Stripes Over Cobwebs

Oh dear. I thought I was getting good at regular blog updates too.

I have been sewing - a little - and progress on my current project, the France Dress, continues apace. In lieu of a proper update, because I have completely and totally neglected to take any photos, I thought I'd share some of my influences and a few ideas for anyone else looking to combine two of my favourite things, namely stripes and the 18th century

These come from a variety of sources, and span the whole of the 18th century. Look at how different kinds and directions of stripes are used, and in what colours. Look also at the self fabric and non-self fabric decorations and trimmings done with stripes. Striped garments are great to try and reconstruct without a pattern, because you can (usually) immediately judge grain and angle by them - but they're notoriously hard to work with, because if you're off by a hair matching your stripes on a seam it's very obvious, they're a bugger to top stitch, and choosing trims is a minefield. Extant pieces are always helpful in this respect because someone else has already torn their hair out over the exact same problem for you!

Striped Waistcoat, the Met

Striped apron, the Met

Striped bodice, the Met

Striped coat, the Met

Striped jacket with pieced lining, the Met

Striped and dotted robe a la Francais, petticoat, stomacher, the Kyoto Costume Institute

Striped Pierrot jacket, the Kyoto Costume Institute

Striped polonaise and petticoat, the Kyoto Costume Institute

Striped robe retrouvere dans le pouches, the Kyoto Costume Institute

Striped robe a la Francais, LACMA

Striped robe a l'Anglais/round gown(?), the Met

Striped/plaid robe a la Francais, the Met

Striped Spanish robe a la Francais, the Met

Striped stockings, the Met

Striped robe a la Francais, the Met

Striped robe a la Francais, Tidens Toej

The Shoes Maketh The Man

What follows is a public service announcement on behalf of beautiful shoes!

The Devonshires are a leather 18th century shoe based on museum examples from the 1760s through 1780s.  They're made of top-grade dyable leather, with a beautiful, smooth Italian leather sole for dancing, and are hard-wearing, water- and mud-proof, for even the toughest of outdoor re-enactments.

Pre-Order the Devonshires through August 10, and get the special $100 price.  We're only making 200 of these shoes, so don't miss the chance to own one of only a couple hundred pair on the planet!  Visit www.american-duchess.com to order.






My pair of Georgianas, the silk version, arrived just a few days ago! I'm waiting for my buckles to give them a proper test run but I'll be sure to blog more about them in future.

The 18th Century and Me

I came late to the 18th century.

The Victorians are incredibly cool. Incredibly. And when you get bored of the Victorians, it's easy enough to gloss to one side or the other. The Edwardians are also pretty awesome. The Regency period is one hell of a place. There's plenty there to get excited about.

This is cool

This is also cool

Really cool

Totally wicked

I could roll with that

Awesome

Know who else is cool? The Tudors. And then there's the fact that after the Tudors, everyone seems to pretend fashion history doesn't exist until the mid-1700's. Where was the love for the 17th century, I cried? Where was the love?

This is totally awesome, admit it

You want this

So little love

But I couldn't deny there was a lot of information and research around for the 18th century. I maybe picked up a book or two. I maybe read the odd novel. I maybe realised what the fuck I've been missing.

The 18th century can also be pretty cool when it wants to be.

This is extremely beautiful

That's pretty cool

I could totally wear that

Oh look, it's my colours!

It's so pretty and understated

... maybe not