Princess Isabella of Bavaria, later Duchess of Genoa, in riding habit. 1880s
This girl wears a long or 7/8ths coat to cover her riding breeches. A woman on horseback had formal and informal clothing choices in 1910. This riding habit in the Victoria and Albert Museum was ma…
Riding costumes were introduced in the 16th century, after which women wore clothing and accouterments which were built for safety and style. The line of a woman’s riding habit mirrored that …
I found this fashion ad for a riding habit dated 1886. Pay special attention to the habit on the left. As you already know, I really enjoy finding these ads and then finding a real riding habit (either antique or reproduction) and comparing the two! This beautiful creation is dated 1896, but they look so similar that I really do think they are from the same fashion period. As long as I live, I think I will never tire of looking at Victorian and Edwardian fashion!
Queen Victoria on horseback, a preparatory sketch by Sir Francis Grant, 1845. Maria Theresia as Queen of Hungary on the crowning hill of Pressburg, unknown artist, circa 1741. Unknown, ND. (This should rather be labeled a "mule-y lady.") Laetitia, Lady Lade, by George Stubbs, 1793. Detail of above. Baronne X. - Amazone en chapeau haut-de-forme devant un étang, by Alfred de Dreux, circa 1845-50. Princess Marie Henriette of Austria, after 1865 Queen of the Belgians, circa 1860. (Two images.) Mrs. Margaretta Park Frew Riding, by Sir Alfred James Munnings, circa 1924. The Empress Eugénie, by Charles-Édouard Boutibonne, 1856. The now lost Château de Saint-Cloud is to be seen in the background. The Empress Elizabeth of Russia, by Georg Christoph Grooth, circa 1743-49. Grand Duchess later Empress Maria Feodorovna, circa 1860s. Same as above, circa 1870s. Detail of above. Maria Feodorovna's sister, Alexandra, Princess of Wales, and her husband the future Edward VII, Sandringham, before 1867. Alexandra, Princess of Wales, circa 1886. (Note that she's seated on the off side; after a severe bout with rheumatic fever in 1867, she was left with a permanently stiff right knee and thereafter had to use a sidesaddle with the pommel on the "wrong" side.) Lady on Horseback, Joseph Campeche, 1785. (For whatever reason, her saddle is also on the "wrong" side.) Maria Anna of Neuburg, Queen of Spain, by Luca Giordano, 1693-94. Wilhelmine of Prussia, Queen of the Netherlands, by Tethart Philip Christian Haag, 1789. (Unusually, she is riding astride.) Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna, circa 1860s. This looks to be a photographic image of the Grand Duchess melded with a photograph of an actual painting - a very early version of Photoshop. The Pavlovsk Palace can be seen in the background. Unknown, ND. This appears to be some version - a preparatory sketch, using a different model? - of the following image. Isabel II dirigiendo una revista militar, Charles Porion, 1867. Amazone au caraco jaune, by Alfred de Dreux, circa 1840-50s. Grand Duchesses Tatiana and Olga Nikolaevna and their aunt, Grand Duchess Eleonore of Hessen und bei Rhein, Livadia, 1912. Madame la duchesse de la Ferté, from a series of French court ladies, all by Joseph Parrocel, circa 1670s. Madame la duchesse d'Aumont, from the same series. Madame la comtesse d'Armagnacq, from the same series. Madame la duchesse de Bouillon, from the same series. Unknown, ND. Marie Jeanne Baptiste de Savoie-Nemours, duchessa di Savoia, the self-styled "Madama Reale", by Charles Dauphin (?), circa 1660-70s. Woman in French Garde du Corps uniform, unknown artist, circa 1787. Caterina Insarda marchesa di Caluso and Eleonora Delibera San Martino marchesa di Parella, unknown artist, Savoy, circa 1658-63. Unknown, ND. Isabel of France, Queen of Spain and Portugal, by Diego Velázquez, 1635-36. Margarita of Austria, Queen of Spain and Portugal, by Diego Velázquez, 1634-35. Painted more than twenty years after her death. Empress Elisabeth at the hunt, circa 1870-80. Queen Marie Antoinette at the hunt, by Louis-Auguste Brun, called "Brun de Versoix", 1783. Emma Powles on her Grey Hunter accompanied by her spaniel in a river landscape, by Jaques-Laurent Agasse, circa 1810-20. Queen María Luisa of Spain, by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, 1799. The courtesan Catherine Walters aka "Skittles" (?), circa 1870s. (Notice the painted backdrop.) The comtesse de Ranchicourt leaving for the hunt, by Théodore Chassériau, 1854.
