All posts filed under: 18th Century

Regency beauty…raking?

What the heck is going on with this fashion plate? The caption, according to my dog-French translation abilities, reads: “Chinese hairstyle, pelerine (that’s the little cape thing) and dress of percale, gaiters of nankeen” Is there a game played with a rake? Or did our fashionista just wake up one morning, decide to do her hair up in a silly top-knot, put on a tiara, a short sleeved dress and a pereline with a high-ruff collar (thought the collar may be separate), and gaiters over her shoes and go out to rake the lawn? Whenever I see fashion plates like this I hear the Daleks shriek “Explain! Explain” in my head. Explain?

The unseen accessory: my 1780 bum-rump

Published by The Dreamstress

When I originally planned the ‘Accessorise’ challenge for the Historical Sew-Fortnightly I envisioned all the things that qualified for it as being things worn on the outside of an outfit: shoes, gloves, parasols, jewellery, headgear. Then, when I planned a photoshoot with one fully accessorised outfit, I realised that sometimes an outfit doesn’t look right without an un-seen accessory. Silk stockings, a bergere hat, a parasol and the right shoes all brought my pet-en-l’aire outfit together, but the ensemble just looked a little flat and deflated without one last accessory. Enter my bum-rump. Yep. Without it my ass just wouldn’t look big in this. I based my bum-rump on Kendra’s excellent research into skirt supports in the late 18th century and this caricature of the ‘Bum Shop’: I went for the shape shown on the lady in the far right, only I assumed (this being a cartoon) that the original it was based on would be a bit more…restrained. I liked the shape of this bum-rump best of all the ones that Kendra trialled, and …

Tutorial: How to turn a straw sunhat into an 18th century bergere

Published by The Dreamstress

Here’s a quick and easy tutorial to turn a modern straw hat into a mid-late 18th century bergere style hat. It’s not, of course, historically accurate, but it’s quick, easy, and looks effective. We’ll go from this: To this: You’ll need: – A broad brimmed, woven straw hat. It doesn’t matter if it fits you, but it has to be woven (not braided and sewn together), and it has to be straw. – Scissors – Hot water – A round metal pan or bowl with a flat base approximately 6 inches/ 15 centimeters across – A hot glue gun – Needle and thread – Ribbon, fabric, feathers etc. for trimming. First, have a look at a few 18th century straw hat inspiration pictures, and decide what style you want. Note that some have very shallow crowns, some (usually later in the 18th century) a bit deeper. Some have teeny-tiny crowns, some much wider. Brims can be broad or narrow, can turn up or down. Plus there are all the variants in trim. All of these …