Galerie des Modes, 59e Cahier, 1ere Figure

-
Young élégante, coiffed in a Toque à la Couronne d'Amour,* dressed in an informal morning Gown etc.

"Rome was the mistress of the world through its arms and politics; Paris holds the same rank and it is owed to its fashion; and it merits this, over all at this moment.  Taste has never been more consulted, and followed more constantly. The ladies of Paris are not the prettiest women in the universe; far from it. Climate, education, daily habits deprive them of this advantage; they do not carry the scepter of beauty: but they have known how to steal from the graces their belt. The fashion workers of the Capital possess the wand of Armide.** It is not always easy to recognize, when she goes out, the woman who comes into their shop. They have found the art of repairing the disgraces of Nature; or at least they mask them with a skill that our good forefathers never believed possible ... They have furthermore as much imagination as ability: their fertile brains invents each day new resources to please: it takes more time to find the names for these little masterpieces that they produce."

SYLVAIN MARECHAL, Notice on the mores of Paris (Actual civilian dress of all known peoples), 1787

* Crown of Love
** A sorceress, the main character of the opera of the same name

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pride and Prejudice 1995: The Little Things

-
Image
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
Read more

Ca. 1866 Brown Gown - A Close-Up Look

-
Image
  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
Read more

Pattern Time: 1860s Chemise

-
Image
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.)
Read more