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: Regency Gown and Spencer

In 2014, I am planning to attend the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England.  I have a year to make a wardrobe to wear to this week long event.  I do have a couple of Regency style garments in my historical clothing collection but of course 'new gowns' are a must!  Therefore,  I begin with this post and the first of several ensembles that will travel to Bath with me.

The spur to get me into a trot on this particular outfit was to attend a screening of a new movie called, 'Austenland'.  First, let me say, that this movie turned out to be a spoof of the book of the same name by Shannon Hale.  Ms. Hale's book in turn is an Austen-like modern spoof of the manners and romance of Regency time period.  Secondly, the movie is so loosely based on the book that the movie has a voice of its own.  With that said, I went into the film with an open mind, and I laughed all the way through it.  I recommend both the book and the movie.  They are two totally different things but each is fun!

Now, on to the gown I made.  I used the La Mode Bagatelle pattern as my base.

The dress fabric was a damask dark blue cotton I bought ages ago for something else.  The spencer was made from a slubed silk that was 36 inches wide that I inherited from my maternal grandmother.  I used the remaining bits of fabric from a Directoire gown I made in 2009 to line the spencer as well as a dark blue silk taffeta.  Although, the gown and spencer turned out okay, there is more that I want to do to finish them.  My one complaint about sewing for an event at the last minute is that you only have enough time to make the garments but not really craft them with finished details.  Therefore, the gown is completely unadorned.  Its okay that it is very simple but I originally envisioned some detailing that didn't happen.  I want to add a bit around the neckline of the dress so I can use it as a dinner gown with out a chemisette.  The Spencer has a closure that is temporary and the buttons need to be redone.  But, for the screening event, the gown and spencer worked out and I am pleased.

Gown with Chemisette that I already had in stock.

Close-up of gown and chemisette

Spencer added.  My mannequin is a bit bigger than I, so not closed.

Close-up of the collar and chemisette.

The reticule is a gift from  talented friend, Catherine.  It matched perfectly!

The pattern from La Mode Bagatelle is one that I have used before.  It has a boned petticoat which works very well if you don't wish to wear a corset.  Ladies of a thinner body line and smaller bust can really make this boned petticoat work for them in stead of a corset. Those of us who need a bit more shaping can use this petticoat - I have seen it used with excellent results but gowns will cling in areas that may bulge where you don't want them to, so a corset may be the better option if you have that concern.  The pattern offers, two styles of dresses, and spencer.  It includes some variations for sleeves, collars and necklines, as well as a pattern for a reticule, muff and cap.  With that said, I think you have to purchase the pattern from companies that sell period patterns like:  http://www.oldtimepatterns.com/ and http://www.amazondrygoods.com/.

Here is a picture of us at the screening of the movie:

The movie link if you are at all interested is: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1985019
The book link is:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austenland

Again, FYI:  The movie is a total Hollywood spoof so if you are an Austen purest and not into modern spoofing I would just read the book. The book is fun and has its romantic comedic side that is more like an Austen read.  However, the movie is a 'bring on the tears' from laughing so hard at the absurdity of what they did in the film and how much fun they had making it.


Next up:  (and not necessarily in this order)
Redingote of green wool
18th century vegan chemise (handsewn)
1880's bodice Jacket

Le Modiste: Corsets. Corsets. Part 3

A couple of years ago, I made a pretty little lightly boned corset out of an embroidered silk.   I really loved this little corset.  Well after two wearings, the boning came shooting out, ripping through the silk. I was very unhappy!

Up until this year, I didn't need to replace the corset.  However, events that focus on Victorian styles have happened and are coming up this year and the next, so, I decided to make a new corset.  Luckily, I could use the same pattern and fabric from my stash as well as use the bones and busk from the old corset.  Upcycling at its best!   The only thing I changed is that I used a double layer of the coutil backing of the silk.  The fashion fabric is a pretty Chinese woven silk damask.  I had a choice of silvery white with black flowers and the reverse side with white flowers, I chose the black ground with silvery white flowers.  To add a bit of interest, I embroidered the edges of the gussets.  Why?  No idea other than I love to embroider and it was a way to practice that art and give a bit of detail to my corset.  

