I think since the last Bryana set was such a hit on the Internet, it would be good to finally post this set of ours all in one place. Today’s Rendezvous p

At last, professional athletes have discovered the ultimate performance enhancing supplement: deer antler spray. Contrary to the outrageous claims by ignorant sportscasters in the media, velvet ant…

Relaxed-fit stretch denim jeans. Painted effect throughout. · Self-tie strap and raw edge asymmetric waist · Drawstring and button fastening for alternate styling · Five-pocket styling · Offset zip-fly · Rubberized logo patch at back waistband · Logo flag at back pocket Supplier color: Red velvet

Block Printed Linen Open Robe, ca. 1770-73 via Chertsey Museum

Pattern Pack A: Size XS–XXL (includes short and long stays)Pattern Pack B: Size 18–26 Plus (includes long stays) Our Regency stays patterns are appropriate for 1800-1830. They create a Jane Austen era silhouette with lifted bust. The long stays with front busk smooth the torso and provide more postural support. The short stays (included in pack A only) are great for petite wearers and beginner corset sewists. Both designs feature drawstring at bust and alterable straps. Short stays are not included in pattern pack B (plus sizing), as we have found that style often does not provide adequate, comfortable support in this size range. Pattern features: Bust gussets and hip gores (on long stays) Back lacing Adjustable straps Includes multi-sized printed pattern, sewing instructions, fitting & mockup guides, and list of supply resources. You can also get all the specialty supplies for our corset and stays patterns in our corresponding kits. See materials list below. This pattern is recommended for those with intermediate to advanced sewing skills. How to Pick Your Size Our stay and corset patterns are based closely on historical shapes and extant examples, but utilize modern construction techniques and materials to bring you an accurate silhouette in a sturdy, comfortable garment. Please see our Policies page for important information regarding payments, shipping, returns, and VAT/customs. DIGITAL PDF PATTERNS ARE AVAILABLE AT OUR DIGITAL PATTERN SHOP  Materials for Long Stays A & BFabric—All SizesStrength layer (coutil, twill, drill): 1 yd @ 60” wide | 1.5 yd @ 54” wide | 2 yd @ 45” wideOptional outer fashion fabric (mid-weight cotton, linen, etc.): Same as strength layer, but add 0.5 yd if you want to make self-fabric binding BoningThe pattern is designed for 1/4” wide boning. If making up the pattern as-is with no length adjustments, you will need:SIZES XS–XXL: Straight Steels—6 @ 14”, 2 @ 10”, 2 @ 7” | Spiral Steels—2 @ 13.5”, 2 @ 13”PLUS SIZES: Straight Steels—6 @ 14”, 2 @ 10”, 2 @ 7” | Spiral Steels—4 @ 14”, 4 @ 13” Misc. Supplies14” wooden busk; 8 yds ribbon or cord for lacing; 1 yd narrow ribbon or cord for front drawstring; bone casing: 2 yds XS–XXL, 4.5 yds 18–26 (or 1/2” wide twill tape, thick bias tape, coutil strips, etc.); 2 pkgs 1” wide single fold bias tape (or make your own: cut 1.25” wide bias strips, 4–6 yds worth depending on size); 3 doz. grommets; grommet setter Materials for Short StaysFabric—All SizesStrength layer (coutil, twill, drill): 5/8 yd @ 60” wide |  .75 yd @ 54” wide | 1 yd @ 45” wideOptional outer fashion fabric (mid-weight cotton, linen, etc.): Same as strength layer, but add 0.5 yd if you want to make self-fabric binding BoningThe pattern is designed for 1/4” wide boning. If making up the pattern as-is with no length adjustments, you will need: Straight Steels—4 @ 4.5”, 6 @ 4” | Spiral Steels—2 @ 5”

