Re: [h-cost] need help with Butterick B6074
On 3/2/15 8:58 PM, Marjorie Wilser wrote: Thanks very much for including bust cup adjustments, Hope. You're welcome! Let us know how it comes out. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] need help with Butterick B6074
On 2/27/15 1:13 PM, Carmen Beaudry wrote: Since this isn't my normal period of expertise, could someone tell me if this pattern is historically accurate, and what would have to be changed to make it HA? Butterick is getting better with their Regency patterns. That said, here is what I would change: 1) The skirt. The a-line cut of the skirt just doesn't make the dress hang right and the layout is usually a less efficient use of the fabric. I'm working with a friend on a more standard period cut that you can use without even having a pattern. It's still in draft and will eventually get some shots of the layout, but you are welcome to check it out: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/greenberg-skirt.pdf This method gives you a nice (dancing!) width at the hem, no huge unflattering gathers bunched up in the front, and hangs just like authentic gowns because it's the way so many were actually cut then! 2) The neckline. Unless you have a very small bust, View A is going to be a problem. There's just not much fabric there. You could make the piece taller and lose the nice low-cut but that will make other fitting issues. Given the way it is cut so low in back as well, it's almost guaranteed to fall off your shoulders. Even the model is already having that happen! View A is better, though, as is, it is not flattering on many bodies (can look a bit saggy). Try this with View A: cut the back a bit higher, the front a bit lower, and before you sew it to the skirt experiment with how you spread out the gathers. You may want to push them apart in the middle and in from the sides. 3) A bit of customizing based on cup size: the side view of the model wearing View A shows the challenges with getting a good fit: she is leaning back and has her shoulders pulled back a bit so the front isn't saggy, but this makes the back kind of baggy. Here's a trick: if you are about an A-B-C cup you can cut the back a little shorter (a screenshot showing where the line can be is attached). If you are D and above, you may find you need to make the front of the bodice a tiny bit longer at the waist. The size/weight of the girls will counterbalance the back, bringing it up a bit so the fit is better. As always, the best advice is to get some cheap cotton/muslin/scraps and cut and sew the bodice out of that before cutting your good fabric (and the sleeves too if you have time - adding sleeves always changes the fit a bit). And the thing that will really make your gown come alive is a petticoat. It can be a simple one with straps - just cut it out the same as the skirt, pop on a simple waistband and a couple of straps and you've got it. Of course, a corset is always lovely but not something you necessarily want to tackle first thing. So, find a good supportive bra and hike the straps up a bit! - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] need help with Butterick B6074
On 2/27/15 3:21 PM, Hope Greenberg wrote: Here's a trick: if you are about an A-B-C cup you can cut the back a little shorter (a screenshot showing where the line can be is attached). And it's not crucial, but if the attachment didn't come through you can see it here: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/b6074.png - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Pomona Green: vote now!
Hello - Thank you all for your contributions to the green fabric vote discussion! I thought it might be fun to approach it from a different angle as well just to see what would come of it. I pulled 30 clips that included greens from some fashion plates, extant garment links, and a few paintings. They are now in a Word doc oraganized as a sort of game. The first page has the collection in chronological order but the second has them slapped on the page as free-floating objects so they can be dragged around. I had a couple people here try moving them around in what seemed like, to them, logical groupings. All agreed that they seemed to fall into 3 categories: emerald (or blue-ish), olive, grassy. The version attached here is not particularly sorted and it has five clips at the top of the second page that actually included the name pomona in their descriptions. If you would like to play the 'game' you can find the doc at: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/greens/greens.docx It is no wonder the search for green is a challenge. I've been reading two fascinating books that have been useful. The first is about the cultural aspects of the color while the second has more technical information. Highly recommended: 1) Pastoureau, Michel. Green: The History of a Color (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014) - Examining the evolving place of green in art, clothes, literature, religion, science, and everyday life, Michel Pastoreau traces how culture has profoundly changed the perception and meaning of the color over millennia. (He has previously published books on blue and black.) 2) Greene, Susan W. Wearable Prints, 1760-1860: History, Materials and Mechanics (Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 2014) - a fantastic and monumental book on printing and dyeing fabric throughout this time period. 568 pp. and over 1600 color images. (And the section on green is very small and very confusing due to the challenges related to the difficulty in getting, and elusiveness of keeping, that color!) Enjoy! - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Pomona Green: vote now!