The corset assembled and ready for embroidering

Details fo the embroidery around the gussets.

The corset on my mannequin.  (Sorry a little out of focus) I hate the metal front busks, but I was trying not to buy anything new.

The corset pattern I used was the Past Pattern #708 http://www.pastpatterns.com/708.html.

This particular corset was easy to make and fit and does the work I need to shape my figure to the styles from about 1850 to 1890's.  For newbie corset makers I think this one is a good one to start with.  If you are not a corset maker and don't want to be bothered, the best is have it made for you by an expert. This can be a bit expensive but is worth the investment as it will last for a long time!  One company I recommend is:  Dark Gardens.  http://www.darkgarden.com  I have a corset made by this company.  It is beautiful and well made.  I had some corrective surgery in 2009 and the corset no longer fits me in the bust and I do have the option to have it altered by the same company, but just haven't done it.  Silly me. 

Well, this ends the corset series.  I have three new corsets as a baseline for my Regency, 18th century and Victorian projects coming up.  What are they?  Well, let's see.  Ah, this is my ambitious project line up:

1. Regency day dress (finish a UFO) and a new Redingote, hat and accessories - deadline October 1.

2. 1880's day jacket bodice (I have a pretty black and pink 1880's ball gown and need a day jacket-bodice for the annual Christmas Tea at the Palace Hotel in December.

3.  Optional:  A George Barbier style 18th century gown for the Ball Carnival in Feb 2014.

4.  Optional:  Tudor Tailor kirtle, jacket and accessories - possibly for a Renaissance Faire in Sebastepol and Folsom, California. in September 2013

5.  Start a Regency wardrobe for the Jane Austen Festival in 2014, Beginning with the top priority item on the list.

Phew!  I have my work cut out for me and lots to post about.  Stay tuned, dear friends.

Angela

Le Modiste: Corsets, Corsets. Part 2

I had the privilege of having a friend help me draft up a period pattern for my 18th century stays.  I made a wool, lightly boned corset that might have been worn between 1770-1785.  I tend to wear fashions from that period so it made sense to use that.  Although this corset is machine sewn, the binding was hand sewn on and let me say, using leather binding is not going to happen again.  Yes, it is period to use it and probably will help the corset last a little longer - no bones poking through - but it was the devil to put on.

We used a period method of measuring my body with a paper tape that was notched in a particular way to note the lengths.  I was given a paper pattern which I then drafted up using the measurements.  I layered three fabrics one of the fashion wool and two of the linen.  Traced the pattern and left 2 inches alway around.  The patterns were basted along the outline of the piece, then based together along the basting lines.  I was fitted to the corset and followed that with adjustments and another fitting.  I had very little adjustments to make since the pattern was drafted to my specific measurements.  The corset was then constructed, bonded and bound.  Phew!  I have worn it twice now, and I so much happier.  My last two attempts using a purchased paper pattern were okay but they just didn't fit right.  I recommend having a corset drafted to you.

Without further ado, here are some pictures of the some of the process and the finished product:

Personalized drafted pattern.

Front piece cut, showing the 3 layers.

Basting for the fitting.

Corset complete.

Corset complete - side view.

I really must get someone to take my photos for me.  Anyway, I think if I do this again - not anytime soon, however, I think I would bone it more on the front and side fronts.  The corset gives me the proper cleavage and all but I think the shape could be a bit better.  Again, the leather bindings were very hard to do around the tabs.  The top edges were no problem, in fact, I was able to machine sew it down and then whipped stitched it down on the inner side.  But the TABS!!!!!!!!  I finally ended up making individual strips around each tab as trying to go around the curves at the junctions of each tab was horrible.  My fingers are still recovering.  Any suggestions for period binding other than leather and silk?  All suggestions welcomed.

Stay tuned for  Corsets, Corsets Part 3: Victorian corset.  Also, coming up soon are the results of my two sewing frenzy to make a picnic dress for a summer outing I went to this last Sunday.