NEW UPDATE: June 22, 2013 -- I have created a pattern for this gown (finally) which is available for sale. The pattern is $8.50 -- it can be downloaded and printed at a local Kinko's for about three dollars. Download includes the large-format pattern, plus instruction sheets on normal 8.5x11 paper. You can download it from the margin widgets to the right, or scroll down to the bottom of this page where the widget has been added. Happy Friday all! I noticed I tend to keep most of my Regency, millinery and sewing posts limited to the Oregon Regency Society's blogspot page or the RSA Community Board. So today, I thought I'd just post my ode to the Regency Bib-Front gown on my own blog today. It's a happy Friday, and I posted a HUGE post on men's Regency costume on the ORS blog yesterday anyway. I digress... I am a great fan of the regency bib-front gown (sometimes called stomacher gown, drop-front, or fall-front gown). I find myself often making gowns last-minute for friends; and invariably, because of time constraints and trying to size something to someone who isn’t present, I opt for the bib-front. It's usually a situation where I can't have that person standing around for a fitting, so I make the gown that will most likely mold itself to fit her. Additionally, the beauty of the Regency bib-front is that if you are not overly-endowed in the breast-department, and your gown and bib is sturdily made, you do not need to wear any **confining underpinnings of the period to obtain the proper Regency silhouette. The reason why, is because the gown has a drawstring that goes around the empire waistline, and is held in place by two loops on the back. The bib then lifts up your girls, and if it's pinned or buttoned and shaped right, it will hold them comfortably in place. I don't think this will work well with anyone larger than a C cup, but all of the ladies below are wearing standard push-up bras underneath their gowns and that's it. WARNING: If you are C-cup or over, you will very likely need a set of Regency period stays/corset. There are no two ways about it. I will post this embarrasing photo of myself this summer when I decided to wear a gown without stays: Here it is, I am on the left. ::facepalm:: It was necessary to post this humiliating picture to show you the pitfalls of not wearing proper underpinnings. My gown looks like a tent and I am just drooping horribly in it. As a contrast, Stephanie II on the right is wearing her transitional stays and she looks perfectly fine. Both gowns are bib-fronts. **follow the 'confining underpinnings' link for a summary of the period stays and patterns. UPDATE: 3/23/11: Also, for a detail on regency undergarments click here. This will give you an idea of what you're supposed to be wearing underneath your bib-front. As you can see, the back closes in front like a little jacket. The bib and front skirt panel are then tied to hide the jacket closures. Creating two loops at the base of the back, on each seam helps keep the ties in place. ends should be tied in a bow, and tucked under the skirt front panel I have a couple of purchased bib-front patterns, but I barely use them except for when I want to vary the sleeves or I have to change sizes. Instead, I have a home-made Frankenstein pattern I have made from the Janet Arnold regency gown back (which I love for its narrowness) and a manually-adjusted side-front piece cut from one bad pattern, and then altered from my muslin to become the piece I use in general. It’s from this bodice— I drew my adjustments directly on it and then cut the muslin itself to act as the new piece. Here is a video I made back then about it. That very drawn-on piece of the side front is what I use today. This pattern of mine is comprised of three pieces; a short sleeve that I often use and customized from a longer one, the back and the side front muslin piece. Those are the only things I cut from the pattern… the rest I improvise. Of course, I am sort of limited in sizing, because I have no knowledge of upsizing or downsizing patterns, however I have added a little width to the back, and a little length to the arm piece to go up a size but that’s about it. The beauty of this gown is that there is only one crucial fit, and that is the back width—and if your armseyes are good, and your front panels can be tightened, and if your wearer can put on the bodice like a jacket somewhat comfortably, then it will fit them. The bib front allows for A LOT of flexibility when it comes to breast-size and the variation in chest-circumference. The one dress pattern I have fits from about size 6-10. But what’s also amazing is that I used the same size for Sherry’s dress and for Tessa; Sherry has about a moderate B cup. Tessa is at least a D. Look how differently both girls are shaped… and then look how well the dress fits them. Seriously. It’s an amazing gown. I make it CONSTANTLY and I’ve pared down construction time to ~ four hours depending on how intricate it is. MIND YOU, these are not historically accurate pieces because I cut corners and machine sew everything, but it is pretty and authentic looking and very practical. I don’t bother to cover the waist seam inside by whip-stitching the lining over it or such things… but you could if you wanted to. I did with my very first bib-front project; my green gown, which I draped entirely on my duct-tape mannequin. I used no pattern on this one, but made my own. Updated image (I've lost weight in this picture), the gown fits just fine in spite of going down 2 sizes. Construction of the bodice. The back piece was designed after an extant gown. What’s really great is that if this gown is made in white muslin, it can be used for day or evening; washed, bleached and trimmed to your liking. Sick of a white gown? Just dye it. You can make overlays for it out of net or silk or velvet… pelisses, spencers, half robes and robes… or use the same pattern to make sheer gown overlays. It truly is the essential ‘little white dress’ of a regency wardrobe. I tell those who I make gowns for to get me 7-8 yards of muslin (yes, I cram at LEAST six yards of fabric into that skirt… but it’s not necessary. 