trimming the bodice, he purchased it simply so I could harvest the metal beads and metal sequins. It's very rare to find a bodice with a printed floral velvet collar and printed silk fabric. The silk fabric, probably French, is in the process of shattering, but a bit of the pattern can still be appreciated. The bodice is wool.