La Coiffeur: Can a modern easy hair cut work for The Regency Era?

Unlike my friends back east and in Europe, California does not have an abundance of Regency era events or venues.  However, we do our best creating ways to exercise our love and interest in the Regency Era.  Recently, a few friends and I went to the coast and had a walk on the beach after a lovely meal at the Pelican Inn, in Muir Beach, California.  The Inn is a replica of a 18th century coaching inn and is a good setting for many eras of dining. http://www.pelicaninn.com/

Creating Regency Era fashions has become an passion for me.  My trip to Bath, England for the Jane Austen Festival in 2014 was a brilliant and special trip for me.  In fact, I plan to return and attend the festival in 2016!  The biggest challenge I have had in dressing like a Regency lady, is my hair - what to do with it?  I have very fine, frizzy, curly hair, if left to its natural state.  I have, like many women of color, flat ironed and used chemicals to straighten and then curl my hair order for it to look like my sisters of European decent. As I have gotten older, I have gotten really lazy about my hair.  I want to wake up and go...no or little to no fiddling with it but look good!   I have also learned to embrace my hair as naturally beautiful and that it doesn't need to be 'changed'.  Yet, as a historical costumer I want to 'look' period appropriate for my class and station to be depicted and yet, I need a hair style to wear day-to-day that is manageable and looks nice.  What to do?

In my recent research on the internet I found one solution.  A hair style that in the Regency Era was call the 'Titus cut'.   Look at a page from the Wilcox Hats and Headdress book - one of the first costume books I owned way back....well, way back.  The hair style on the upper right corner is called 'a la Titus'.

Wilcox's Hats and Headdress - Chapter 12 - Directoire 1795-1799

I looked for portraits to confirm that this was a style that was done and not an isolated image.  Lo and behold I found a gold-mine of images, these are my favorite:

Madame Arnault de Gorse Author : Boilly Louis Léopold (1761-1845) 

 Sophie Cahou - Constance Charpentier - 1801

Lady with short cropped hair and coral necklace, French, 1820

Carl Hummel de Bourdon, Princess Carolath-Beuthen, 1809

Portrait of a Woman 1807-10 by Gioacchino Giuseppe Serangeli

The last 3 portraits I love and have become my 'ideal' for short locks.  Although, the portrait below is one, I would dearly like to achieve!  Madame looks amazingly elegant and sophisticated!  

Jean-Laurent Mosnier. Portrait of Countess Sophia Stroganoff. 1808

I have a year to play with the possibilities in short hair styles before JAF 2016. This summer, I started playing with my hair to create a manageable style that would work for my Regency persona.   On the first attempt, a bob was the result.

This style actually looked great but was a lot of work to get the curls right and all not frizz up when there was moisture in the air.  If I slept on it I looked like a wild woman from Bedlam...Uh, no thank you.

For the jaunt to the Muir Beach, I flat ironed the front and pinned curled my fringe.  Lots of bobby pins were used to get it to stay, ouch!  It looked okay but the styling looked a bit 'wiggy' to me and a also, too matronly.  Well, I am close to 60 years old...but not going there if I an help it!  

This past weekend, I took the plunge and now I am shorn for sure!  A la Titus happened!  The late summer heat makes this style very nice.  It is easy to maintain for my mundane, non-historical lifestyle and if I work with it, I can achieve the pretty, pixie look of the Regency Era, right?

This selfie was done right after I got the cut done.  I was feeling pretty good.  Then it was, what of my head-gear that I have already would work?  So, home I went and tried on bonnets, turbans and caps.

Trial with the turban you saw in the above pictures when my hair was longer in front.

With a cap.  Mmmmm...I think I need a different style cap or just not go with caps?

Cap and bonnet.  That bonnet needs some work, too.

Indeed, I will need to work on this little project over the coming months.  I want to let it grow out a bit on the sides and front...just a bit. What do you think?  That way I can match my 'ideal' looks above.  I will also look into turbans and head-wraps which I also found in fashion illustrations of the period.  Some inspirations are: 

Guillermo Ducker. 1804 70 mm Museo del Prado

Portrait of Ekaterina Andréievna Karamzin (1780-1851) Will definitely
have to grow the front a bit.