5 yards total would probably suffice. I knife-pleat a most of it into the back to create that beautiful volume. If you saw it move and flare, you’d understand. See? Because the bib is so non-crucial to the fit, I can really play around with it creatively—I even created a crossover front on one (see pics). All I do is cut two sets of each piece (2 backs, four side-fronts—only 2 sleeves, I don’t line the sleeve). I sew each set into a separate bodice, then lay them good-sides together, sew the whole neckline, from the bottom of one front flap to the other. I turn it inside out, press and then proceed to add on the sleeves of my choice. Then I just start attaching the skirt. I don’t ever bother to cut shaped skirts. I’m a great fan of the basic ‘round gown’, which is basically wide tube of fabric pleated up to the back of the gown. You can work in a train pretty easily with a simple ‘slow’ angle cut. The skirt is an exercise in simplicity. Open up the fabric to its full width, sew the short ends together and make a big tube. First thing you do is fold it so the seam is on one of the ends; and that becomes the skirt back. For the length of the skirt, you measure from the chest line (under the breasts) to the top of the foot, and then cut your tube to the desired length; making sure the bottom is an uncut selvage if possible (so you don’t have to hem! Genius (or lazy?)!). Or, if you have to hem, do it before you close the fabric into a tube; you won’t have to worry about it later. Any variations you make to the length, train etc, happens at the top of the skirt. Then while still folded and after you’ve done your length cut, I cut an 18” slit to about 6-8” in from the top front edge of skirt to create front flap panel. I turn in the edges on the slit and sew them down. I then attach a 3-yard length of white twill to the top edge of the panel—making sure I add in two symmetrical box-pleats to add some give and interest to the front of the skirt/bib-panel. [Update, 2-15-2012]: It was requested that I explain in better detail how the skirts are pleated onto the bodice, and until I actually have the ability to make a decent video of my efforts, I decided to do a paper mock-up to show you how I do the skirts. So there are these silly little movies. Maybe they'll help you better visualize what I do when I'm making a simple round-gown. Then you cut your bib on the bias… make it pretty, make it plain… play with the shape, give it a V neck… whatever. Add buttonholes to the top corners and then center it on the front skirt panel, sew it on and lo and behold… your front is done. Some ideas for your bib or stomacher. The back is the most challenging bit. You start by pinning the other edge of the slit to the bodice front panels; starting at least 6” in (depending your size… you will have to try on your bodice and figure out what works best on you… you want the side of the gown to hang just below your breast. You start pinning it down the bodice all the way around to the seam of back piece. Then comes the intensive process of pinning your knife-pleats. It’s also a treacherous sew on your machine; so have extra needles on hand!. Once you’ve done that… attach a couple of loops on the outside of the gown just at the bottom of the back seams where the skirt meets the bodice so you can thread your drawstrings through (or you can also sew a channel to the inside to lace your twill drawstrings through if you want to hide the ties) and voila… You’ve got a gown. Trim away. Most of the ladies I’ve made these for have opted to keep these gowns simple and to trim with a coloured ribbon at the waistline. I’ve done some marginal decoration on the bibs, but you can really glitz up a gown like this very easily. Any regency gown pattern can be modified into a bib; the ‘mock bib gown’ in the Mode Bagatelle pattern takes very little modification to turn it into a real one. You just cut your backs on the fold so there’s no opening, and then cut the neckline wider, and split the front to make the ‘jacket’ part of your bib gown. It’s pretty easy and makes for a really versatile gown. I don’t think I would ever go with a back closing gown again. Update 11/12/13 - Here are some pictures of my bib-front pattern being used to make a round-gown, an easy conversion. The sleeve pattern is not used in this example because I draped the sleeve, I wanted a full-length sleeve in sheer to enhance it. Also, I added a 2" strip of sheer around the neckline with a drawstring to add some interest to the gown. It's a simple pattern, but makes for a beautiful, dramatic gown. Instructions for the round gown are included with the patter (if the instructions aren't clear enough, let me know). RECOMMENDED FABRICS & QUANTITIES For any regency gown, I always say go natural and go light. Also, go classy, NO huge prints, no victorian flower extravaganzas, lines in tasteful pattern. For a day gown, look for: solids, small-print, roll print, small-dotted or subtle plaid cottons, white or solid coloured muslin. Sheer fabrics (above mentioned types) should be worn over a white cotton petticoat for opacity or doubled up with a coloured underdress. Fabric types: muslin (thick or sheer), lawn, batiste, cotton. I do not recommend synthetics with high-sheen or slippy, strange texture. Linen is fine as well, and even a light wool for a wintry gown. Evening wear: Silk with decorated embellishments, voile or cotton sheers over coloured bases, subtle textures like embroidered dots or flowers. Some vegans don't use silk (although the pollution of the manufacture of synthetics could arguably be worse than the death of silk-worms, but it's all relative)... anyway, you can find some tastefully synthetic fabrics (non-shiny taffetas, other faux-silks). Possible addition of a robe in velvet or silk to enhance a white sheer gown. Yardage: As I said before, you can go with as little as five yards, or you can go crazy and put eight into your gown. But a nice, short-sleeved gown with a tiny bodice and reasonably nice skirts can easily be accomplished up to size 22 with five yards minimum. _______________________________________________________________________________ PATTERNS AND LINKS: For good measure, I have decided to add links to some bib-front patterns: * Patterns of Fashion, Janet Arnold (scalable patterns) * Period Impressions' Bib-Front Gown (Burnley and Trowbridge) * Reconstructing History Patterns: Morning Gown Evening Gown * Circa 1796-1806 Lewis & Clark Era: Empire Gown (sort of a bib front--beautiful back) * Also, the Ravenrook 'mock' bib-front pattern can easily be converted into a bib-front.  Update: 3/2011 ~ I've been meaning to add in Katherine's little video on how to put on a bib-front. She is tying the ties INSIDE the gown, but that's how she chooses to do it--it doesn't pin down the waistline as well that way, but she's so skinny it doesn't matter. :) This video is precious, as is she. The Drawstring V-Neck gown (Tutorial Link Below) Update: September 14, 2011 I've also added a tutorial on how to do the draw-string V-neck gown that I wore for the July 2011 Pittock Mansion Picnic. You can read about it on this post. Buy the Bib-Front Pattern Here: Regency/Empire Bib-Front Gown Pattern $8.50

