All posts filed under: 18th Century

1780s shoe re-make

On Friday I posted a tutorial on how to dye leather shoes. The observant among you may have noticed that I used a pair of ca. 1790 shoes as my inspiration, and wondered if the dyed shoes were going to get a bit more historical. Of course they were! Well, sort of. They ended up looking more 1900s does 18th century than 18th century proper, at least when you just photograph them, but they are extremely fetching and quite 18th century on, which is what counts. Also extremely comfortable and all-day wearable, which is another major bonus! To finish them off, once I’d dyed them, I pleated and sewed a piece of rayon velvet to a piece of elastic (I know, I know – in my defense, I did try to use leather, but couldn’t get a needle through it and the shoe leather to hold them together). Then I hand-stitched the elastic to the leather, using the stitching holes that were already in the leather as a guide. Finally, I hand stitched two final …

Rate the Dress: Dudes dress-off

Published by The Dreamstress

WOW! Such consistent ratings for the red-velvet-and-chains 1880s dress last week! 8-10 across the board! I don’t think we’ve EVER had a Rate the Dress before (exempting, of course, the one and only 10/10) where everyone concurred so wholeheartedly on a frock. The final tally was 9.3/10, for being unusual, striking, and restrained in the face of overwhelming temptation to just be…overwhelming. It’s feeling very spring-y here in Wellington. The kowhai are in full flame of glowing golden yellow, my freesias and irises are blooming, and the promise of summer is in the air. It’s also been a few Rate-the-Dresses since I’ve posted a Dress-Off, where you compare two garments on a similar theme, and rate each of them. So this week’s Rate the Dress will be a spring-themed Dress-OFF. For your sartorial judgement, I present a spring-green gentleman’s suit from the end of the 18th century. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art gives us two views of this ensemble. First, an elegantly sober variant, with matching pale green coat, waistcoat and breeches: Version …

ca. 1760 Robe a la Francaise inspiration

Published by The Dreamstress

Though it’s going to be very late, I am working on my Robes & Robings project: a 1760s robe Ã la franÃ§aise. My progress hasn’t been quite as fast as my very ambitious schedule, but it’s coming along. I’ll show you the progress soon, but for now here are the extent garments and paintings that I am using as inspiration, because every good frock begins with research and inspiration. My original jumping off point was, of course, Ramsay’s painting of Queen Charlotte: The painting was begun in 1764, but Charlotte’s dress is not particularly fashion forward, which is good because I would like my dress to date a little earlier, without any design details that would be out of place in 1755. The big problem with Charlotte’s frock is that you can’t see much of it. You get a better look at these two frocks. I’m particularly fond of Laura’s scrumptious blue & white number: For some earlier inspiration, I adore this depiction of Louise-Elizabeth of France. Her skirt trim is amazing, although my petticoat …