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9-21-03 I wasn't going to structure this like a diary originally, but that's pretty much changed. Heh. I'm sort of piecing together the bits I like as I go along, so it's not going to ultimately be a reproduction, but a combination of styles from the 1878-1880 era. Inspiration:
So far, I'm drafting an under skirt based upon the silver brocade underskirt from the Antique Fashion website. I like the overskirt on the Worth dress, though, and may try to incorporate something similar into my design. For the bodice, I'm leaning towards a style similar to the dress from the V&A pictured above. Underwear: 1875-1880 Flounced Petticoat & Detachable Bustle Pad, from Hunnisett
Petticoat Materials:
Bustle Pad Materials:
The corset was made by Brute Force Leather, Co. Gown Fabric Choices:
9-25-2003
Here's what I've gotten so far. I pleated up a length of muslin using 2" wide knife pleats, stitching the pleats at the top edge to secure them. I then ironed the pleats down and pinned the skirt to my dummy to try and get a feel for how how the skirt needs to be shaped. The more I play with this skirt, the more I think that I'm going to need to add shaped pieces to the back to make the skirt hang correctly. I was originally going to try to just use a long pleated rectangle, but that's going to wind up with a lot of fabric in the waistband, so I've changed my mind and am now going to just use a pleated front panel and gored side and back pieces. The pleating design is pretty simple, but looks really cool. Going off the underskirt from Antique Fashion, I pinned the edges of the pleats back at regular intervals, which gives a really cool ripple effect. In the first picture, I've pinned back the pleats up the entire length of the front skirt panel. In the second picture, I've only pinned back the pleats from the bottom of the hips to the hem. I'm not sure yet which one I like best. 10-05-03
I've been a good little costumer this weekend, what with my deadline approaching to crank out a couple of ren faire outfits and Halloween fast on its heels... Instead of brainstorming my Halloween outfit or finishing said faire costumes, I worked on the underskirt. I did a lot of futzing with the back of the skirt, but since it's not going to be visible, I was pretty lax about how it looked. The front, though, is quite stunning, I think. I just need to hem it and put a waistband on and it's done! Wahoo!s It's been over a month since my last update, but I've made some progress. I also have a photo of myself actually wearing the finished skirt:
It's not the most revealing angle, but I was getting an obscene amount of compliments while wearing it. Everyone who sees the skirt has the typical Pavlovian response of excessive drooling. I think it's just because the fabric is gorgeous and striking and not because of anything I've done myself. Yeah, I'm too humble for my own good. Incidentally, I'm wearing a fall in this picture. It was hilarious... I walked into class that night and everyone was like "Oh, I love what you've done with your hair!" Bwahahahaha! ANYHOO. Now that the skirt and underpinnings have been graded, the class has moved onto constructing the bodice. After convincing everyone that we should draft our own patterns using period instructions, I managed to miss the class that week. I'm sure there was much cursing my name going on in my absence. I ended up drafting my bodice the week after, and it wasn't so bad. A little weird with some interesting measurements and whatnot, but it wasn't insurmountable. I love drafting my own patterns because I love making my life forty times more difficult. Honestly, the trouble is worth it on so many levels. That, and I love the satisfaction of telling people I do this stuff from scratch and seeing their eyes bug out of their sockets like it's rocket science or something. No one wants to believe me that it's not hard. So, where was I? Oh, yeah. I drafted the bodice and fit it to my dummy, but failed to take pictures of that step. So, we'll just jump ahead a wee bit, shall we?
I'm aiming for a polonaise like the V&A outfit. The front will be laced closed across the abdomen. I'll be drafting a false front and sleeves next. Stay tuned! 11-23-03 There's not a whole lot to add at this point, but I documented more of the draping process:
The pattern pieces have now been transfered onto different fabric for the actual mock-up:
The moment of truth. I try it on and discover no major complications. It's slightly wrinkly along the usual stress points, but I think that might sort itself out once heavier fabric and interlining and boning have been applied. So far so good! Forgot to add the sleeves, though...
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