This post will have some lovely spring dresses or skirts or shirts or hats all from the 1600’s to 1780 I hope you all enjoy this super last day of spring post :) Wonderful embroderiedy shirt with silk ribbons from around 1615-25. This lovely linen shirt with all this embroidery is from the Victoria and Albert museum, I have posted a similar shirt from the 1610’s on here before it was also form the Victoria and Albert museum. . Ah yet another dress from the Victoria and Albert museum ah I love them! Ok this wonderful heavy silk dress with beautiful floral pattern and a wonderful lace stomacher and fine lace at the sleeves and a wired lace fontange, this wonderful gown is from 1690-99. Now to some paintings of ladies from the 1600’s :) Wonderful painting of Margaret of Austria in a lovely black silk and linen dress this gown is still very reminiscent of the 1500’s very Tudor/Elizabethan looking but just right for this little girl, this gown is from around 1600-10, I know its not very spring like sadly but I had to add it in. Ok this one will make up for the black dress up above, painting of Anne of Denmark 1605 this dress is very grand and very spring like with the white silk and silver embroidery and remember they used real silver back then wow :) Lots of pearls draped on this dress and lovely rosette ribbons of pink and blue and tight princess waist and lovely high lace collar this dress is just grand and very Elizabethan if you ask me, her hair is piled high a trend queen Elizabeth started and has a jeweled hair ornament. Wonderful painting of a beautiful girl named Susanna Huygens in a 1630’s white almost silver satin gown this gown just shines luxuriant fabric with fine lace low cut with ruffles and fine princess waist on this lovely gown. Ah another dress with super puffed sleeves this dress is all so 1630’s I love the peach colored silk and the princess waist, this dress is just gorgeous, and what a lovely lady too :) Now to the 1700’s, I just love this time in fashion, now don’t get me wrong I love the 1600’s just as much, but I hope you will enjoy this post with all the spring time clothes :) And like I said some will be long some will be short but its all worth it to see such loveliness if you ask me. Lovely brocade gown of cream colored and pink stripped silk with wonderful green and white floral design this gown is just spectacular its from around 1765-75. and is in great condition now sadly its missing its stomacher and under skirt but we can imagine they where both equally beautiful :) Wonderful light blue silk dress with wonderful floral pattern, sadly this one is also missing its stomacher :( But its still a beauty dress is from around 1760-70. Green brocade satin gown from around 1758-65 sadly it also is missing its stomacher :( Ok could not help but put a pair of fabulous shoes in and hey you have to admit they look super spring time like Wonderful red floral brocade shoes with black trim shoes are from around 1760-70. Wonderful light blue and white striped silk brocade gown with its stomacher yay, this lovely dress is from around 1770-73. Lovely yellow silk with gold embroidery designs and gold lace and yep that’s real gold they used real gold and silver thread in the embroidery and lace back then, ah what loveliness and it makes you so think of spring time! :) The dress is from around 1760-70. Wonderful cream colored heavy silk gown with lots of gold embroidery and fine gold lace it has a huge panniers some of them would reach epic width and made it hard for ladies to get through doors or in there carriages, but ah what a gorgeous dress its worth it I think to have a dress this lovely :) This dress is from around 1740-50. Lovely pink silk gown with brocade silk trim and lots of lace this gown just screams spring time to me, this lovely dress is from around 1770-80. Beautiful cream colored silk with embroidered flowers this dress is just so lovely from around 1770-74. Now a few paintings from the 1700’s. Painting of a lady painted 1700 in a lose fitting dress of green silk, this dress is very reminiscent of the late 1600’s. Painting of Madame Pompadour in a lovely pink silk gown with lots of lace and tons of ribbons on her stomacher, this dress is just as beautiful as her, dress is from around 1750-55. Painting of Georgina duchess of Devonshire in a lovely white muslin dress with lots of lace that she designed herself and that wonderful picture hat you just have to love it :) dress is from around 1780-85. I wanted to post more but it would have taken forever, but I do intend to make another spring time post about 1800’s fashion up to 1920.
