All posts tagged: 1770s

Finished projects: Judith’s hoop panniers

Judith contacted me wanting two set of panniers for a show she is doing. This is the first set, a hoop pannier based off of my 1770s yellow panniers (which are based off a set in the KCI) The panniers will be worn as outer wear, so we chose fabrics a pretty, but inexpensive poly-cotton with a faux indigo-dyed chintz type pattern. The print evokes the 18th century without being too obvious, and the allover patterns of winding flowers work well in the tight gathers of the hoop panniers. Rather than using the nifty plastic hooping I used on my yellow pair (which I, unfortunately, haven’t been able to source since), I used hoop wire from Lacis.  It actually worked even better than the plastic.  The uprights hoops stay up really well, and the whole thing is a bit lighter. Sewn-in tapes underneath hold the panniers in their elongated shape: Overall, I’m quite pleased with the panniers and the pattern as a whole.  It’s such a nice melding of 18th century accuracy and the taste …

The 18th century wedding dress: then, and now

The 18th century was the dawn of the modern wedding dress: it saw the first emergence of white dresses as a trend, the first dresses specifically for weddings, and it is the oldest century from which we have a reasonably large selection of extent dresses. The 18th century is also a very popular era among this blog readers, and is a stunning, and unusual (at least at the moment) era to draw dress inspiration from. So let’s look at some 18th century wedding gowns, and some more recent 18th century inspired wedding gowns. First, a complete ensemble with excellent provenance, from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.  No, it’s not white.  And most modern brides aren’t into bonnets, but it still has so many elements I would instantly steal as a wedding dress designer.  That fabulous quilted petticoat…  The pinked fabric framing the face and bust…  The beautiful sleeve ruffles… Or you could just wear the dress exactly as it is, as it’s already a thing of beauty. Next, another coloured wedding dress.  The shape …