"The owner was a highly skilled costume designer and seamstress.  All of the costumes are made in authentic period detail, right down to the garment fastenings, fit, and linings. The dresses are constructed of natural fiber yardage and linings, usually silk or high-grade cotton. What truly marks them as exceptional are the notions—buttons, ribbon, lace, for example—used to detail the garments. These notions are nearly all antiques, acquired most often in London at Portebello Road or in...