The color name pomona green appears throughout early 19th century fashion magazines. Fashion plates display women in pomona green gowns, or with pomona green accessories, and descriptions of the color usually refer to leaves or apples. First problem: the images depicted are showing a range of greens (understandable in that they are usually handpainted). Second problem: trying to find a green that matches any of the greens in that range is rather difficult in our current decade of very blue greens or very yellow/olive greens. Even the pantone color chart shows us that this range of greens doesn't seem to be in vogue. So, here's a challenge! Which of the three fabrics linked here would you place in the closest to pomona green category. I know, none of them or you can't tell from an online picture are both logical responses as is just buy some and then decide! But I'm hoping some of you will take a stab at this. And if anyone knows of another site that has the perfect pomona green in a lightweight silk taffeta (especially at these prices) oh my! I would love to know about it. :-) http://www.puresilks.us/index.php?route=product/productproduct_id=4014 http://www.puresilks.us/index.php?route=product/productproduct_id=2741 http://www.puresilks.us/index.php?route=product/productproduct_id=2163 and this is the color I'm most in love with in an illustration: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/194991858836404282/ - Hope P.S. And my apologies for sending a question about greens amidst the discussion about post mortem photographs...(groan: ducking and running). ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] buckram hat forms
I'm looking for a buckram hat form for an early 19th cent (Federal/Empire/Regency) bonnet. No time to make one. I found some on Timely Tresses but I could have sworn I had seen others. Any leads? - Hope hope.greenb...@uvm.edu, University of Vermont ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Stumped
I was afraid of that. Lots of white undersleeves but all on white dresses so I count that as self fabric examples. Piecing...yes! I love the extant garments I've seen that use piecing. I will have to sacrifice a flounce (*sniff*) and piece in a bit of a gusset but it might be doable. Thanks! - Hope On 7/24/13 6:15 AM, annbw...@aol.com wrote: No picture of a real example, but Rosalie Stier Calvert of Maryland did write to her sister in Antwerp that she was sending her a pair of lace sleeves in 1807. And there is a French fashion plate from about the same time that shows separate sleeves. However, those sleeves are white with a white dress. Do you have enough of the fabric left to eke out a self separate undersleeve that can be pinned or basted in? It doesn't take much, and they can be pieced. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Stumped
Here's a request: The dilemma: I making a garden variety early 19th century bib/apron dress of a cotton print. Of course, I have too little fabric so instead of a long sleeve I decided to do a short sleeve with a detachable undersleeve in white cotton voile. I went flipping through my collection of hundreds of images looking for an example. (Note, this is an 1812 or thereabouts gown, not the turn of the century type where a colored bodice and white sleeve is common, nor the Princess Charlotte russian dress that looks like our American jumper.) Lo and behold I cannot find an image of this combination. This, the staple of all JA films! Lots of short sleeves with long gloves, lots of short sleeves over undersleeves of the same fabric. Does anyone have an actual documented example? Thanks! - Hope hope.greenb...@uvm.edu ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Terms for men's pants
Ah the wonderful vagaries of fashion terms. Here's what I believe the evolution is: 18th and early 19th century: the general term for pants that end at the knee is knee breeches--or just plain breeches (let's not go back to Elizabethan trunk hose, etc. now!) 1809: Washington Irving publishes his satirical take on history and politics titled A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty, by Diedrich Knickerbocker. The frontispiece sports an image of a patrician-looking elder gentleman wearing knee breeches. (Irving also begins an amusing hoax related to the whereabouts of Mr. Knickerbocker that has the effect of boosting sales of the book.) 1810-1840: the name is picked up by the public to refer to New Yorkers, particularly gentleman of the old school variety. 1840s: the New York Knickerbockers baseball team is formed. They adopt the uniform of a white flannel shirt and blue wool (long!) pants. No knickers yet. mid-19th century: boys wear short pants - not shaped quite like knee breeches, but not as baggy as later knickerbockers either. The OED dates the use of knickerbocker for the baggy variety dates to 1859. And then there's the gentleman's country wear, the knickerbocker suit, of the late 1860s-1870s. Let's also throw in the baggy pants developed by Amelia Bloomer for the women's dress reform movement which were baggy but originally ankle length. They got shorter at the end of the century and were especially popular for women bicyclists, in fact the OED cites knickerbocker ladies as meaning women cyclists. And when do baseball uniforms move to shorter baggy pants that are called knickerbockers...hmmm... 1872: reference to women's under drawers as knickerbockers, followed by 1895 reference to satin knickerbockers. Other references also refer to the younger girls drawers as knickers at about this time. Here's where it gets fuzzy: by WWI the uniform was characterized by what we would term knickerbockers. At about the same time, boys by the early 20th century boys pants were short and baggy. By the 1920s golfers adopted the short baggy look but there's were 4 inches longer than knickerbockers, hence the label plus fours. Knickers were also the staple of baseball and football uniforms. And by 1926 we have a reference to French knickers a British/American term for ladies tap pants or short, elastic waist, baggy open leg drawers. (Think Busby Berkley dancers or 30s film stars underwear.) They made a come-back in the 1960s after 1950s ankle pants shortened to pedal pushers. Knickers were always characterized as baggier and drawn in at the knee. Whew! There you have it--what a fun look at this garment. Oh, but back to your original question: it looks like knickers would not be the correct term for any knee-length garment before the late 1850s. - Hope War days. Is knickers the correct term for men's knee breeches in ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Terms for men's pants