Possibly one of the most iconic images of a woman of the Georgian era wearing a riding habit has to be that of Lady Seymour Worsley. So, with that in mind, we thought we would take a look at this f…
During the Costume Design course I took at ifs Cologne in 2014/2015, probably my favourite class was the costume reproduction class. My 8 classmates and me each picked a (historical) movie that centered around the topic of love triangles and chose a costume from it to reproduce. The movie I ended up choosing was "The Duchess", directed by Saul Dibb and starring Keira Knightley in the lead. I chose it for one because I LOVE 18th century fashion, that has been my favourite silhouette for...
In fall 2015, the BBC released a new version of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, the considered-obscene-at-the-time-of-publication (1928) story of an upper-class woman married to a disabled World War…
Pour ce projet j’ai longuement réfléchis à mes bases. C’est essentiel de bien choisir les sous vêtements. Si l’on veut respecter la structure du vêtement, il faut utiliser les bon…
Possibly one of the most iconic images of a woman of the Georgian era wearing a riding habit has to be that of Lady Seymour Worsley. So, with that in mind, we thought we would take a look at this f…
Lately I've been working on a waistcoat to go under my Snowshill riding habit. I really love the look of this menswear inspired style, but before jumping in, I needed to take a closer look at the evolution of the waistcoat throughout the 18th century. Lancret,
Let's pretend for a moment, shall we, that by a fabulous fluke of fate, we have been plucked from our provincial lives and dropped uncer...
If you were horseback riding in 1901, you had to have the proper outfit. (In the Victorian Era, you had an eating utensil or dish for every option and you had the proper clothes for the proper activity.) This is titled "Riding suit Number 2" I wonder how fancy Number 1 was! Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, D.S. Dark, N.Y.
Portrait of a young lady, c. 1780s
Two of our most beloved ORS members are organizing a wonderful new event. A Fox Hunt! Naturally, as the ad says, we will be hunting faux-foxes, sans horses and baying hounds—but we WILL be hopefully all trussed up in our finest riding habits as we run about seeking out those sly little fellows hiding in the shrubbery. So I thought a post on the Regency Riding Habit to be much called-for. Personally, being an avid Horsewoman since I was four, this project has caught my interest. I’ve ridden sidesaddle in the past, however my habit was more Victorian in style than Regency. I have been simply DYING to make a regency riding habit, despite my horse not quite being trained enough to wear a side-saddle… however, this isn’t going to stop me from moving forward on this project, and I have been looking at a number of fashion plates to get myself motivated. There are TONS of blogs out there featuring a variety of habits in a compendium of colours… so I’ll let you do your own picture searches. Right now, I’ m past pictures and am now well into the patterns and research. HOWEVER, as the mainstay of regency research given to us by the irascible Cathy, who taught me SO much with her invaluable website, I offer you this single link. (Pay some attention to the hats too!) Inspiration: Here is a link to an extant garment, shared by Dawn Luckham, costumer extraordinaire! Dawn wrote: "Extant habit in linen or cotton (Holland is a fine quality linen). Note the light colour!" Meg Andrews' Hot Climate Riding habit. Click here for a detail Kyoto Costume Institute's Extant Habit Estimated 1810.(detail here) This habit has a longer waist than the others depicted here today, but it is a perfectly lovely example of a period riding habit. The buttons are adorable. Here is a modern interpretation of this garment: Patterns of habits: There are very few patterns out there to work with… here’s what I found; The Rocking Horse Farms pattern (scroll down the page to find the pattern) also comes with a shirt. I have no reviews of it, but as RHF patterns go, they are usually decently drafted and easy to follow. Reconstructing History’s Habit (ostensibly based on the pattern by Janet Arnold)… I’ve heard mixed reviews of RH patterns… they are certainly not a beginner’s pattern. Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion 1 book contains the a nice habit, in addition to a number of other amazing Regency patterns, from bib-front gowns to half-robes and a robe. Definitely worth the price of the book… trust me. Habit projects: Now, I’ve been following Katherine; a young lady who is almost a legend in the costuming world around here, for quite a while. She is amazing. Her website is addictive, so before you click through, finish up reading this post, because you’ll forget all about it once you start browsing her photo-essays of her various costume projects. Katherine tackled a number of Regency pieces. One of these includes her Regency riding habit. Her project photos are enlightening—and explain a lot about construction. What Katherine shows us is that she can take a pattern (Janet Arnold’s) and piece it out to customize the design. If you look at her construction page, you can get an idea how she constructed her pieces. Her inventiveness for the habit shirt is also wonderful: That girl is a wonder; and she hand-stitches EVERYTHING. ::blargh:: I think the primary difference between a habit and a spencer is that you are supposed to wear the spencer over your clothing. A riding habit is your gown in essence. Many women used the riding habit as traveling clothing as well. The habit would be made of a lighter material than the spencer. A linen, or very light wool, or heavier cotton, perhaps. A nice jewel or earth-tone was appropriate. The riding habit comes in two primary pieces (three if you count the shirt). The first piece is pretty much a short spencer—add a nice peplum and you’re good to go. It doesn’t take too much to modify your collar and front to your preference. Scanning the variety of fashion plates out there can inspire your design. Riding habits often had a distinctive military look, or sometimes, they looked like tiny versions of the gentlemen’s frock coat. I look at these patterns and I see a lot of similarities from a riding habit and the Ravenrook/Mode Bagatelle Spencer pattern for the spencer (see views G for the peplum and H for the collar and the rest) You can easily take this pattern and turn it into a viable riding habit using lighter fabrics, and taking in the seam allowance a tiny bit, so that it is closer-fitted. Taking that pattern for the spencer, you can create something quite authentic looking; and using the skirts from View C, you can create the trained skirts (or untrained if you don’t want a train) that you need for your habit. Using the bodiced petticoat bodice (view A), you can use the back and side pieces to create the little bodice that holds the skirt up; trimming the front part off just shy of under the arms, and making sure to cut your back on a fold so it's one contiguous piece. (See Katherine’s habit skirt on her page linked above for a better idea, or my drawing above as well). Here is a reproduction garment using a book pattern. If you own the Sense and Sensibility Pattern for a spencer, and you are inventive, you can surely use that pattern to construct your habit jacket with it. You’d have to probably work in the peplum yourself, but it will provide a good framework to begin. Sense & Sensibility's Chemisette pattern (as well as LMB's chemisette in their pattern package) would work extremely well for a riding shirt (although they both lack sleeves). But like Katherine, you can be inventive; because the white ruffled cuff inside your jacket sleeves would be very pretty. Depending on your collar, you will want to fill in your neckline, and even apply a small cravat or some ruffles to the front. Finally, the Burnley and Trowbridge pattern for a spencer is very habit-like and it has a darling peplum. I am going to attempt to hold a workshop before September to help people construct these delightful garments, but in the meantime, let these images be your inspiration to create a riding habit you can feel elegant in. :) What to wear underneath There is also the question of what would be the appropriate underthings for a habit. It depends on whether or not you are actually going to ride a horse sidesaddle or if you are doing it for the simple sake of costuming. In the case of costuming, the standard undergarments will suffice; although there are some little period breeches (featured on Koshka the Cat's habit post) that are modeled after men's breeches that women were known to wear. But a pair of pantaloons or pantalettes will do if you aren't comfortable in just a shift and petticoat. And stockings of course. For the actual rider, I do not recommend you wear a petticoat unless you have made it with lots of volume, you need a lot of freedom of movement under those skirts. A shift and your corset over a pair of riding leggings or jodhpurs would be your best bet, although I have seen women wearing standard riding breeches underneath their habit skirts (sometimes full seat breeches for stickability) with only one tall boot on their left leg and a short boot on the right, which is a standard sidesaddle practice. Regency Ladies' Riding Boots Depending on your commitment to authenticity, your selection of appropriate boots is fairly broad. If you can find a pair of all-leather lace-up standard paddock boots, you're in luck. Ariat makes nice paddock boots, and they're specifically designed for riding. I'd recommend these