This blog is for the inspiration of being a Thrifty-Steamer, Couture Steampunk Enthusiast, Dieselpunk Daydreamer and Whimsycal Gypsy Romantisism. I do not own nor did I create most of these images, if you want to find the source of an image I recommend reverse image searching. Thanks for following!

Abbiamo appena passato il solstizio invernale, per cui non mi sembra male parlare del culto del Sole, che si esprimeva in questo periodo ...

I noticed that I haven’t posted any historical sewing updates since the summer. I have been working on several projects though, and some are nearing completion. My blue regency dress is (fina…

Rendezvous With Rudolf Noureev. Le 13 janvier 1976, portrait du danseur Rudolf NOUREEV assis dans une loge, torse nu, la veste d'un costume de scène sur l'épaule.

Ready to send :size 44,L ----or---- Made to order, in any size, within 12 working days . If you need different size, please send me a message and I will make you a special and unique design within 12 working days. They are all different! No one will have the same one as you have! Hand made, one of kind jacket You pick your size, model and primer color and you will get your singular design. "my queens wish" is a women’s clothes and accessories brand that was established on 2016 to promote green unique recycled work. Every piece of my designs is different and original, which makes them all unique and exclusive. Some of my reworked clothing is as good as new and the rest are in very good condition. Distressed Vintage Boyfriend Jeans/Hipster Jeans/All Sizes/Grunge Jeans/boho/vintage jeans/womens jeans Patched Denim / Patched Jeans / Reworked Vintage Jeans with Patches / vintage brand jeans/denim vintage/redone jeans /boyfriend jeans/painted denim