This post will have some lovely spring dresses or skirts or shirts or hats all from the 1600’s to 1780 I hope you all enjoy this super last day of spring post :) Wonderful embroderiedy shirt with silk ribbons from around 1615-25. This lovely linen shirt with all this embroidery is from the Victoria and Albert museum, I have posted a similar shirt from the 1610’s on here before it was also form the Victoria and Albert museum. . Ah yet another dress from the Victoria and Albert museum ah I love them! Ok this wonderful heavy silk dress with beautiful floral pattern and a wonderful lace stomacher and fine lace at the sleeves and a wired lace fontange, this wonderful gown is from 1690-99. Now to some paintings of ladies from the 1600’s :) Wonderful painting of Margaret of Austria in a lovely black silk and linen dress this gown is still very reminiscent of the 1500’s very Tudor/Elizabethan looking but just right for this little girl, this gown is from around 1600-10, I know its not very spring like sadly but I had to add it in. Ok this one will make up for the black dress up above, painting of Anne of Denmark 1605 this dress is very grand and very spring like with the white silk and silver embroidery and remember they used real silver back then wow :) Lots of pearls draped on this dress and lovely rosette ribbons of pink and blue and tight princess waist and lovely high lace collar this dress is just grand and very Elizabethan if you ask me, her hair is piled high a trend queen Elizabeth started and has a jeweled hair ornament. Wonderful painting of a beautiful girl named Susanna Huygens in a 1630’s white almost silver satin gown this gown just shines luxuriant fabric with fine lace low cut with ruffles and fine princess waist on this lovely gown. Ah another dress with super puffed sleeves this dress is all so 1630’s I love the peach colored silk and the princess waist, this dress is just gorgeous, and what a lovely lady too :) Now to the 1700’s, I just love this time in fashion, now don’t get me wrong I love the 1600’s just as much, but I hope you will enjoy this post with all the spring time clothes :) And like I said some will be long some will be short but its all worth it to see such loveliness if you ask me. Lovely brocade gown of cream colored and pink stripped silk with wonderful green and white floral design this gown is just spectacular its from around 1765-75. and is in great condition now sadly its missing its stomacher and under skirt but we can imagine they where both equally beautiful :) Wonderful light blue silk dress with wonderful floral pattern, sadly this one is also missing its stomacher :( But its still a beauty dress is from around 1760-70. Green brocade satin gown from around 1758-65 sadly it also is missing its stomacher :( Ok could not help but put a pair of fabulous shoes in and hey you have to admit they look super spring time like Wonderful red floral brocade shoes with black trim shoes are from around 1760-70. Wonderful light blue and white striped silk brocade gown with its stomacher yay, this lovely dress is from around 1770-73. Lovely yellow silk with gold embroidery designs and gold lace and yep that’s real gold they used real gold and silver thread in the embroidery and lace back then, ah what loveliness and it makes you so think of spring time! :) The dress is from around 1760-70. Wonderful cream colored heavy silk gown with lots of gold embroidery and fine gold lace it has a huge panniers some of them would reach epic width and made it hard for ladies to get through doors or in there carriages, but ah what a gorgeous dress its worth it I think to have a dress this lovely :) This dress is from around 1740-50. Lovely pink silk gown with brocade silk trim and lots of lace this gown just screams spring time to me, this lovely dress is from around 1770-80. Beautiful cream colored silk with embroidered flowers this dress is just so lovely from around 1770-74. Now a few paintings from the 1700’s. Painting of a lady painted 1700 in a lose fitting dress of green silk, this dress is very reminiscent of the late 1600’s. Painting of Madame Pompadour in a lovely pink silk gown with lots of lace and tons of ribbons on her stomacher, this dress is just as beautiful as her, dress is from around 1750-55. Painting of Georgina duchess of Devonshire in a lovely white muslin dress with lots of lace that she designed herself and that wonderful picture hat you just have to love it :) dress is from around 1780-85. I wanted to post more but it would have taken forever, but I do intend to make another spring time post about 1800’s fashion up to 1920.
Woman's gown of ivory satin brocaded in coloured silks, 1745-50 and altered 1780s, British, silk designed by Anna Maria Garthwaite, woven in Spitalfields, 1744
Because there's nothing new to post about, it's time for a post about an old dress. I actually tried to make a half-polonaise but it failed miserably. The visual effect on the front side made my bust look as small as the waist so that my upper body looked like a straight tube. Or even worse, so that the waist actually looked bigger than my bust. I'm not even going to share any photos of it with you because it's so horrible. Not to mention all the wrinkles. My aim was to wear the demi-polonaise at a ball last April but as you can imagine, I didn't even finish the whole thing. After the lost case, I had only a couple of days to pull something together for the event. So I had a chance to finish an old dress that had been a work in progress for some time. It's a floral robe à l'Anglaise retroussée that I originally sewed back in 2009, being also the second dress that I ever made. It was also the first dress that I wore with stays underneath. Long story short, after a few years it no longer fit so it had to be taken apart and the fit had to be altered. The design remains basically the same as in the beginning but it's made with much more care than back then. To be honest, I have a sort of love-hate relationship with this dress. I got the printed cotton fabric as a gift from a dear friend and I've always loved the floral pattern of it. The combination of gold and blue (accompanied with red and white) has to be my favorite combination of colors ever. But. There's always a but. So there's a tiny voice in my head that tells me blue fabric with gold printed floral pattern isn't an historically appropriate choice anyway. It's actually a modern Christmas season fabric. If I remember correctly, the original pattern is based on a pattern in the book Period Costume for Stage and Screen by Jean Hunnisett. As many of you can tell, the trimming style is based on a polonaise dress c. 1770-85 from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion 1. Because of having worn this dress to events before, I let the hem fall down instead of pulling the skirt up. The pose in the photo below is awkward but this is the only photo of the back of the dress worn like this. In the following photos I'm wearing a quick and simple mob cap that I made for 1780's costumes. It's my back-up plan in case of bad hair days. :) And this is how the dress looks from the back with the skirt pulled up with two strings. A few photos of the construction... I started by fitting the bodice lining by taking it in both at the sides and in the back. Then the en fourreau back was attached to the lining. After a few failed attempts to repleat the en fourreau pleats of the back I simply took the dress in at the back as seen in the photo below. Next, the front panels and the shoulder straps were added. Bones were put into channels at centre front in order to keep the front straight. By this point I got very lazy and didn't take any photos of the remaining parts of the construction. As usual, I'm going to be honest and admit I cheated at several points. Similarly to my purple robe à la Polonaise, the lace ruffles at the ends of the sleeves aren't separate and the lace along the neckline is stitched to the bodice and not to the shift. This dress was a practice project for fun rather than a very serious project anyway. Also, I'd like to thank Chelsea, Kendra, Kirstine and Katie Jacobs for nominating me with the very inspiring blogger and one lovely blog awards. I'd love to pass them on but it's so hard to keep up with who has already received the awards and who hasn't so I'm afraid I'm going to pass this time.
