I recently read (will try to hunt down the source, so this isn't official) that they normally wore the train over one arm. The point was to bring the skirt close to the legs to emphasize the "nearly naked" look. So trains didn't trail, they helped you look naughty. ;-) And they stayed clean! The few trained muslin dresses I've seen had suspiciously unstained trains. I'd wondered how the museums had gotten the mud out without damaging the fabric.
I have seen one extant dress, almost certainly a day dress (cotton print, bib front) that has a train. That train is not long enough to drape over the arm. Ann Wass -----Original Message----- From: Deb Salisbury, the Mantua-Maker <d...@mantua-maker.com> To: h-costume@mail.indra.com Sent: Thu, Mar 4, 2010 2:23 pm Subject: Re: [h-cost] Question: Regency trains? I recently read (will try to hunt down the source, so this isn't official) that they normally wore the train over one arm. The point was to bring the skirt close to the legs to emphasize the "nearly naked" look. So trains didn't trail, they helped you look naughty. ;-) And they stayed clean! The few trained muslin dresses I've seen had suspiciously unstained trains. I'd wondered how the museums had gotten the mud out without damaging the fabric. Happy sewing, Deb Salisbury The Mantua-Maker Designer and creator of quality historical sewing patterns, Renaissance to Victorian Now available: Elephant's Breath and London Smoke: Historical Colors, Names, Definitions & Uses www.mantua-maker.com http://mantua-maker-patterns.blogspot.com I'm looking to make my first (non-fantasy-tinged) Regency gown, out of white on white windowpane cotton. I am finding that during my target time period (1800-1810) many (all?) dresses had a train, even for day. I'm considering eliminating this to reduce wear and tear (it's fine white fabric after all), but if I choose to make one, what can I do to minimize damage? Is it documented to include a lining, or loop the train up, or detach it in some way? Arnold and Bradfield aren't showing much so far, except for looped-up riding gowns, which isn't the style I'm after. Thoughts? And thanks in advance, Allison T. _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
