My original plan for the HSF15 challenge 5 – Practicality, a regency day-dress, needed to be postponed so to get time to finish this springs biggest undertaking – a hole new 1850-1860s …

Womens Dresses from 1850's to 1880's. About 1/10 of the photo's from a disc I bought at a Civil War Re-enactment

This was my favorite outfit for Costume College this year, and I felt like it deserved a blog post! I'm also hoping to get back into blogging more regularly. I've got some exciting projects planned for the rest of the year and I want to share them with you! So this gown I actually made two years ago, but the bertha was never quite what I wanted and the bodice ended up being a smidge too small. I bought another two yards of the fabrics--silk/cotton blend satin from Robert Kauffman--to make a new bodice and bertha. I also became the recipient of dozens and dozens of yards of vintage chantilly lace about a week before Costume College, and it was perfect for the bertha and headdress. I'm contemplating continuing the trim on the skirt all the way around as well. This dress is already pretty luxurious, so why not go all out? I knew I wanted a black evening gown, but I had to contend with some "rules" surrounding black for young women. Namely that it just wasn't done because it was considered unbecoming for young women who should be in white and light colors, and that it wouldn't have looked well with the lighting of the time. But the large quantity of black formal gowns in portraits, fashion plates, and extant garments on women about my age encouraged me to make the gown anyway. And I'm probably not a "young lady" by 1860s standards anymore, as I'm married and pushing 30. ;-) So if I was in my late teens or early 20s, I probably would stick with a frothy tulle confection in light colors (but I already made that dress). I'm also not considering this a "ball gown" meant for dancing. It's an evening gown for formal evening occasions. So here's some of my inspiration images. There is also a description of a black evening dress from a fashion magazine. My Pinterest board has all of the images I've collected, from the 1840s-60s to give a good range and show that they aren't as uncommon as one might think. "Princess Louise (1848-1939)", Albert Graefle, 1864; Royal Collection Trust 400765 1861 Marii Sawiczewskiej by Leopold Löffler Bodice from eBay Peterson's 1861 and the description: So with that, I present my gown! I'm so happy with how it fits and looks. The only thing I want to change it to make the bows on the skirt out of velvet. But that's it! And I'll be changing it up slightly for a fancy dress party in January, so look for this gown again in the future.

Becoming Laura 860’s/70’s Bonnets and Hair Nets shares historical images, ads and photographs as well as step by step how to make a bonnet.

Only for costumer order NOT READY TO WEAR this is a Victorian 1860 day dress, suitable for a day reception or for an afternoon courtesy visit. blue moire jacket with metal gray silk profiles. Embroidery and applications in silk thread. light blouse with small rouche tulle. wide skirt in moire blu with blue faille edge. profiles of gray silk. It can be realized in any size and color. It made entirely with artisan method. Warning: the crinoline is not included in the price. pay attention, before purchasing please contact me to check availability of fabric and processing time. Made in Italy, and remembers "Italians do it better"

Archduchess Mathilde of Austria-Teschen (left) and sister, Archducherss Maria Theresia, later Duchess of Wurttemberg. Mids 1860s