Reproducing the Costume Close-up Jacket, 1775-1785: A Step-by-Step Guide Part One A reproduction of the Costume Close-up jacket, laced with ivory silk ribbon and paired with a blue/ivory changeable silk taffeta petticoat. Photo taken at Colonial Williamsburg, December 2011. Probably one of the most frequently reproduced extant garments amongst eighteenth century costumers and re-enactors is the 1775-1785 French cotton jacket (CW acc. no. 1962-259) featured in Linda Baumgarten’s Costume Close-up (pgs. 39-42). For Ashley’s visit to Fort Frederick a couple of years ago, I reproduced this jacket using the pattern and construction details in the book, supplemented with photos I’d taken of the jacket in one of the study drawers at Colonial Williamsburg. The original jacket featured in Costume Close-up (CW acc. no. 1962-259). Photo linked from the Colonial Williamsburg E-museum. For additional photos of our own, see this earlier post. Since I made that first jacket for Ashley, I’ve since made two more for myself using that same pattern: one in a tri-color cotton block print for camp wear last spring, and the other (which I started last Thanksgiving weekend and finished almost exactly a year later, pathetic I know) in a Dutch chintz reproduction fabric. Considering the popularity of this jacket’s style (today, though not necessarily in the last quarter of the 18th century - that's still a matter of debate!), it’s relative ease of construction, and the fact that it’s just downright cute and fun to wear, we’ve decided to do a detailed step-by-step tutorial on how to reproduce "The Costume Close-up jacket" from the book pattern through to the final stitch and the proper way to wear it. Using the original jacket as the guiding document source, our goal here is to lead you through to create the most accurate and exact reproduction garment possible, utilizing only the hand-sewing and period construction techniques used in the period (though we will be using a pattern rather than draping, since this is intended to be an exercise in reproduction!). We hope this guide will prove useful to those who have hitherto been wary of attempting period clothing from scaled patterns, and hope it will encourage you to start sewing! This is the first full tutorial I've ever attempted, so please feel free to let me know if I can clarify anything along the way. In offering this tutorial, I don't claim any kind of expertise; everything I describe here is what I've gleaned from personal research - books, examining extant garments, and experience; outside of a single workshop on stays, I freely admit to being entirely self-taught. That said, I strive to gather as much information as possible before pursuing a project like this, and I've done my best to provide the most historically-accurate construction process possible. If there's anyone more knowledgeable than myself who would like to contribute something further or offer any suggestions or corrections to this tutorial, I'm always pleased and grateful to welcome your input! The pattern: A scaled drawing of an extant jacket in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg, accession number 1962-259, included in Costume Close-up, by Linda Baumgarten, pgs. 39-42. The jacket is French in origin, but fashions were swiftly carried across the Atlantic and similar styles were certainly worn simultaneously in the colonies. Its silhouette and fabric date it to 1775-1785. Enlarging the pattern: Everyone has a different and personally preferred method for enlarging scaled patterns. There's plenty of information available online that describes the various possibilities, so I'll just give a brief description of my approach. My only complaint - and it's a very minor one! - about Costume Close-up is that the patterns aren't given on a full grid (as they are in Patterns of Fashion, for instance). When reproducing something from this particular book, then, I find it easiest to draw in my own grid, and then enlarge the pattern by hand onto gridded paper from there. It's slow going, but I think the extra time is worth it if you're looking to make as true and exact a reproduction as possible. Of course, if you know you'll need to change the pattern significantly to fit yourself, a meticulous scaling-up process like this might not be necessary or even practical, and you might prefer to try an alternate method that allows you to capture more generally the shape and key proportions of the pattern. Luckily, the original pattern fits me exactly in the body and very closely in the sleeves, so enlarging the original and sticking as close to its lines as possible makes sense for me. The process of translating the scaled pattern of the original into its actual size. Be sure to make a muslin of your pattern and to make all necessary adjustments on it so that your pattern is finalized before you begin cutting your fabric. Though a slightly less formal garment than a gown, a jacket like this should still be worn over stays, so do your pattern fitting and alterations wearing them. Baumgarten speculates that the original jacket was worn with a stomacher, so a gap of a several inches at the center front should be retained as you fit your muslin. The jacket could also be worn without a stomacher, the gap laced across either bare stays or a neck handkerchief. Period images indicate it is also appropriate to have the jacket closed at center front, so if you'd like to make the edges lace closed entirely, just add in the extra width to accommodate that as your tweak and finalize your pattern. There are many options with this pattern, which is yet another reason why I love working with it. Selecting the fabric: The original jacket is made of a block-printed and "penciled" cotton quite similar to some which can be found in the billet books of the Foundling Museum (which you can see in Dress of the People and Threads of Feeling, both by John