The Sunday night before Halloween, I decided I needed a new dress to wear at work on our Halloween, which was Thursday. Nothing in my admittedly extensive wardrobe felt quite right, plus, I was up for a challenge (hand sewn dress in four days!) and had some rather fabulous new red silk Robert Land boots that needed to be worn. The result--a Regency drop front dress from one of my first LA garment district purchases at my first Costume College in 2003. Construction details can be seen in this post. It is a rather straightforward dress, the interest coming from the stripe and the bias touches--I love bias stripes! The ruffle around the hem--of which there will be two--is gathered over a cord. My turban is just two pieces of my backdrop silk twisted together and tacked into place. Of course, I decided to use some of that silk that I bought just for backgrounds before I even used it as a background :) The silk boots that are largely responsible for this dress being finally made! Here's the dress, ready to be put on. The waistband/ties are threaded through the loops in back, and the front hangs loose. The first step is to pin the flaps. I find it very helpful to pin the flaps to my stays. If I don't do this, then the flap rides up. I haven't come up with a fitting solution for this, and I've tried everything I can think of. I just don't have the figure to keep the flaps in place. You'll notice ties on the inside of the bodice--I decided against using these when I put it on, although they are seen in original dresses. Once the flaps are pinned, this is what it looks like from behind. The ties are through the loops at back, and the front is hanging down. Now, here's the front. The ties are pulled so that everything is tight. The loops guide them into place--it's quite simple to do! The loops are then tied. I chose to tie them under the bib. Then pin the bib into place. As complicated as this style looks, it's really quite easy to put on by yourself, which is rather nice in this era with many dresses closing in back. Underneath my dress, I'm wearing a shift made from Dharma Trading's batiste (I think, it's over ten years old!) and stays based on an 1820s pair at the Met. Initially, I had planned to wait to make this dress when I had new 1810s stays, but it should fit over those easily when I get around to making them. My chemisette is made from Swiss Finella muslin from Farmhouse Fabrics. It's based on the pattern in Patterns of Fashion. It ties at the neck with a cord twisted out of crochet cotton, and ties at the waist with 1/4 inch cotton tape. My petticoat is just two panels of fabric, open at one side seam, and held up with straps. The straps also did a brilliant job of holding the chemisette in place. And that's the dress! Though I do try to limit myself to larger projects now, I do find working on dresses in such a limited time frame to be a rather satisfying challenge :)

SHSND 630, 9915, 769-3

Vintage black leather catsuit

Rendezvous Dress Beehive Hand Knits Fashion Book, Book No. 144 32 -36 " Bust Kindly shared by Free Vintage Knitting 1950's Women's Dress Knitting Pattern Here