for people who actually intend on riding in their Regency habits. ((See my post on Regency Sidesaddle Riding)) These boots look the part, and serve a practical purpose. Here is a sample of actual riding paddock boots: Click Here. If you're not too concerned with having actual riding boots, but you want something that is authentic with your habit and also with other Regency day-wear, you should get these: Click Here. If you're looking for something that looks the part, but doesn't cost too much, and doesn't really need to be too practical, a pair of good lace-up Jazz boots look the part. Sample Here: Click Here. More samples: Click Here. They range at about $30 - $40 _____________________________________________________________________ Update! Look at this reproduction piece I stumbled on via another period blog; it includes photos of a garment for sale--here is the link for the sale page, but since sales are temporary by nature, I wasn't confident that this link would remain active forever, so I sniped the pics from the site and made a little collage so that if the link breaks, you can still see this beautiful garment. Click image to enlarge. The sale caption reads: c. 1999 repro 1810 Deep Navy Cashmere Wool Felt Empire Trained Equestrian Riding Gown and Jacket (Riding Habit) from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park 1999 film version! COA! Every once in a while I'm able to get my hands on some fabulous period reproduction pieces that are beautiful enough to compare to the original period gowns. This one captivates your heart! You will never find another quite so realistic. The jumper gown can be worn buttoned up at the sides as you see, or just unbutton to wear straight. The jacket has violet-blue velvet collar, cuffs and buttons. The wool feels like cashmere. Wonderful! Near mint condition. Purchased directly from the production company and comes with COA that calls it "Andrea's Vest and Jumper". I'm not sure who Andrea was in the flick, but in this instance it's all about the costume itself, not the actress.
I love being a vintage clothing dealer and getting to handle all sorts of neat vintage treasures but it's also hard when you come across things that I absolutely love that you have to sell. It's either have lots of fabulous things and not pay bills or run my business and pay bills! One such item is a late Victorian riding habit from c. 1889- 1891 that I as very lucky to recently acquire for my vintage clothing website, Corsets and Crinolines. It's made from khaki green nun's cloth (an itchy loosely woven wool) with "kick-up sleeves" and a double breasted styled front, both of which, were popular during this time. The inside of the bodice is lined in brown cotton and heavily boned with spring steel boning. The back of the bodice has the typical squared off peplum which were typical of riding habit bodices from the late 1860's right to when riding habit jackets became the norm. The skirt is not a safety apron and is rather full with pleats all around the waist/hips to allow for the extra fullness for riding and is very long at 50". It is an older style of full riding skirt based on 1860's styles without any safety slit or opening to accommodate the pommels. The middle to bottom portion of the riding skirt has wear and fading form where it was pressed against the safe of the saddle by the right left and rubbed against it. Here is a photo from c. 1885 of Florence Lewis in her riding habit probably taken in East Sussex at Upper Dicker. Although her bodice is styled slightly different to the bodice on my habit (same squared off peplum though!), the skirt is near identical in pattern, length and fullness to the riding skirt on my antique habit. The photo is an excellent example showing how the skirt would have looked and hung once mounted. (Photo courtesy of Florence's great grand-daughter, Belinda Wilkins. You may visit the Wilkins' stand at the SSA National Show.) The habit was made for someone 5ft to 5'2" and is very petite in proportion as it has a 32" bust (so the wearer would have had a bust measuring about 30") and a 21" waist (so the wearer would have had an 19"- 20" waist to allow for ease of movement. For fun, I put it beside my own riding habit made about 125 years later in 2013 and on a dress form set to my height of 5'9" and my dress size of a UK 16 (so a 42" bust and a 32"- 34" waist). Although my riding habit isn't really representative of modern sizing as I'm still taller than most people (men and women) today and a larger dress size than what most women wear, I just thought it was a neat comparison between old and new and two habits at opposite ends of the size charts! Although I love the styling of the antique habit, it makes me appreciate my modern habit even more for it's safety apron and the fact I don't need to wear a corset with it!