Styles). Because jackets took considerably less fabric than full-length gowns and were more stylishly and closely tailored than bedgowns, they were a popular choice across many social levels. Middling- or even upper-class women might choose to wear a fine printed cotton or silk jacket for undress, while such a garment might be a way for a working-class woman with less to spend on her wardrobe to still achieve a fashionable appearance in a more practical and affordable way. Because of the small amount of fabric they require, jackets like this one could also easily be cut from the fabric of an old, disassembled gown. When selecting your fabric for this project, as always consider the social level you intend to represent. In the case of a jacket with only a yard or two of fabric, though, there is a reasonable amount of leeway and you can have a lot of fun in devising stories to explain your possession of certain exotic or expensive fabrics if you portray a woman of lower status. Making and wearing a garment like this can be a fantastic way to open up all sorts of conversations with visitors, guests, and students about not only fashion and clothing construction, but also about consumer culture vs. recycling with expensive items like textiles, the geographic origins and circulation of goods, and the cross-pollination across social classes that took place on so levels. For my jacket, I wanted a cotton print similar in style, scale, and coloring to the original. I also wanted a print that could appropriately be either dressed up with a silk petticoat (for middling daywear) or dressed down with a linen one (for a "best" working class outfit). When I was searching for fabric over a year ago, the October before last, there was very little available in the way of prints (neither B&T nor Wm. Booth had restocked their cottons at the time), so I went searching for an Indian block print. That let me to Time Traveler Textiles, where I was thrilled to find some of the Den Hann & Wagenmakers' "Wilhelmina" design in blue/mauve/ivory available at an affordable price, so I opted for that (Wm. Booth has since ordered a bunch of gorgeous prints - including this one - from DH&W and Duran, if you're interested in something similar). "Wilhelmina" in mauve, by Den Haan & Wagenmakers. This is a reproduction of an 18th-century Dutch chintz found on an extant jacket and petticoat. It is currently available directly from DH&W or through Wm Booth. One final note on fabric before I get into the construction details. If you ever intend to wash your jacket, be sure to pre-wash your fabric before you cut it because it will shrink (trust me, I speak from experience...!). The one exception might be a chintz like the one I've chosen, which is treated with the light, shiny glaze that gives the fabric its name. Washing it will remove the glaze, so if you'd like to retain that important period detail, consider carefully which is more important for your specific needs: washability or the crisp period textile finish. For this project, I opted not to pre-wash my fabric, but again, that's a personal choice. I don't know the effects of dry cleaning on chintz, whether or not it will shrink the fabric or destroy the finish. If anyone has any experience with that, do please let me know! Construction details: Because each step will be illustrated with multiple photos (and because this is already an epic post!), I've broken down the construction process into discrete sections that I'll post over the next week. This will help keep things organized and allow those who wish to skip certain steps to do so more easily. The time lapse between the posts for each section are also designed to help give anyone who would like to "sew along" the chance to do so at a comfortable speed. Please let us know if you do decide to sew along because, as always, we'd love to see what you create! Additional photos illustrating each step can be found on this project's flickr set. The numbers listed in parentheses at the end of each step correspond to the numbered photos from the set. Sleeves: 1) Lay each sleeve over its lining, right side of the outer fabric facing up. Bring the side of the sleeve closest to the cap/head over to match the other side, so that only the chintz is folded, right sides together. Folding over just the outer fabric... Backstitch a seam through both layers of chintz and the one layer of lining. Leave the bottom 1/2" at the elbow end unsewn. (#4-8) The sleeve ready to be seamed. Leave the bottom 1/2" unsewn; this is necessary to ensure you have the allowance to finish the edge of the sleeves (in a later step). 2) Bring the other side of the lining over to the seam you've just sewn, turn under its seam allowance, and slipstitch it into place to cover the backstitching. Again, leave the bottom 1/2" at the elbow end open. Repeat for the other sleeve. (#9-12) Cover your backstitched seam by folding under the seam allowance of the other side of the lining and slipstitch it into place. The completed seam. 3) On the original, Baumgarten observes that the darts used to shape the elbow were sewn from the right side using a lapped seam (illustrated in Costume Close-up on pg. 39). To do this, first make a small snip - only about 1/4" to 3/8" - at the center of the inverted "V" at the elbow (bottom) of the sleeve. Snipping the "V" to prepare for the elbow dart. Then turn the sleeve right-side out. Fold under the seam allowance of the outer fabric of one side of the "V". Bring it to overlap the seam allowance of the other side of the "V" and pin it into place; then top-stitch (a spaced backstitch works nicely) through the folded edge of the one side and the outer fabric and lining of the other side. Be sure you do not catch the lining of the first (folded) side in this seam. Again, leave about 1/2" from the edge unsewn, as you did above. Fold under the outer fabric of one side the "V" and overlay it on top of the other side's outer fabric and lining. Using a spaced backstitch (or a plain backstitch), top-stitch the dart to form the lapped seam. Then flip the sleeve inside-out again. Fold under the seam allowance of the lining that is now hanging loose and slipstitch it over the seam you just made (just as you did in Step 2), leaving the bottom 1/2" unsewn. (#13-20) Slipstitch the lining to complete the lapped seam, leaving the 1/2" closest the edge unsewn. 