THE COLOR OF MEN’S AND WOMEN’S STOCKINGS While society continued to highlight this new fashion accessory, the color of stockings was also often influenced by social mores of the times. Until about 1730, the color usually complemented what dress or suit one was wearing, but after 1730, the styles shifted from colored stockings to wearing only white stockings with formal dress. (Below, men's c.1670's linen hose embroidered with silk) By the 1790’s, fancy striped stockings become fashionable and at the very end of the 18th century, ribbed stockings became the rage. Beginning in the early 1800’s, court shoes were low in order to display the stockings’ openwork lace fronts and colors. In the scandalous Regency times of c. 1812-1830(which officially began when the Prince of Wales became Regent of England after his father, George III, was declared insane), fashion was classically influenced, modeled on the ideals of the Greek and Roman worlds. Not only did women dampen their Grecian-looking thin gowns to show off their bodies, but pink and flesh-colored stockings became fashionable, worn to give an impression of nudity. By the mid-1820s, fashionable people again wore shoes and stockings to match their dress. In France, these scant styles were aped and precipitated by the French Revolution and its "democratic" tenets. All classes dressed alike and silks gave way to light muslins, clinging lines, high waistlines, and arm-baring sleeves. In 1829, a dress code decreed by Carl VII of France notes: "It has been presented to the king that no other nation in the world is so degenerated, so changeable, so excessive and fickle in regard to clothing as France is. The standing and rank of individuals can no longer be distinguished by the clothing - whether they are princes or noblemen, bourgeois or craftsmen - because it is accepted that everyone dresses according to their wishes, man and woman alike, in gold of silver fabrics, in silk or wool, with no regard to their class." With the stability of the new aniline dyes of the late 1850’s and 60’s, brightly colored stockings became popular, but by the mid-1880s, the trend of both shoes and stockings matching the dress began yet again. Due to the wearing of leather footwear, larger, dirtier towns and more reliable dyes, black became the most common color in the early 1900’s, when 19 out of every 20 pairs sold were black. (At left, black silk stockings hand-embroidered with a skull and crossed bones - from the Uffner Vintage Archive Collection) …HOW DO I KEEP THESE STOCKINGS FROM FALLING DOWN? Because knit hose of the 16th century never had the elasticity of modern sock ans stockings, they fell - unless supported either by garters or other means of attachment to the upperstocks. Most commonly, garters (strips of fabric or ribbon) tied just below the knee to support the hose. Yet another style of support was “cross-gartering”, in which ribbons wrapped above and below the knee and crossed behind the knees. (see above example) Interestingly, cross-gartering is mentioned 9 times in Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night” in relation to the character Malvolio, such as the following in Act II Scene 5: “…my lady loves me. She did commend my yellow stockings of late, she did praise my leg being cross-garter'd…” Both garters and cross-garters were often made of costly materials and were highly decorated w. embroidery and fringe. Though men continued to wear knee-length breeches, stockings and boots, the doublet began to disappear late in the 17th century in favor of the new fashion of wearing a waistcoat (what we now call a vest) worn with a looser form of doublet, a “jacket” that was left unbuttoned so that the long vest could be seen. As the 18th century began, the doublet permanently fell out of fashion to evolve into a long frock coat with a shorter waistcoat and tight breeches, setting the stage for what later evolved into menswear staple of the future, the “3-piece suit”. (At right, painting of frock coat and vest from The National Gallery) At the time, a three-piece matching suit (especially for formal dress) was called a “suit in ditto”, though it was equally fashionable to have a contrasting waistcoat. Stockings were usually pulled over the hem of the breeches, worn with shoes with square toes, high heels, high front flaps and small, functional buckles. By the late 1870’s the men's heels were finally at more contemporary height. Until about 1800, stockings were not particularly decorative. Common hose colors were black, white, brown, grey and surprisingly, blue among the working classes. Stockings were patched, had the feet replaced or, re-dyed to extend their lives. When men and women started wearing shoes rather than boots and the clocked seams on the ankle area became more visible, decorating them became even more fashionable. (to the left, the fashionably embroidered ankles of the Earl Of Dorset) Eventually, embellished embroidery and contrasting colors transformed the stocking from a utilitarian purpose to a fashion statement, and decoration of hose took several forms for both men and women. Though not always on commoners’ stockings, clocks were decorated on both sides of the ankle rather than just one. Knit hose sometimes had their decor knitted in, with embellishment clustered around the tops of hose and their clocks (the area around the outside of the ankle). Embroidery, on the other hand, was done with wool, silk, or metal thread. Decorative open lacework and embroidered embellishment became the mark of the highest luxury. The most elaborate embroidery, in gold, silver, and colored threads of the finest quality, was still done by hand. (Above, hand-embroidered black silk stockings appliqued with tiny silver sequins - from the Uffner Vintage Archive Collection) Queen Elizabeth's accounts include payment for: “fyve peire of silke knitt Hose carnacion in graine & other colours wrought at the clockes with venice golde & silver” and “ two peire of garnesey knitt Hose wrought at the clockes with silke” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ... ADDITIONALLY, A VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT THIS WEEK!!! Helen Uffner Vintage Clothing has a FABULOUS 4-page color pictorial and interview this month in SPOT ON, an English-language German magazine for 20-somethings!!! **A few movie stills in this online version were eliminated for copyright purposes, but the feature is STILL terrific and you get to see behind-the-scenes at HUVC and meet and learn about our individual staff members! Just follow the link below, and then click on "making old cool". ENJOY! http://www.spoton.de/spoton/making-old-cool ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next week, look for the FINAL INSTALLMENT of "HOSE ME DOWN"

