A Most Beguiling Accomplishment

Wedding Dress, 1973.11.1  (pattern available at link) This dress. Oh, this dress. Bias cuts are tricky to pattern, because patterning requires following the grain and measuring the rise and run to get the slope of a diagonal or curve, usually using the center front or back when they're cut on the straight. Satin also makes it difficult, since the sheen and thin warp threads get in the way. Satin cut on the bias combines these issues, plus the heavy fabric hanging on the bias pulls out of shape easily, making the warp and weft not sit at right angles. I was very happy when this one was finished. I tend not to be too involved with the mid-20th century sewing community, but I'd love to see this one tried out - either as a full gown with a train, or maybe as a modified version for summer wear, with no sleeves and a knee-length skirt. Think about it.

THE MAGISTRATE AND THE SOLDIER. The Magistrate is an Officer of the King, who has jurisdiction and authority over the people; he holds the laws, which protect the goods, the rights, and the freedom of Citizens; he daily ensures the wellbeing of the state. He must avoid balls, Spectacles, and in general all places which could affect the dignity with which he is clothed, in the area of his jurisdiction. On ceremony days, he has precedence over even gentlemen, because of the public authority in which he is clothed. His coat for the functions of his charge is a great trained closed gown, a type of uniform borrowed from universities, but elsewhere he is ordinarily dressed in black with a cloak and a collar or large cravat, as he is represented in this plate. The people of the court ordinarily treat the men of the palais  as bourgeois: without a doubt they are unaware that the first Magistrates were of a great Nobility and that their descendants are found in the Parlemens . However...

The weekend before last was very busy! Julie came up and we had a few days packed with events and driving and scones (lots of scones, some with clotted-ish cream, some plain). On Saturday, some of the members of the Empire State Costumers went to Albany's TulipFest. It's not a costume event in and of itself, apart from the people involved in the old tradition of scrubbing the street, who dress in versions of 17th century Dutch clothing with wooden clogs, but it's a beautiful day with a lovely setting and an historical connection, so I think it's nice to go out in something pretty and spend some time with friends. There are also a lot of booths for both crafters and food vendors, which I like at an event. We went last year as well, so it's become kind of an official event for the group. Julie, Erinn, and myself I'm still fond of this gown, which I made in about three days before the reenactment of the Battle of Saratoga. It has some problems (the le...

THE BISHOP AND ABBESS. The Bishops is a man instituted to govern the Church. The etymology of his name is drawn from a Greek word, which signifies overseer, inspector, in effect he has a spiritual jurisdiction over the faithful; his ornaments are the Miter, the Cross, the Pectoral cross, the Ring, and Sandals; but his ordinary dress is a Cassock, a Surplice, and a Violet cape, on which hangs the Pectoral cross, as he is represented in this plate, Bishops are the successors of the Apostles, that God had chosen from among the jewish people in order to be his cooperators. They have, like them, the power to teach nations, to pardon sins, to administer the Sacraments, and to punish through purely spiritual ways. An Abbess is ordinarily the Mother Superior of a Religious community for Girls, over which she exercises a determined authority. The institution of these Religious communities is attributed to St. Pacome. This Saint  lived at the beginning of the fourth Century. The humil...

1976.139.2 , pattern available on site As it says at the site, this was "w orn by Mary DeLong in 1896 when she married Charles F. West." And you can see it on Mary as well - in the photograph, there's some beaded trim running around the middle of the collar and on the edges of the cuffs, and a large bow on the back of the collar, but that hasn't survived. Personally, I think it looks better without the trim. The chiffon overlayer is not included on the pattern, but it's just rectangular blocks with slight curves cut for the neckline and armscye. Has anyone made an 1890s outfit with this sort of elastic in the skirt? That's the sort of detail that always makes me want to do a little experimental archaeology. There were two wedding dresses from the mid-1890s with provenance, but I went with this one because I love satin - it stays in such good condition. One of the 18th century gowns I patterned for my book is satin, and you'd have thought it was ...

THE LORD AND LADY OF COURT One qualifies with the name of Lord persons of high birth, or those who have received the highest dignities of the state; ordinarily they are decorated with the Order of their Sovereign; it only behooves them to be very up-to-date in their dress; the red heels that they wear are the mark of their nobility and announce that they are always ready to tread on the enemies of the State. It is necessary to distinguish from the Lord the rich and foppish man who by external deception seeks to surprise people always dazzled by the eclat of a magnificent coat without ceasing one sees him creep near people in place to obtain some mark of distinction; there are no flexibilities and intrigues that he will not suggest to obtain his ends and he well knows how to avenge himself on his Vassals from the mortifications he receives. One hears by Lady of court a Woman of high consideration, attached to the Queen or to some Princess: she is always obliged to appear with th...

1983.31.1a-b ; pattern available at link The tag on the hanger and the electronic records tell of this dress's difficult road to dating: the wide sleeves, the fringe, and the little peplum play havoc with some of the traditional standards. Fringe, as well as the simple construction of the skirt, points to 1860 or earlier. Wide, long coat sleeves point to the early 1860s. A peplum points toward 1870 Earlier cataloguers argued that it could have been remade late in the 1860s, but then pointed out that it made no sense for the sleeves not to be reduced to be fashionable if so. Personally, I feel that the conclusion of remodeling is often jumped to too quickly in order to reconcile dress elements that seem not to match, and unless there's a clear row of pinholes where a seam was changed, a very different type of thread, or unmatching fabrics, I tend to avoid it. In this case, I didn't see these things - and the peplum, the supposed late addition, was clearly cut in on...

Representing the different Estates of the Kingdom, with the Dress appropriate to each Estate and accompanied by critical and moral Reflections. While I think about what should come next and work on a couple of other projects, I'll be showing a short book from the Bunka Gakuen Library (where else?) that shows and talks about dress and habits by rank. These will be posted every Monday, and those posts on dresses I patterned at the Chapman every Thursday, to balance things out. And I have a few of old finally-finished posts that might go up on some days in between, I'm not quite sure which!

A little while ago, I started working on making a new cap - my earlier one was the first I'd ever made, of course I did it without a real pattern, and the cotton was too heavy as well, so it was just terrible. Because I wanted to be able to sell caps in my store, I knew I couldn't start out with a commercial pattern (although I had been at the point where I was prepared to buy one for my own use, which, if you've been following me for a while, you might recognize as desperation!) and so I'd have to start over and figure it out properly. My first stop was at Garsault's L'Art de la lingère  (1771), which I translated and then kind of forgot about doing anything with. c  - the crown a  - the brim d  - the lappets The instructions aren't hugely helpful. It says that double (probably thicker) muslin should be used for the crown, and clear muslin for the ruffles; the crown is whip-gathered to the brim, and the ruffles are whipped on as well. The draws...