4) Fold under the seam allowances of both the outer fabric and the lining (i.e. fold them in towards each other, so the raw edges of each will be concealed) about 1/8"-1/4" at the bottom edge of the sleeve. Fold the lining in ever-so-slightly more so that the edge of the outer fabric peeks above it when viewed from the lining side of the sleeve. Using le point a rabattre sous la main, the stitch illustrated by Baumgarten on page 8 and identified as having been used on the original jacket, finish the edges of each sleeve. Turn the sleeves right side out. (#21-25) Finish the edges of each sleeve by turning both fabrics in towards each other and finishing them with le point a rabattre sous la main. Congratulations, you'd just finished your sleeves! Coming up in the Part Two of this tutorial: the body of the jacket!
This post will have some lovely spring dresses or skirts or shirts or hats all from the 1600’s to 1780 I hope you all enjoy this super last day of spring post :) Wonderful embroderiedy shirt with silk ribbons from around 1615-25. This lovely linen shirt with all this embroidery is from the Victoria and Albert museum, I have posted a similar shirt from the 1610’s on here before it was also form the Victoria and Albert museum. . Ah yet another dress from the Victoria and Albert museum ah I love them! Ok this wonderful heavy silk dress with beautiful floral pattern and a wonderful lace stomacher and fine lace at the sleeves and a wired lace fontange, this wonderful gown is from 1690-99. Now to some paintings of ladies from the 1600’s :) Wonderful painting of Margaret of Austria in a lovely black silk and linen dress this gown is still very reminiscent of the 1500’s very Tudor/Elizabethan looking but just right for this little girl, this gown is from around 1600-10, I know its not very spring like sadly but I had to add it in. Ok this one will make up for the black dress up above, painting of Anne of Denmark 1605 this dress is very grand and very spring like with the white silk and silver embroidery and remember they used real silver back then wow :) Lots of pearls draped on this dress and lovely rosette ribbons of pink and blue and tight princess waist and lovely high lace collar this dress is just grand and very Elizabethan if you ask me, her hair is piled high a trend queen Elizabeth started and has a jeweled hair ornament. Wonderful painting of a beautiful girl named Susanna Huygens in a 1630’s white almost silver satin gown this gown just shines luxuriant fabric with fine lace low cut with ruffles and fine princess waist on this lovely gown. Ah another dress with super puffed sleeves this dress is all so 1630’s I love the peach colored silk and the princess waist, this dress is just gorgeous, and what a lovely lady too :) Now to the 1700’s, I just love this time in fashion, now don’t get me wrong I love the 1600’s just as much, but I hope you will enjoy this post with all the spring time clothes :) And like I said some will be long some will be short but its all worth it to see such loveliness if you ask me. Lovely brocade gown of cream colored and pink stripped silk with wonderful green and white floral design this gown is just spectacular its from around 1765-75. and is in great condition now sadly its missing its stomacher and under skirt but we can imagine they where both equally beautiful :) Wonderful light blue silk dress with wonderful floral pattern, sadly this one is also missing its stomacher :( But its still a beauty dress is from around 1760-70. Green brocade satin gown from around 1758-65 sadly it also is missing its stomacher :( Ok could not help but put a pair of fabulous shoes in and hey you have to admit they look super spring time like Wonderful red floral brocade shoes with black trim shoes are from around 1760-70. Wonderful light blue and white striped silk brocade gown with its stomacher yay, this lovely dress is from around 1770-73. Lovely yellow silk with gold embroidery designs and gold lace and yep that’s real gold they used real gold and silver thread in the embroidery and lace back then, ah what loveliness and it makes you so think of spring time! :) The dress is from around 1760-70. Wonderful cream colored heavy silk gown with lots of gold embroidery and fine gold lace it has a huge panniers some of them would reach epic width and made it hard for ladies to get through doors or in there carriages, but ah what a gorgeous dress its worth it I think to have a dress this lovely :) This dress is from around 1740-50. Lovely pink silk gown with brocade silk trim and lots of lace this gown just screams spring time to me, this lovely dress is from around 1770-80. Beautiful cream colored silk with embroidered flowers this dress is just so lovely from around 1770-74. Now a few paintings from the 1700’s. Painting of a lady painted 1700 in a lose fitting dress of green silk, this dress is very reminiscent of the late 1600’s. Painting of Madame Pompadour in a lovely pink silk gown with lots of lace and tons of ribbons on her stomacher, this dress is just as beautiful as her, dress is from around 1750-55. Painting of Georgina duchess of Devonshire in a lovely white muslin dress with lots of lace that she designed herself and that wonderful picture hat you just have to love it :) dress is from around 1780-85. I wanted to post more but it would have taken forever, but I do intend to make another spring time post about 1800’s fashion up to 1920.
