The Idea and Inspiration:

Inspired by the early ’20th century take on Chinoiserie and the Historical Sew Fortnightly ‘Eastern Influence’ challenge, I decided to make a ca. 1903 ensemble which explored eastern motifs and colours of the type that a turn-of-the-century dress designer might have been exposed to through export textiles.

I was particularly interested in the blue, black and white colour scheme frequently found in Chinese embroideries (particularly those for mourning) and in the ‘Cloud Collars.’  With these ideas in mind, I came up with design sketched based on extent ca. 1903 garments, garment designs from that era, and motifs taken from Chinese textiles available in the West at the turn of the 20th century.

 

I used a number of extent patterns to draft my design, particularly ones available in  Turn-of-the-Century Fashion Patterns and Tailoring Techniques(originally from the  Ladies Tailor Made section of The “Standard” Work on Cutting)

Inspiration Gallery

Dress, ca 1900, LACMA	Promenade dress, Delinator	Dress, 1907, Jeanne Halle, Met

Suit, 1902, Met	Dress, 1902, Minnesota HS	Deliniator, 1903

Fabric and Materials:

• 2.5 metres of plain weave delft blue wool with a slightly fulled finish (skirt only, $8 from an op shop)
• 1 vintage silk & metal obi ($5), scraps of ivory silk-cotton (free — left over from another project)
• Piping cord, cotton thread to sew, hooks and bars to fasten

The Undergarments:

• 1890s black silk satin corset
• Chemise, petticoat and drawers

The Dress Diary:

• The idea and inspiration
• Inspecting an extent Chinese ‘Cloud Collar’
• The finished skirt without decorations
• Musing on the skirt decorations
• The finished skirt, fully decorated
• The finished skirt at afternoon tea

Research and helpful links:

• Chinese Robe, Metropolitan Museum of Art