On 3/20/13 4:05 PM, Hope Greenberg wrote: And when do baseball uniforms move to shorter baggy pants that are called knickerbockers...hmmm... Ah-ha - here's one lead: http://exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org/dressed_to_the_nines/timeline_1868.htm - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Terms for men's pants
Oh heck, as long as I'm in there, here's the OED entry for breeches: c. Now always in pl. breeches /?br?t??z/ , or a pair of breeches(perh. not so used before 15th c.). /Breeches/ are distinguished from /trousers/ by coming only just below the knee, but dialectally (and humorously) /breeches/ includes /trousers/. [/c/1275 (/c/??a1200) La?amon /Brut javascript:void(0)/ (Calig.) (1978) l. 8996 Heo..gripen heore cniues. of mid here breches. 1382 /Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) javascript:void(0)/ Gen. iii. 7 They soweden to gidre leeves of a fige tree, maden hem brechis.] /a/1500 in T. Wright R. P. Wülcker /Anglo-Saxon Old Eng. Vocab. javascript:void(0)/ (1884) I. 629 /Bracce/, brechys. 1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus /Fardle of Facions javascript:void(0)/ i. iv. 41 Some make them brieches of the heares of their heades. 1560 /Bible (Geneva) javascript:void(0)/ Gen. iii. 7 They sewed figge tree leaues together, and made themselues breeches. 1591 Spenser /Prosopopoia/ in /Complaints javascript:void(0)/ 211 His breeches were made after the new cut. 1661 S. Pepys /Diary javascript:void(0)/ 6 Apr. (1970) II. 66 To put both his legs through one of his Knees of his breeches. 1785 W. Cowper /Task javascript:void(0)/ i. 10 As yet black breeches were not. 17.. /Chestnut Horse javascript:void(0)/, Dreamed of his boots, his spurs, his leather breeches, Of leaping five-barred gates, and crossing ditches. 1858 N. Hawthorne /Fr. Ital. Jrnls. javascript:void(0)/ II. 179 Their trousers being tucked up till they were strictly breeches. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Terms for pants
Bella - I won't tell if you won't tell that I actually had a pattern very similar to this one. Like so many other fashionable items that I thought would put me in the cool kid category, I didn't actually ever make them... http://momspatterns.com/inc/sdetail/95681 - Hope On 3/20/13 5:11 PM, Sybella wrote: Honestly, it's something I'd rather not admit to so I'll trust you all to keep it a secret! ;) ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Dang! WTH Happened?
Butterick defines it this way for their patterns: http://butterick.mccall.com/ease-chart-pages-456.php I've always seen the rule of thumb as 1-2 inches above measurement: skin tight ...and so one Julie wrote: How do you decide how tight is too tight and just what is wearing ease? Julie ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] What's your dressmaker's dummy wearing today?
I always love this thread but, alas, I have no dressmakers dummy. If I did, however, she would be wearing one of the pieces I need to make for a Federal/Empire/Regency wardrobe I have to finish by mid-January. The ball gown is mostly done but I still need a pelisse, walking or carriage gown, new shift, new stays, new bonnet, and maybe a new cap. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] What's your dressmaker's dummy wearing today?
I've done talks in various places about this period, usually couched in terms of fashion and Jane Austen. This particular occasion will be extra fun. A local BB, the Governor's House in Hyde Park, VT, offers 4 Jane Austen weekends throughout the year focusing on one book and then a topic related to Austen's period (http://www.onehundredmain.com/calendar2.cfm). There's a Friday evening talk, Saturday tea, dinner and book discussion, and Sunday brunch and quiz. Next year's book is Emma and the general topic will be the fashion of the times. So, I'll be doing the talks and decided I needed a multi-day wardrobe for each of the 4 weekends which are each in a different season! Buying the fabric and designing the gowns was fun, but actually creating them now is a bit daunting. - Hope annbw...@aol.com wrote: I need to make for Federal/Empire/Regency wardrobe I have to finish by mid-January. What is the occasion for this lovely wardrobe? ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] help identifying picture
Not quite an answer, but another vote for modern: A few years ago a Ren magazine (Renaissance? This one? http://www.renaissancemagazine.com/backissues/issue16.html) did a photo article on people dressed and in settings approximating rennaissance paintings. I don't recall your image as one of these specifically, but perhaps they have done similar things in other issues. At any rate it looks like a modern person in historical reproduction clothing with a bit of photoshopping to achieve a period look. I'm guessing modern because it looks neither period or Victorian. - Hope monica spence wrote: I'd guess it is Victorian or even 20thCentury. The Renaissance era paintings I've seen seemed to always have the sitter looking out at the viewer. Here you don't see her eyes at all. Creepy. Monica Spence -Original Message- From: h-costume-boun...@indra.com [mailto:h-costume-boun...@indra.com] On Behalf Of humbugfo...@att.net Sent: Monday, July 18, 2011 3:15 PM To: h-costume@mail.indra.com Subject: [h-cost] help identifying picture Has anybody ever seen this before? http://images.cheezburger.com/imagestore/2010/9/9/330d9013-0b7f-468b-9c3a-b2 2044bb4e02.jpg ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Azalea Trail Maids: Antebellum Costumes