Greetings all! Today I begin the first of a new series of posts I'm calling "Behind the Seams." I hope to feature a different item each month! In these posts I want to show a few of the more interesting details of some of my vintage and antique garments. Creating each post is proving a little more time consuming that I originally planned but I think all the extra work will pay off in the end. I've always been interested in knowing what the insides of older clothing looks like, how it's sewn, etc. and really want to be able to show those details as best I can. Each post will include LOTS of photos. I'm not really sure how many is too many so your feed back will be most welcome. (Can there really ever be too many photos of an awesome vintage/antique dress?) I would also like to hear from you, dear reader, what it is you would like to see. What kind of construction details are you most interested in? Any particular time period? Most of my collection is 1920s or newer but I do have several older pieces, such as the one featured today, that I think everyone will enjoy seeing. This incredible little piece was a surprise find at an antique shop a few years back. I was on a mission looking for hats and was poking around a rather cluttered antique shop (the best kind) when I spied something bright blue a corner. And I mean bright, like electric, blue! Expecting a hat or scarf of some kind I pulled out this little beauty. Most certainly not a hat, lol! This corselet, or Swiss waist, is a little worse for wear but what a great study piece! A Swiss waist is a boned, pointed underbust garment that was worn over skirts and blouses or dresses. They were very popular fashion accessory in the 1860s. Some even had shoulder straps, like this example. Often called corsages in the 1860s, the terms Swiss bodices, Swiss belts, or Swiss waist belts or simply waists are used to describe the same type of garment. They show up again in the 1880s and 1890s, which is when the name Swiss waist became common. Unlike a corset, a Swiss waist does not fastens with a metal front busk. They have a flat front, with or without a front opening, or can lace up the front with hand worked eyelets. The back fastens with lacing. Black was a common color as seen in the print below. But many surviving examples, like mine, indicated that some women were not afraid of color! Or patterns! Check out this crazy plaid and paisely silk waist at the The Fenimore Art Museum. Also this one in teal. (Godey’s, August 1862) The inside of my waist is lined in dark blue cotton and each seam is stiffened with 1/4" wide baleen. I know it's baleen and not metal because you can see it in spots where the lining is torn or worn away. The waist closes with 5 hooks and eyes and has 11 eyelets for a cord which is now missing. Each tiny eyelet is only about 1/8" in size and beautifully sewn. The hooks and eyes are most likely a more recent addition. The edges of the waist are bound with self fabric piped with a narrow cotton cord. Piping was a very common detail on 19th clothing. The waist is also trimmed around the edges with self fabric ruching that is 5/8" wide. The eyelets are tiny but bound very neatly. This was made for a tiny gal! When laid flat it measures 24 1/2" long about 9" high at the center from. The back is slightly shorter at 7 3/4". The narrowest part is 2 5/8". It is made of 7 sections. I found it interesting that white thread and a darker brown thread was used to construct the waist. The modern seamstress it taught to use matching thread for her projects so the stitches are not as easily seen. However, on close examination, even on the front where the trim is attached, you can see the stitches. To me this is a good glue that this was something made at home rather then a professional, but I'll admit I have no documentation to support that. I plan to make a pattern from this someday but I think you could easily draft one yourself from the measurements I've given. If you can't wait, don't worry! Katherine of Koshka the Cat has a pattern drafted from a waist in her own collection. The size and shape is a little different then mine but I really like it. Source - The Graceful Lady Source

This section is focused on things you can do to update your existing wardrobe to make it more accurate. These suggestions are all things that I believe can be inexpensively and easily done, and can immediately take your visual impression to the next level of accuracy. A few of the suggestions will be elaborated upon in the following posts, because they relate to fabric and silhouette choices that are complex in their historical context. I have written this section with the beginning re-enactor in mind: someone who has been given or purchased a dress and accessories and wishes to improve them until she can make (or have made) an accurate dress of her own. White Collars: The overwhelming majority of women during the period wore white collars with their dresses. These were not only decorative, but highly functional as well. Collars served to protect the dress from the dirt and oils of the body. They were removable which meant that they could be easily washed of the dirt and oils they picked up. When one thinks of the laundering practices of the 1860s, one can easily see why a woman would rather wash a few collars than a few dresses! Collars were often basted or pinned into a dress, and could be switched out between dresses. If you look at the images in the day dresses category of Anna Allen’s website, you will note that most of the collars are THIN. Many measure less than 2” in depth. In the 1840s and 50s, WIDE collars were fashionable. So choosing a wide collar in the 1860s would have instantly dated you as being “out of fashion” to the contemporary eye. They are often of plain white cotton (or sometimes linen), sometimes embroidered (again in white—known as whitework or broderie anglaise) or with a lace edging (like whitework or a net lace). Full lace collars are much rarer, and if they are lace, they are very fine. Plain jewel collar. Collars of the 1860s come in generally two styles: a “jewel” collar that lays flat around the neck, and a stand up collar that stands up from the neckline of the dress. Stand up collars sometimes had an "outer" collar made of the dress fabric. This was a permanent feature of the dress, but was still always worn with a white collar underneath. Collars tend to be front opening, following the front opening of the dress. Outer collar of dress fabric with inner white collar. White stand up collar. Jewel collar with fancy edge. There are only a few exceptions where collars were NOT worn: with some sheer summer dresses and with wide-necked dresses like ball gowns or children’s dresses. The only time colored collars seem to be worn was during deep mourning, when a black crepe collar would have been chosen. There is little evidence suggesting collars were ever of the same fabric as the dress. Black collar for mourning. Sheer dress without collar. Collars are very easy to make. If your dress pattern does not include a collar pattern, Kay Gnagey has relatively inexpensive patterns to make them: http://shop.originals-by-kay.com/product.sc?productId=17&categoryId=34 http://shop.originals-by-kay.com/product.sc?productId=139&categoryId=34

Evening dress ca. 1860 From Kerry Taylor Auctions

This man, probably a Civil War veteran, has lost his right hand. Photo by C.T. Richmond, South Adams, Massachusetts. circa 1863

Sophie Charlotte in Bayern. later Duchess d´Alencon. Early 1860s.