Phew!  That was a long post, but I was too excited about my care-free cut and the challenge to make it work for my favorite historical clothing era.  My hair cut will work for the 1920's, early 30's and then in the early 1950's but for other eras, I will need to figure out appropriate wigs.  I am not a great lover of wearing wigs but wigs are so much more realistic now and manageable.  As I play and figure this hair-styling out I will share in future posts.  Feedback and support is always welcome.  Cheers.

Up next: (and not necessarily in this order)

Regency accessories - reticule, work bag, ladies cap

Surplice front Spencer

Spencer-bodice

Two piece Regency gown (petticoat and long skirt caraco)

Le Modiste: Creating A Regency Wardrobe for 2014 Jane Austen Festival

Hello everyone!  I hope that this post finds you all well and happy.  I mentioned in earlier posts that I am preparing to go to Bath, England in 2014 for the Jane Austen Festival.  Excitement is not the word for how I am feeling about that.  I have not been out of my own country since 1984! So shameful!  Yet as the economy has been crazy it just hasn't been in the cards for me. I am overjoyed that this will be remedied in a year!

What I will need is a wardrobe that I can use at this event and to the events here in California that are beginning to explode on the scene!  In a previous post I went to a movie opening or preview of 'AustenLand'. http://lachatelainechocolat.blogspot.com/2013/07/le-modiste-regency-gown-and-spencer.html  I made a gown and spencer for that.   Luckily, I had a chemise and a chemisette plus a short corset ready to go.  Do you remember my adventure into making a short corset? http://lachatelainechocolat.blogspot.com/2013/06/le-modiste-corsets-corsets-part-1.html.   It looks like I have already started on the wardrobe, right?  However, before I go any further I want to plan out a wardrobe that will make sense for any event, meet my esthetic style and not exceed my income!

The three questions that came up are:  What will I need?  What is my Regency style?  What should I create? I began looking for articles about what is essential to a woman's wardrobe during the period of 1810-1818 or the Regency period in general. At http://www.ebay.com/gds/A-Regency-Wardrobe-for-a-Lady-/10000000008255917/g.html, there was a nice list.  In another article, that unfortunately I can't find now, a similar list was provided but included a special essential accessory to every woman, a Mr. Darcy for an evening event, A Captain Wentworth for a stroll and one other.  I laughed myself silly.

Friedrich Carl Gröger, Emilie und Johann Philipp Petersen, 1806.

What I have believe I need to have for this trip, (which includes two balls, evening events (cards, soirees and dinners), picnics, promenades and visiting), will be:
1 ball gown (possibly one underdress with two different overgowns (?))
1 evening dress (double duty as a dinner dress or soiree/salon dress)
2 day dresses
1 spencer
1 Pelisse or Redingote
3 chemises (1 that is sleeveless for evening)
3 Chemisettes
Bodiced petticoat or a shoulder strap one.
1 night gown
1 dressing gown

Accessories:
1 shawl
1 Tippet and/or Capelet
1 soft crown bonnet (I am limited in travel packing space).
1 turban material - evening
1 reticule for every day
Stockings ( several pairs)
1 walking day shoes/boots
1 heeled slippers for evening
Jewelry of course (includes a tiara of some sort and hair ornaments)
Gloves 1 pair for evening - long white; 1 short pair for day (neutral color)
Fan - very essential when one is all a glow!

Phew!  I think that is a good start, can any one of you think of something else essential that I have left off?  Do I have items already in my costume closet?  Yes, I do they are:
3 Regency day dresses (one I have to seriously alter the bodice as I am a 'few' inches bigger at the top...sigh)
1 spencer
A bonnet
A Pelisse that I can fit in again, hurrah!
A chemise and corset plus one chemisette.
A reticule
A fan

The trick will be if I can stick to the one of this and one of that?  I don't know?    ;)

My esthetics or personal style is very tidy, simple but elegant.  I like my fabrics to do the talking and have details that put pizazz in the look.  Though I am not a frill and lace kind of woman, little bits here and there are okay.  So what floats my boat?  Let's see:

1815 Spencer
http://www.pinterest.com/janeaustenworld/georgian-pelisses-redingotes-and-spencers-18th-c-1/ — athttp://www.pinterest.com/janeaustenworld/georgian-pelisses-redingotes-and-spencers-18th-c-1/.