Evening dress of brocaded silk, fabric woven in Spitalfields, London, 1770s, and the dress made in 1840s
I've been both taking and collecting pictures of 18th century trims. I'll start with photos that I took during my visit to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, in March 2011. Yes, there I am, taking copious notes! Looking too serious, methinks :) I will be copying this style of pleating for my 1780s gown An example of fly fringe Elbow cuff trim Trimmed stomacher Beautiful use of lace, silk ribbon and thread buttons
"...In the Evening I went to the Ball. I had an English Night Gown of muslin with silver sprigs and all white..." Extracts from correspondence, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, 1784, 18th Century Embroidery Techniques, Gail Marsh Last year I was looking for a design for a new party frock. I was intrigued by the quote of Georgiana wearing a white, silver sprigged, gown. We often have very low lighting in our local balls so I thought a glittering white gown might be the very thing to wear. I started looking for extant gowns and fell in love with this gown, cutaway front English gown with silver-plate embroidery. Heileen very kindly shared the patterns for this dress and the project was born. I was finished with the embroidery and main construction a year ago, but then I fell out of love of with the dress. All the whiteness begun to bore me. After a year of sitting in the closet I finally dug it out and made the finishing touches. This is one of those dresses that are almost impossible to photograph. It's so much nicer in person. The only thing that makes it stand out is the glitter when light hits the embroidery, but it's hard to capture with a camera. The skirt and bodice are made from white duchess silk sateen with an over layer and over sleeves of silver-plate embroidered light weight cotton. The gown skirts are a single layer of cotton. It has a linen lining and it's hand sewn with linen and silk thread. Neckline and sleeves are trimmed with roll hemmed silk gauze ruffles and silk ribbon bows. It's worn over shift and stays, a false rump and two linen petticoats. "Georgiana" and the gambling table. A brilliant seamstress once wrote "What makes a “meh” dress fabulous? HAIR, MAKEUP, TIARA, and a COCKTAIL!!" I took that advice to photograph this gown at home in candlelight. I failed the tiara part, but the rest is there. Construction: I knew that I would never have enough time to make the embroidery pattern as elaborate as in the original, so I settled with small scattered sprigs and simple borders. After patterning the dress I made the embroidery. I found 1 mm wide silver plate but to my surprise it was too wide to look nice. However it was easy to cut in half with scissors. The plate isn't sewed on with a needle. The end of the plate string has to be cut diagonally to make it sharp to go through the fabric. It's somewhat soft so you have to turn the work as you come through from the underside. Turning the work makes it slow, but I think it's the most attractive form of metal embroidery on thin fabrics. When the embroidery is done it's hammered flat. A finished front bodice piece: I cut all the skirt panels to period width and sewed them together with mantua maker's stitch. I like having enough seams in my skirts and the narrower width was also practical for embroidering. The dress is sewn together by making the lining first. Then I put the silk and cotton layers on top of each other and mounted them on top of the lining and sewed them down from the outside. It has bones in the back seams and center front. My new pretty fan is from Aurora. I think it suits the simplified style of the late century gown very well. All but the candlelight photos are taken in Tuomarinkylän kartanomuseo or the surrounding park. It'll be closed down on the 17th of November so if you have planned a visit, you better hurry. It's a lovely place with a friendly staff. I'm so sad to loose it.
Pleats are folds of fabric that are made to add volume, take in fullness and add interest to the silhouette of a garment. They can be used as decorative features on sleeves and blouses as well as in home decor. However, pleats are most commonly seen on skirts and dresses to take in a full...
