Some. First off, I put the second cup into my thesis stays, and I gathered in the top. (I also did a row of gathering stitches across the middle, which I probably will bring in a bit.) I can't tell if I didn't make it wide enough, as the fabric's really not gathered that much, … Continue reading Some progress
Joining in the Bash
The Ultimate Book Bash, hosted by Austenitis! All of my answers to her questions below the cut. Name three books you love. Off the top of my head ... Howl's Moving Castle (Diana Wynne Jones), Going Postal (Terry Pratchett), and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (Susanna Clarke). Name two books you enjoy, but that most … Continue reading Joining in the Bash
The Interesting Transition of the 1830s
The extraordinary changes in fashion during the 1830s are a reminder not to over-indulge in "decade-ism" - there is no one style emblematic of the 1830s as a whole: it is important to use "early", "mid", and "late" (or beginning and end dates) when dating extant garments and portraits. The fashions of the beginning of … Continue reading The Interesting Transition of the 1830s
Artistic Neoclassical Costume
I began discussing this in my post on the mantua. As the wealthy began to create separate public and private lives, they desired paintings of themselves in private, dressed in ways they could never appear in public. Some of the sitters wore actual negligée dress, but some were painted in an invented costume meant to … Continue reading Artistic Neoclassical Costume
Even More Sources
This time, from the Lewis Walpole Library of prints. They are mostly satires - which are problematic to use as sources, of course, but they do tell you what people thought were the newest and most ridiculous parts of fashion, and the bits that aren't being satired in a specific drawing are usually pretty accurate. … Continue reading Even More Sources
Mimic of Modes 