For the study of historical dress; consisting of analyses of costume in paintings, translations of and research into fashion plates, and occasionally actual sewing.
Galerie des Modes, 14e Cahier, 4e Figure
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Robe de Cour on a medium hoop, pulled up once. It is for winter, of blue satin trimmed with bands of sable tails and pelts, attached with bows of white ribbon over the whole front of the petticoat.
I always wonder with these dresses. There are so few extent examples, and they hardly seem like the sort of thing that would be worn to rags. How many of them were actually made? How closely did the fashion drawings match the reality?
The blue is delicious, but those sable tails are a bit creepy.
Well, since it's official court dress, I'd think that every woman at court would have to have at least one. How many would have lace swags all over them? Probably few, it might have been more popular to use self-fabric trim that way (at least, I've seen extant examples of non-court gowns trimmed in a similar way with the dress fabric). But it could also be that the lace trim would just get taken off and replaced, and we only see the plainer base gowns in collections.
There's so much fabric in those petticoats and skirts that I expect these might have been remade very frequently. You'd have to almost completely redo the bodice, since those were cut in an older style, but I think there's more than enough petticoat for that.
I did threaten to write about the Ehle/Firth Pride and Prejudice , and since I'm in a writing mood without a topic I decided to make good. Regency adaptations tend to go for an overall accurate look, interpreting age and income within the confines of realistic silhouettes and colors, and so they avoid the scrutiny and reputation that a more obviously artistic and unrealistic production garners. But just as this version of P&P is not entirely faithful in every respect (e.g. the added Darcy-perspective scenes, the actors nearly all being significantly older than their characters - perhaps the most egregious example being Julia Sawalha in her late twenties playing teenage Lydia), Dinah Hill's costuming is not entirely accurate - mainly in ways that make the period more appealing to modern tastes. The exact date when the story is set is never given; generally, the movie's taken to be set in 1813, when the book was published. I'm not going to go into the full story of
Hello, everyone! It’s Cassidy, Mimicofmodes here, on Twitter, on Tumblr, on Reddit, and on Etsy. Anyway, I have a small but fantastic collection of historic clothing. Antique historic clothing, not pieces I’ve made. A few of the pieces I bought myself, at thrift shops and on eBay and Etsy, but most of it was very kindly given to me several years ago by a blogging friend, Natalie Ferguson . Unfortunately, I’ve never had the chance to do anything much with them – but I’m so excited to be able to share them with the world this way! My collection ranges from a late 18th century shift to a 1980s cocktail dress, with most pieces from the early 20th century. At first I thought I could show you this gorgeous Edwardian evening skirt – the bodice apparently didn’t survive, or maybe it was sold separately at some point – but it’s very delicate. I wouldn’t want to put it on my dress form. I also don’t have a large enough space on the floor to lay it out! However, I’m moving this winter, and I s
For my 150th post ( \o/ ), a quick little pattern someone might find useful. When I was working my way through a box a few weeks ago, I came across a chemise that didn't quite want to lay flat. I took a closer look at it to figure out why, and noticed that it had a unique construction with the sleeves cut in one with the body and gussets inserted in the neckline. I did a really quick sketch of the cutting layout and measured the important bits, so that when I got home I could draw it up in proportion on graph paper. (nb. I messed up. I've been noticing it for a while, but didn't want to point it out from shame, but I accidentally gave the neckline length as it is when gathered - the horizontal cut should be much longer, to within about four inches of the side seam. Please correct for this when making your own version.)
The 18th century has really outdone itself this time!
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of the time that must have gone into all that lace ...
DeleteI always wonder with these dresses. There are so few extent examples, and they hardly seem like the sort of thing that would be worn to rags. How many of them were actually made? How closely did the fashion drawings match the reality?
ReplyDeleteThe blue is delicious, but those sable tails are a bit creepy.
Well, since it's official court dress, I'd think that every woman at court would have to have at least one. How many would have lace swags all over them? Probably few, it might have been more popular to use self-fabric trim that way (at least, I've seen extant examples of non-court gowns trimmed in a similar way with the dress fabric). But it could also be that the lace trim would just get taken off and replaced, and we only see the plainer base gowns in collections.
DeleteThere's so much fabric in those petticoats and skirts that I expect these might have been remade very frequently. You'd have to almost completely redo the bodice, since those were cut in an older style, but I think there's more than enough petticoat for that.