This post will have some lovely spring dresses or skirts or shirts or hats all from the 1600’s to 1780 I hope you all enjoy this super last day of spring post :) Wonderful embroderiedy shirt with silk ribbons from around 1615-25. This lovely linen shirt with all this embroidery is from the Victoria and Albert museum, I have posted a similar shirt from the 1610’s on here before it was also form the Victoria and Albert museum. . Ah yet another dress from the Victoria and Albert museum ah I love them! Ok this wonderful heavy silk dress with beautiful floral pattern and a wonderful lace stomacher and fine lace at the sleeves and a wired lace fontange, this wonderful gown is from 1690-99. Now to some paintings of ladies from the 1600’s :) Wonderful painting of Margaret of Austria in a lovely black silk and linen dress this gown is still very reminiscent of the 1500’s very Tudor/Elizabethan looking but just right for this little girl, this gown is from around 1600-10, I know its not very spring like sadly but I had to add it in. Ok this one will make up for the black dress up above, painting of Anne of Denmark 1605 this dress is very grand and very spring like with the white silk and silver embroidery and remember they used real silver back then wow :) Lots of pearls draped on this dress and lovely rosette ribbons of pink and blue and tight princess waist and lovely high lace collar this dress is just grand and very Elizabethan if you ask me, her hair is piled high a trend queen Elizabeth started and has a jeweled hair ornament. Wonderful painting of a beautiful girl named Susanna Huygens in a 1630’s white almost silver satin gown this gown just shines luxuriant fabric with fine lace low cut with ruffles and fine princess waist on this lovely gown. Ah another dress with super puffed sleeves this dress is all so 1630’s I love the peach colored silk and the princess waist, this dress is just gorgeous, and what a lovely lady too :) Now to the 1700’s, I just love this time in fashion, now don’t get me wrong I love the 1600’s just as much, but I hope you will enjoy this post with all the spring time clothes :) And like I said some will be long some will be short but its all worth it to see such loveliness if you ask me. Lovely brocade gown of cream colored and pink stripped silk with wonderful green and white floral design this gown is just spectacular its from around 1765-75. and is in great condition now sadly its missing its stomacher and under skirt but we can imagine they where both equally beautiful :) Wonderful light blue silk dress with wonderful floral pattern, sadly this one is also missing its stomacher :( But its still a beauty dress is from around 1760-70. Green brocade satin gown from around 1758-65 sadly it also is missing its stomacher :( Ok could not help but put a pair of fabulous shoes in and hey you have to admit they look super spring time like Wonderful red floral brocade shoes with black trim shoes are from around 1760-70. Wonderful light blue and white striped silk brocade gown with its stomacher yay, this lovely dress is from around 1770-73. Lovely yellow silk with gold embroidery designs and gold lace and yep that’s real gold they used real gold and silver thread in the embroidery and lace back then, ah what loveliness and it makes you so think of spring time! :) The dress is from around 1760-70. Wonderful cream colored heavy silk gown with lots of gold embroidery and fine gold lace it has a huge panniers some of them would reach epic width and made it hard for ladies to get through doors or in there carriages, but ah what a gorgeous dress its worth it I think to have a dress this lovely :) This dress is from around 1740-50. Lovely pink silk gown with brocade silk trim and lots of lace this gown just screams spring time to me, this lovely dress is from around 1770-80. Beautiful cream colored silk with embroidered flowers this dress is just so lovely from around 1770-74. Now a few paintings from the 1700’s. Painting of a lady painted 1700 in a lose fitting dress of green silk, this dress is very reminiscent of the late 1600’s. Painting of Madame Pompadour in a lovely pink silk gown with lots of lace and tons of ribbons on her stomacher, this dress is just as beautiful as her, dress is from around 1750-55. Painting of Georgina duchess of Devonshire in a lovely white muslin dress with lots of lace that she designed herself and that wonderful picture hat you just have to love it :) dress is from around 1780-85. I wanted to post more but it would have taken forever, but I do intend to make another spring time post about 1800’s fashion up to 1920.
