Wearing my Open Robe at Lyme Park

Today my family traveled to Lyme Park at the National Trust in order for me to get some photos of my recently-finished 1790s open robe for my portfolio. It was also a bit of (nervous) fun to be dressed up in early-Regency style at a stately home, and surprisingly enough, I saw lots of people dressed up as Edwardians, so I didn't feel too out of place!

We didn't have too much time in the gardens, as it looked as though it were about to start raining, so I got changed to save the fabric of my dress!

I'm not wearing any underpinnings, unfortunately, as I haven't made any yet/can't find many 1790s transitional stays or patterns for sale. However, I don't think I'm far off the right silhouette. 

The back view, which has been wrinkled a bit by spending an hour and a half in the car. I'm also wearing my 1790s black and gold turban, and underneath is my 1790s chemise en robe. I accessorized with some feathers, a 1940s pearl necklace, and some little pearl earrings from Accessorize.

 The dress was really hard to walk around in, seeing as it is just that little bit too long.

I may have looked insane, but I felt like a Regency empress for a day!

Wearing my Chemise en Robe at Tatton Park

Today I went to Tatton Park with my family, seeing as it was the first day in months that the house was open, due to bad winter weather. The day wasn't exactly spring-like and sunshiny, but at least we got some good shots.
In these photos I accessorised with pearl drop earrings, a pearl necklace, a black taffeta sash and two black ribbons to tie around my sleeves. The great thing about chemise en robes is that you can mix and match with different colours each time, so I may make a purple sash someday.

Entrance to the gardens...

The back view (I hand-sewed an additional panel into the back so that it would fit)

I'm not usually this sour-faced, but in these photos I didn't want to have a big grin, either.

Outside my house... Just kidding! I wish.

It felt rather strange wearing this ensemble around the gardens and house, as everybody else was wearing walking gear and modern-day clothes. Strangely enough, nobody asked any questions, but I did make a few people smile and say "look, there's a Georgian!". I'd like to do photoshoots for future costumes I make, maybe at other historical houses and gardens. It was a lot of fun, even if I was freezing!
Again, it was wonderful to be at Tatton Park once more! I love the interiors, the portraits, and all the different rooms; I feel very inspired there, and can't wait to go again in the summer some time.

1790s Chemise en Robe

Sorry it's been a long time since I last posted - I've been very busy working on one of my first 18th Century costumes, a chemise en robe! I've always admired the summery, dreamy feel of those chemise dresses (so informal and delicate), paired with coloured satin or taffeta sashes and a huge, feathery hat - and thus, I have wanted to make one for a long time!

This dress is made from what feels like miles of gauzy, net-like muslin, which is very soft and delicate to the touch. It is also unbearably hard to work with, so for future chemise en robes (of which there shall be many) I may resort to using linen, silk taffeta, lawn or voile, depending on how period I want to go. It rips so easily and probably won't last long, especially with how much unpicking I have to do. :) Still, I think it looks very romantic and flowing.

At first I found this project very easy making up the bodice and lining, but then came the difficulties with the fabric, attaching the bodice to the waistband, and measuring the length for the skirt wrong (and therefore I had to add another ruffle to the hem, but that wasn't too much of a sacrifice to make). The ruffle was something my grandmother thought up, to create a channel and feed some tape through to gather it; it was very long-winded gathering four and a half meters of muslin and then sewing it three times, but in the end I think it's worth the hassle.

I was also unsure what feel I wanted to give the dress. My pattern from Laughing Moon was for 1790-1800, and what I really desired was a mid-18th Century chemise en robe, not something more Regency in feel. I do like the Regency period, but the frippery, dresses and fun of the 18th Century is where my heart is; so, I wanted to make something that looked like it came from an earlier period. I think I may have managed that with the puffed sleeves and ribbons, but perhaps the empire waist and bust-line makes it clearly early Regency.
Either way, I love how it has all come together! My first costume! When I've had a bit more practice and built up a portfolio, it is my dream to open an online store selling bespoke historical garments from Medieval times to the 1950s - that, along with writing my books. :)

My grandmother helped me making this dress, so I'm very thankful for her help. It would have been very difficult to tackle without her!

I added a black taffeta sash that I made earlier and a muslin fichu as accessories for these photos.

If you want to see my process of making the dress in more depth, see my LiveJournal sewing diary!