1830's Regency Nightgown

A Chemise, or Shift, Under All Layers Layers, layers, layers. . .That’s what it takes to interpret the clothing of the working class. . .While I am not a stickler to 100% authenticity, there are certain guidelines that should be addressed if a person wishes to display a visual language to the 18th century onlookers. . .It is a facet of interpreting any century that will be much appreciated by those who want to see history come alive. For years I visited Colonial Williamsburg, knowing that what I saw there. . .be it clothing. . .wares. . .or buildings. . .I could depend on the fact that it was as authentic as possible in our era of time. . . Then a dream came true and I found myself employed there. My greatest joy was being able to dress in authentic reproductions of 18th century English colony clothing. I appreciated even more the hard work that the Costume Design Center went to in order to provide period clothing that was as accurate as possible and still be worn each day by the interpreters. Their standards of appearance were well set. Many did not like having to measure up to those standards each day, but I knew that when I was a visitor, it made all the difference. “Visitors to Colonial Williamsburg receive a lasting and important visual image of life in Colonial America from the clothing worn by our employees. Costumes represent period clothing. When worn correctly, the costume is an important interpretive tool helping to convey an accurate picture of the eighteenth century. Therefore, employees must pay particular attention to the regulations concerning the proper way to appear in costume before the public.” Standards of Appearance, Costume Design Center While I worked in the Mary Dickinson shop (based on that of a milliner’s establishment) I learned a few of the ways that research was done on the period clothing. Art of the 18th century played a huge part in their decisions. What better way than studying the paintings and prints of the 18th century to base a costume on? It’s true that they didn’t get it totally right in the beginning, when there wasn’t enough time to do extensive research, but throughout the years, better choices have been made. The research is on-going to this day. As more is learned, changes are made. So when I decided to study and make period clothing that might have been worn in New France, I began looking at French art and sketches of the people who worked and lived here. There isn’t a lot to go on, so it has taken much time with only a little insight. I have found some striking lap-overs between the French and English dress, but there seems to be a few distinctions, too. The English working class stuck closer to subdued colors, often weaving and dying their own cloth. While the higher class of the British colonies did wear fine silks that were bright and exciting, the common woman rarely had this choice. On the other hand, the French loved color in bright prints and stripes in every class, often combining different prints together. The ladies of New France were not allowed to weave their own cloth. It had to come from the King’s storehouses, thus offering a better fabric from many parts of the world to the working woman. Blues, yellow or golds, reds seem to be popular and suitable for short gowns, jackets and petticoats. Older women wore more subdued colors but the prints available for them were in the same style. Stripes, in a ticking type of weave, were also popular paired with the prints. Petticoats (skirts) were shorter than the English and shoes were often Indian moccasins instead of stiff leather shoes. Aprons might be of white muslin but more often than not, they were of checks or stripes in various colors. Under it all, the chemise (shift as the English call it) was worn. The French corset was the same as the English stays, just a different word. A cap might be worn on her head, but often a blue (most popular) scarf was tied over the hair bandana style. I have noticed that in some sketches, when a cap is worn, a ribbon of blue (most popular) might be tied around it. Nothing that I have found about their clothing is the least bit somber. I’ve included a few of the sketches that I found for a visual view of the French clothing probably suitable as period clothing of those living west of the Mississippi River in the 18th century. The people of New France enjoyed Life and they let their clothing speak of their happy-go-lucky attitude with their clothing. . .just as interpreters of the time period will hopefully do in this present day. source unknown/pinterest

For the second challenge of the Historical Sew Monthly, “Blue”, I decided to knit a blue Sontag, or shawl. Actually, I decided to knit a blue sontag, then realized it fit perfectly into…

The news of Riccardo Tisci’s departure from Givenchy marks not only yet another major shakeup at the highest levels of high fashion. Here, a look back at some of Tisci’s most memorable looks to walk down the runway.

This dress was one of the seven I took with me to Costume College this year. I hadn't had a proper chance to try out all the different way...

Plus, all of our images from the week in one place.

I'm pretty sure this is the whole set.

I wore my Virginia cloth dress to An Evening with the Redcoats at the Skirball Cultural Center this past weekend, so that of course means pictures! Since this wasn't a costume event, there aren't a lot. I made sure to get a few posed shots though! Front and back views--and oops, my sleeves are pushed up a bit! I noticed this after, pictures, of course :) A closer front and back view. You can see where the front is pinned under the robings. With a few accessories--my new mitts and an apron. Oh, and with the sleeves more properly placed, even if my shift cuffs aren't buttoned. And with my new green short cloak. I took pictures of making this--the whole hour and 20 minutes it took--and based it off this page on cloaks. And my new muff. It seemed a little much to do a post for just this! And it really doesn't go with this dress! It's grey silk satin, green silk embroidery floss leftover from a pinball (not the more proper flat silk), seed pearls couched on, and another Spoonflower miniature!