Proto-Renaissance Italian Dress, late XVth century This costume version consists of: -Kamiza -Dress -Hairnet -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the 1460s, Italian women's fashion moved from high-necked gowns to V-shaped necklines. High waistline and separately laced changeable sleeves make this costume fit well on any figure. A 'pregnant' silhouette was quite a fashionable thing as it meant family prosperity and the fact that the dress owner's husband is not at war or ill but is expecting an heir. A wealthy Italian Renaissance woman typically wore at least three, often four complete layers of clothing in public. The chemise – often silk one and richly decorated – showed at the lady's neck. But it has no lace. Strangely, but it’s a fact – they didn't know about the lace yet! Evolving from “houppelande”, the bodice was cut separately from the skirt above the natural waist and became tight fitting. While the top and bust area was always fitting, the bottom half of the body was made to look as full as possible with gathered and over-the-top skirts. Skirts could be gathered, pleated, or neither. They were often split in front to show the skirt of a sleeveless underdress, which could also be seen under a V-neck. Dress often was laced on both sides to fit different sizes. Dresses – usually patterned – were made of silk, velvet, silk brocade, taffeta, and other rich and gorgeous fabrics. Wide and puffed sleeves were popular. Sleeves were the richest part of a costume, actually, so there were several pairs of them for each dress to renew its look. Sleeves could be slashed to show the chemise sleeve and were often laced or tied to the bodice rather than sewn on. This allowed different sets of sleeves to be worn with one gown. A sleeveless tabard was occasionally worn over the gown. Dresses were often decorated with pearls which might also be read as potent symbols of sexual purity. Across Western Europe, young women wore pearls to broadcast their virginity – the most desirable trait considered in marriage negotiations. The beauty of Proto-Renaissance is the subtle eroticism of a costume. Well, “by the standards of the XVth century” eroticism: while France was still draping in strict Gothic cathedral-like clothes, in liberated Italy ladies were already flaunting with slits on their sleeves so that anyone could see (unthinkable!) – camise. Can you imagine? Camise in slits! O tempora, o mores! And here we have decided to indulge you with some XVth century Italian erotica – sleeves made of 2 parts, carelessly tied up with ribbons both on the arms and to the dress. A lush camise made of the finest linen also beckons from dress neckline, not so much hiding it as emphasizing it. At the collar and cuffs, lady’s camise is gathered in small pleats. It is decorated with machine embroidery flowers, but we can do everything by hand or leave it unembroidered as you wish so. Although the embroidery is undoubtedly cooler. The dress is narrow in the bodice with a deep V-shaped neckline and exaggerated waist, while the puffed skirt falls to the floor in beautiful soft pleats. The dress is laced up the sides to fit the figure. This is a light version with only one dress, but for ladies with a true Italian passion at heart, we are ready to sew as it should be – 2 dresses. We chose a peach patterned jacquard with a large floral pattern for a dress, decorated on the edges with fine gold thread and gold ribbons for garter sleeves and lacing. Naturally, your dress – your type and colors of fabric and decorations, but we are always here to advise. The chosen headpiece is the then-popular hair net woven with gold braid and pearls. The costume is erotic and sophisticated like all Venice at the end of the XVth century. Full of passion and luxury. Write to us and Steel Mastery will sew yours and only yours Italian dress. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This post will detail the construction of my Ikea Italian gown. The next one will cover accessories, hair and shoes! I made my fir...
Read interviews, articles and self-help advice from Do What You Love. Today's shared story comes from costume-maker Jane Grimshaw who has made costumes for
Recently, I was privileged to interview Italian costume designer Massimo Cantini regarding his newest film, Cyrano (2021), and I can legitimately say he is a delightful interview subject! English-s…
Late last year I had the honor of receiving an invitation to a 1757 reenactment in March 2017 in Zeilitzheim. I knew I wanted a new saque for the occasion as I had worn my cream gown so many times already. I also knew I didn't want another solid color gown. Appropriate silk brocade is difficult to find. And if you do, it always costs a fortune. While looking for inspiration, this gown gave me the idea to paint some silk to make a colourful gown while staying on budget. The gown is made of duchess silk satin painted with Deka silk paints. It has a linen lining and the self fabric trim is edged with looped passementerie trim. It's completely hand sewn with linen and silk thread. It's worn over shift, stays, pocket hoops and two linen petticoats. For the photos I styled it to fit early 1770's style. I wasn't able to finish the gown before I left to Germany but I managed to make the stomacher and few other finishing touches while I was there and was able to wear it as planned on Saturday evening. There was only a very small mirror on our room, and the first time I was wearing the gown I hadn't even seen it on myself. That was a strange feeling. But, despite pinning it on a little hastily leaving some wrinkles, it turned out ok. We wanted to concentrate on enjoying the experience rather than on taking photos, but I have these two as proof. I think the fabric and colors worked well in candlelight. Construction: The gown was draped over a fitted lining with the help of my husband. I started by draping the back, then back skirts, bodice fronts, front skirts and then sleeves. I left sleeve heads unneatened under robings. Painting: I made six different floral stencils that I rotated as the work progressed. I outlined everything first and then painted the colors. The flowers are based on three different painted 18th century gowns but my main inspiration was the gown in V&A museum. This is a close up of the V&A gown: And these are some of my versions I noticed one particularly ugly flower in there so I had to have it in my dress too.
Date: ca. 1770. Culture: French. Medium: silk. Credit Line: Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 1961. Accession Number: C.I.61.34a, b. ...
The signature feature of this new “Italian” style gown is a back bodice cut in four pieces dipping to a deep center point. The “quartered bodice” was a departure from the uncut, pleated back bodices which had dominated women’s dressmaking through most of the eighteenth century. This type of cut and fitted back became widespread in the 1780s. This block printed gown has been altered from a round gown into an open robe with partial or faux self petticoat. The three-quarter length sleeves are also less fashion-forward than long sleeves. This is an excellent example of how many women continued to combine old and new features in their dresses. FIT This gown is designed to be worn over period stays. Without stays, the fit will be severely compromised. Original gown and petticoat may have been worn over a small hoops. The updated version would be fashionable worn with an 18th Century bum roll or the new style rump. WHATS INSIDE? This pattern contains instructions for the current styling of the gown with its faux petticoat, as well as how the original gown was first constructed.
A woman's gown, Dutch, 1770s, of white cotton, copperplate printed in purple, in England