I like spencers with a tailored look.  I really like this one!  However, I do like the military-style ones as well.

Dress (ladies). Floral motif. Dark blue with scattered flowers printed in white and light blue. Linen / flax printed. Around 1825 - 1830. Dimensions: height 133 cm. National Swiss Museumwebcollection.lan...

This dress is just simple and yet pretty without all the frills and fussiness.  Though it is dated later than my 'time frame' I like it and think I can adapt it to what I need.

Day dress, ca 1820-25 UK (made of French silk)

This Pelisse or 'day dress' is very nice.  I like the detail.  Now, with that said, perhaps I should shift my 'time frame' to 1818-1825?  I seem to like these....

Portrait of Countess Sophia Stroganoff, Mosnier, 1808

The Countess looks fabulously elegant.  I would love to look like this when dressed to the nines! Again, this is just outside my 'time frame' but....she looks so cool!

1800-1810 (?) From Imatex - A Spanish textile site.

The embroidery on this dress...well, its absolutely beautiful!  Let's see, I have a year...could I? Will have to think about this one - time, energy and there is a lot I have to put together.

I like the print and the solid colored spencer.  The bonnet is nice as well.

A nice evening gown.

 The next two portraits are just examples of the look I want to have; that certain air, and carriage required of a Regency Lady.  I think I can manage it.

Lieder painting c 1810

Portrait of a Woman - Henry Inman, 1825.

I really like the blue color and the detail around the neck in the Henry Inman portrait.  I think I should shift my focus up a little in terms of time frame.  Mmmmmmm....thinking, thinking...pondering.  

Next steps?  I am working on the chemises and under things right now which is a good place to start.  I am doing the research on period construction and will do these by hand.  I have one machine stitched chemise but the next two will be by hand and given little details that I can embroider. I hope you all will check back in for the next post which will chronicle my work on the chemises and my initial designs and swatching for my garments to come.

If you have any suggestions or links to other sites with information or designs or whatever, please share!

Le Modiste: 1840's successfully completed!

Well, with some minor handwork the day before going to Dicken's Christmas Faire, plus the bonnet I finished the dress.  I was really happy with the results and wearing it was like a dream!  Even with my corset shattering under the stress of wearing it (I will explain later), the dress was comfortable!  As I may have said before, I like to think that I am making historical clothing so I prefer my clothes to fit, look nice but also be comfortable - in other words I prefer that I wear my dress and not my 'dress wear me'.  Here is another image in the context of the faire:

With friends @ Tavistock House:  The two gentleman are friends visiting from England and one of my dear girl friends

The bonnet came out great.  I will try to take more up-close pics for another post.  I am not really a bonnet type of girl.  However, 1840's is a bonnet period and there was no way of getting around it.  So, I set-to and got a pretty blue silk one. I used a Lyn McMasters pattern for Early Victorian bonnet.  The fabrication was blue dupioni silk for the outer part and a silvery blue green silk for the interior gathered lining (both fabrics were from other projects - I love making use of scraps!)  My hands were very unhappy with trying to sew through the buckram which was a double layer laminated together.  I ended up doing a lot of hot gluing of the frame together and the mull over it.  The fashion fabric was glued in some places and sewn in others.  I will post close-ups on the next post.

Now, to the 'shattering corset'.  So, my pretty little corset taught me a very hard lesson.  Ladies - do not make a silk corset and not interline it so that the bones are b/w the interlining and the lining.  I had cloutil and silk and that was it.  The bones began to eat through the silk.  Yes, I know, what was I thinking?  Well, I wasn't.  I really took my time with the corset, too!  But for whatever reason, I just didn't think it through.  So, I will have to make another - a bit more sturdier.  Sigh. 

I am on to Christmas gift making and decorating but I have a few historical clothing projects in the works:
Regency day dress and Pelisse.  I hope to use American Duchess' turban how-to video to provide a headpiece.
Late Renaissance/early Jacobean embroidered jacket.

More to come.  Cheers!