All posts filed under: 18th Century

Rate the Dress: 18th century Wild Man costume

Last week’s Rate the Dress was a natural-form day dress in palest blue and silvery ecru. To no-ones surprise ever, the rosette bows festooning the lower front bodice of the dress were not popular. You deemed the rest of the dress both boring and fussy. It didn’t score a single 10/10 rating. The ratings, like the dress trim, mainly slid to the bottom of the rating heap. Overall ‘Whirlpool: The Dress’, as Rachel dubbed it, managed a paltry 6.6 out of 10. Moving on: it’s time to look at a historical fancy dress for our annual Halloween Rate the Dress! Before there was Tarzan, there was Hercules, Bacchus, and Wild Men: all costumes involving animal skins, and greenery. Variations on the theme date back to the ancient Greeks & Romans, (and possibly earlier). Wild Man costumes were popular throughout the Middle Ages. In the 18th century the wild man idea became linked to a romanticisation of nature and untouched society. Thanks to the Swedish monarchy’s fantastic habit of keeping their clothing, we have an …

Rate the Dress: A Lady on Horseback

Published by The Dreamstress

Last week I showed you a really frilly, over the top 1870s dress – but in a very restrained colour scheme. Unsurprisingly, for most people whether they liked it or not came down to whether they are maximalists or minimalists, though some with more restrained tastes conceded that it would look spectacular from a distance. Surprisingly (to me at least) one of the things it got the most criticisms for was the black trim. I thought the harshness of the contrast balanced the too-busy, too-sweet trim of the rest, but I was very much in the minority (though not entirely alone) in liking it! The dress came in at 7.6 out of 10. For this week’s Rate the Dress, let’s look at some very feminine menswear inspired clothes in the form of a fluffy, pastel-y riding habit: Let’s take a slightly closer look: Campeche’s luxuriously attired horsewoman sports a white satin skirt, and a jacket and double-breasted waistcoat in robins egg blue satin, with white facings and self-fabric buttons. Her cuffs and cravat are of …

A skirt for Mariana Victoria

Published by The Dreamstress

Remember this? And this? Yep, back in Jan/Feb I started a 1720s Robe de Cour. It was meant to be done in July, but things have been so hectic with the new house that it didn’t happen. But I have been steadily plugging away at the skirt – all by hand. I sewed the side seams (running back-stitch) in meetings: Set in a linen hem facing in between teaching students: Hemmed it while playing Scrabble with Mr D in Vanuatu: And painstakingly pleated and re-pleated to get the pleats just right while waiting to speak at events. And finally, finally, FINALLY it’s done! (only I might have to re-pleat it once I try it over the right hoops – but shhhhhh!) Now I just need to do the bodice, make 1720s hoops, the train, the lace sleeves, and do all the metal lace trim and embroidery. That shouldn’t take me long. Maybe a year or so? 😉 The Challenge: #21 Re-Do Challenges I am Re-Doing: #1 Make Do & Mend: …