Le Modiste: Corsets, Corsets! Part 1

The one beautiful thing I like about our community is the inspiration we get from each other.  Sabine at http://kleidungum1800.blogspot.com inspired me to make a similar corset to the one she posted about on: February 15th 2013  http://kleidungum1800.blogspot.com/2013/02/half-stays-la-paresseuse.html,  These half stays intrigued me and I wanted a pair as later on this year I will be attending Regency boating event in October.   Also, necessity continued to rule the day!  Two current events (June 3rd and June 23rd) prompted the need for a new18th century corset and a 19th century corset.  I have an 18th century corset but though it works, the fit is not good.  It ended up too long wasted and I lost some weight so it just didn't lace up well.  The Victorian was to replace the pretty little one that I was so proud of but made the HUGE mistake of not interlining it and after two wearings the bones came jabbing through the silk.  Booooooo  :(

I am not the best corset maker on the planet but I always give it a good try.  So, let's start with the Regency one as that is the one I made and finished first.

Following - visually - what Sabine had laid out and researched, I draped a pattern and fiddled with it till I had something similar to what she devised and would fit me.

Pinned for a fitting.

During construction - a detail of cording and bust gussets.

Okay, I am not wearing a period chemise - sorry folks, but this is it done and on!

 

These half stays are perfect for me.  They hold up and support comfortably!

The Regency outfit I have in mind is the Kyoto Redingote in red wool.  Do you know the one? 

Yes, this one!  I have absolutely adored this Redingote for many years.  Boating on our Bay is very chilly and windy so I hope to find a nice wool for this.  If I can find the red, great.  If not it will probably be dark blue or whatever I can find that will work.  I am worried about the chapeaux for the outing.  We will be on 18th century sailing vessels, on the bay with hopefully a good wind for a good sail but that doesn't bode well for bonnets!  Any suggestions?

Thank you Sabine for your research and inspiration.  You rock!  :)

Stay tuned for Corsets!  Corsets!  Part 2

18th century corset

Le Modiste: Pet en l'air

The Pet en l'air that I started way back in January is done. And it has been worn to two separate events since then.  The gown was made without any machine stitching.  All hand-done.  I realize I need to change my 'Statement of Purpose' on my blog home page, since it states my desire to make a hand-made gown in the future and that has happened!  :)  Without further ado, below are some of the process pictures and the final gown being worn to an 18th century Russian dinner in February.

The main pieces are put together and ready for binding at the neck.

The back pleats are sewn down through all layers.  I do have a lining that laces up the back underneath to fit the gown body to my corset.

The robings are added and the stomacher started.

Close-up of the trimmings using the fashion fabric.

I pleated the robings.

Back view of the decorated bodice.

 I do have enough of the blue silk to make a  ?.  I have never really wanted to wear the earlier look with the français or Watteau back or even the paniers.  However, this ensemble turned out really nice and the paniers or false pocket hips I got with a little altering (they were long on me) from Smiling Fox Forge, (http://www.smilingfoxforgellc.com ) worked out great.  Although the Pet en l'air was totally 'vegan' the undergarments were not.  Se la vie!

Stay tuned for more reviews of what I have been up to!

Regency Corset
1880's summer bustle gown for a picnic

Fugit Hora!

Dearest readers, once again I find myself apologizing for the lack of posting!  However, I am mortified that my last post was in January!  Thank you Angela Thornhill of The Merry Dress Maker,  http://themerrydressmaker.blogspot.com for checking in with me and making sure I am okay.  That was really appreciated!

Well, life happened.  My job which is teaching high school students is really crazy during the spring semester and now that is done.  Phew!  The lesson learned from this is:  find a balance in my life so the parts of my life, such as blogging don't get put out to pasture too long.  My goal this summer is to build in blogging as a part of the 'daily life' routine so that it doesn't get set aside again.  Keep your fingers crossed or pray to your God(s) or send a vibe out into the creative universe to help me towards my goal.

With all that said, I have not been that idle on the modiste front.  Since January I have made a pet an l'air, a regency corset and a Victorian corset.  I am in the middle of making an 1880's summer ensemble for an up and coming Tissot Picnic.  So, stay tuned dear readers and my wonderful and patient creative community.

Happy summer!  Angela

Hand-painted applique flower and embroidered bee.