gdfalksen: “Riding Habits from 1890 to 1900. ”
. . Following the drum, a nation's call to arms led by- oft times a child-answered by women following their men. It's no wonder women wanted to wear a man's regimentals. Philipe Mercier's The Young Drummer Boy, 18th c. in 1982 Drummer "boy" straps, brass buttons, capes and what all- run through fashion's timeline-just as war runs through History's. Great military details gave women's clothing much needed panache-stepping away from the frills and fripperies that would smother any mistress. There was WAR to be fought-multiples- in each and every century & the military mode of dress for women moved along with the times. Queens dressed to rally and hail her armies. Catherine the Great wearing the uniform of her Preobrazhenskii regiment painted by Vigilius Eriksen, 1762. This Reynolds portrait was first seen at the Royal Academy's Somerset House in 1780. The costume- adapted from military uniform-specifically the Lady's husband-Sir Richard Worsley's Hampshire Militia uniform-became the fashion during England's war with the colonies. Sir Joshua Reynolds portrait of Lady Worsley, 1776 Who knows when someone got the wild idea to set a drum on its ear-and make it a smart looking table? No doubt there is a history. I imagine some war weary soldier- a Captain perhaps- stretching out his limbs one evening-looking about for a hassock-and finding only a drum. A Star is Born... James Tissot's Captain Frederick Gustavus Burnaby, 1870. Belgian Side Drum,1850- 1900. here tables at 1st dibs Cecil Beaton lived at Ashcombe, a property set deep amongst the Wiltshire Downs, for seven years during the 1930s. This chair was made by Beaton for his own bedroom, to complement the circus murals that were painted on a wet Sunday afternoon by his friends, many of whom were starlets and darlings of the 1930s. As Beaton describes in his memoirs, the room was decorated in the most outrageous of colours, with each of his friends responsible for different panels, featuring 'circus performers, baroque emblems, barley-sugar poles and flowered mirrors'. from Richard Buckle's Self Portrait with Friends, The Selected Diaries of Cecil Beaton, 1926-1974 Chairs from 1st Dibs in the Beaton style & below a Child's version attributed to Beaton at Tod Donobedian Beaton's Bedroom and his gang of artists-standing around one of his drum tables with a little drummer lass. Not to be out done in the bedroom-Beaton used drums as end tables in his Studio. It's a room that is as viable today as any within the pages of World of Interiors. How spiffing is this etsy piece from Artisanworks Inc.? Vintage 1920-30's Ludwig snare drum on custom steambent Art Nouveau style stand. HERE Queen Louise of Prussia in her Hussar inspired riding habit, painted by Friedrich Wilhelm Ternite, in 1809, and again in 1810. Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatina in the uniforms of their respective regiments, the Voznesenskiye Ulahns and the Elisavetgradsky Hussars, July 13th, 1913. Following the drum, always a hearing a different drummer, with his mind on war, Rex Whistler painted the young Laura Ridley in the regimentals of the Northumberland Hussars, 1940. from the book, In Search of Rex Whistler Anatole Demidoff, age 7, portrait by Robert Lefevre,1820. Military dress has returned-seen everywhere-couture, fashion in the street-and worn best so & often by French Vogue's editor Emmanuelle Alt. I've got a sense she sees it quite literally as her modern uniform-with skinny oh so skinny jeans in black or white. I've my own cape that I grab to wear when the weather is cold. I love the military lines-and I've always-always heard the beat of a different drum- and usually I follow. .
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I found a few white/light cream colored top hats. Would you ever wear one, outside of with a wedding dress? I have a black and a brown top hat and have shown in both - but not so sure about one this light in color? This one is made of leather...that was a first for me as I don't think I have ever seen any kind of top hat in leather... I don't know if I would wear a white or cream colored top hat...but then again .. there is this dreamy riding costume! What do you think?
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There's a reason I like riding habit -styled looks. This is a perfect example why.
