Squee!!

[nuranar]

My curtain along dress is done! All but the hand finishing, that is - edges, hems, ties, and 4" of binding. And I love it!

I'm not even wearing my stays in these pictures; I had just put the skirt and sleeves on, and wanted to make sure it wasn't horrible. I ended up loving it so much I didn't want to take it off!




It's a little difficult to get on and off, which really makes me think that either the sewn-together method was not used on the inspiration gown, or that the proportions were different enough that it wasn't a struggle. Still, the fit is all that I could hope for.



The skirt is apron front. Trying for the 1790s "puffy" look, I wanted a lot of fullness in the back, less on the sides, and very little in front. The apron is completely straight, with two deep pleats at either end to keep the opening from gapping. The rest of the skirt is set in 1/4" visible pleats. At the sides they're only 1/4" deep, then shading to 3/4" and finally 1" deep at the center back.



I couldn't get a good picture of the back, although I tried a lot. The red curtains are heavily dyed; even after washing and drying, the fabric feels like it's starched with medium liquid starch. Plus it's sateen, so it's not flimsy. This means that the 1/4" pleats "puff" out very nicely. And it kind of sways and hangs in back in a way that I've never seen cotton do before - and incidentally perfect for this style.

Yay! So excited!




By the way, notice the new furniture behind the mirror? 1926 Singer treadle machine, in working condition. It just needs a new belt. A super nice lady at church just gave it to me! I can't wait to play with it after Costume College. Especially I want to play with all the crazy attachments the old Singers have. ;)

Comments

[jordannamorgan]

When the first picture was downloading, I started to squee because the dress looked like a kimono from the bust upward.

I'm mildly dubious of what that says about me at this point.

(The dress is lovely, in any case! ...Although, personally, I have a massive disliking for empire waists.)

[nuranar]

Hahaha! It says nothing but good of you. And actually, very good eye. This style is one of many that had Far Eastern inspiration. There's another type of gown, the mantua, that first came around in the late 1600s. It essentially IS a kimono. There's lots of extra fabric added from the waist down - just by adding a big square, essentially - so there's a very full skirt, which is then carefully pleated and draped to the back in precise folds. Again, like a kimono, and somewhat like origami.

I totally understand. I didn't care for high waists myself for a very long time. When I started doing them I figured out how to make them fairly flattering on me. And the construction is (relatively) simple so a new dress isn't a huge time sink. But objectively, out of all historical costumes, it's not my favorite period. And the 70s incarnation leaves me cold.

[jordannamorgan]

Yeah, high waists on a shape like mine... definite no. Total pregger look.

I have a gorgeous, silky flutter top that I've never worn, because it has that terrible elastic-under-the-bust empire waist thing going on. I got it in the hopes that my mother could figure out some way to modify it, but, well... she does quilts, not clothes. :(

[nuranar]

Oh yes, I know exactly what you mean. I do not own a single high-waist blouse myself. Honestly, the only way the "original version" of the high waist was flattering was by using stays and corsets to flatten the tummy, lift the bust, and shape it to be straighter instead of curved. That defines the overall silhouette enough that, combined with a flat-front skirt like this one (no gathering on elastic!) the pregnant look is avoided. But other than that, no. It's a pretty unnatural look, just like the exaggerated drop waist is.

[jordannamorgan]

By the way, speaking of things that look Oriental but aren't...

I dug back and looked at one of your home-decorating brain-dump posts recently. Since some other work on it need doing, I'd like to give my whole bedroom a redo in the (relatively) near future. However, I have very little idea of what style I want to go for.

The post I looked up was that discussion of Japonism. I'd like to take a closer look at that, because I always have enjoyed certain Asian aesthetics, and (as you said) it could work with both my vintage and *cough* other interests. Unfortunately, internet searches for Japonism only tend to turn up art prints, rather than useful/inspiring images of furnishings and decor. :Þ

[pearl_smithers]

Oh my gosh--what a lovely dress! I agree about the high-waisted looking being potentially awkward--but here it works. (Although I just read through the comments about your modifications--most impressive!) Love, love the print, it has just the right blend of quaint European and Far East inspiration!

Great pics, you can tell even with the slightly awkward angles and lighting that it's a lovely piece of work!