Oh my! Just thinking of all those ruffles makes my head spin http://www.mobileazaleatrail.com/ - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] his blue coat
It's funny how something so commonly known can strike us afresh with questions. In this case: It's quite apparent that during the Federal/Empire/Regency or turn of the 18/19century period* a dark blue coat was the sign of higher status and, together with black, the most common color for full dress. The number of mentions in Austen, the number of fashion plates that show them indicates that this is so. Does anyone have any (documented) explanations why? The most common one seems to be because Beau Brummel says so though this blog post suggests a Goethe/Werther connection (http://austenette.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/the-blue-coat/). Is it simply a fashion choice that became popular or does anyone know of an economic, political or other reason for the prominence of the blue coat? (For example, something like the tax on hair powder contributing to the demise of that particular fashion, or the tax laws regarding Irish linen that increased its popularity, etc.) - Hope * I'm tempted to start using the abbreviation FER to cover this time period! ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] OT to Victorian re-enactors
Cake is one of those words that has been used in several ways across time. Things that we would call breads, cookies, biscuits, scones, and buns have all been called cake. However, since you do have to keep the audience in mind and have something that makes sense to them, I'd go with something that looks like cake to most modern people, but give it a period twist by making it a more traditional 19th cent. British tea cake, say an 8 inch round cake that looks plain and rather hefty. So, if you look for recipes like Dundee Cake or Seed cake, you should find some good examples. Sounds like fun! - Hope Ruth Anne Baumgartner wrote: Getting ready to open The Importance of Being Earnest (I am director, costumer, and props person) and still have not settled on what Cecily cuts and serves a large piece of to Gwendolen during the tea scene: ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] pattern for Civil War Era coat
Here are a few that might be useful, from Godey's Lady's Book: November 1859: Fall Paletot, illus and pattern: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/godey/images/s5911452.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/godey/images/s5911454.jpg May 1859: Zanfretti Mantle, illus, pattern 1, pattern 2 http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/godey/images/s5905396.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/godey/images/p5905398.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/godey/images/p5905399.jpg February 1859: The Victoria Pardessus, illustration and pattern http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/godey/images/p5902104.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/godey/images/p5902169.jpg February 1858: Ladies Jacket, illus. and pattern http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/godey/images/glb2-58dip97.jpeg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/godey/images/glb2-58dip100.jpeg - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] London calling?
Does anyone have any recommendations for things not to be missed in London or Bath for lovers of historic costume? After the VA, the National Portrait Gallery and the Bath Museum of Costume, that is. Other museums? Best places to buy period-like fabric? Fabric bargain spots? Any and all information gratefully appreciated. - Hope P.S. ...And good tea shop recommendations are also appreciated. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Question: Regency trains?
Sounds lovely. Answering the question of what to do with a train, both in terms of carrying it and in terms of protecting it, is a challenge. Here are some thoughts: For the gowns just before 1800 that were fuller, women are shown twisting the train up behind their backs, holding a bit of it under their arms, or pulling the fullness of the skirt around towards the front. Here are some images from Heideloff's: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/heideloff-1795-03-0005.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/heideloff-1795-07-0005.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/heideloff-1795-10-0005.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/heideloff-1795-11-0002.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/heideloff-1797-08-0002.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/heideloff-1798-03-0005.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/heideloff-1799-05-0002.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/heideloff-1799-10-0002.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/heideloff-1800-10-0005.jpg On the other hand, the fashionable ladies promenading at Kensington Gardens in 1804 allowed their trains to flow behind them, so elegantly. Notice, however, that their petticoats/undergowns also appear to be trained. This might be a clue as to how to protect the overgown from excessive soiling. A easy to wash plain cotton undergown beneath a diaphonous overgown would work well. http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/1804-fashionsoflondon-promenade-Kensingtongardens.jpg By 1810 trains all but disappear, and even before that there are many images of gowns that have no trains. And, as an aside, if making a formal gown for evening, be sure to differentiate between 'ball dress' and 'evening wear.' I have yet to find an image of a post-1810 ball gown that has a train. Up to and around 1810 there are plenty of 'full dress' or 'evening wear' or 'opera dress' gowns that do, but ball gowns, no. Ball dress: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/1809-wu-ackermann-balldress.png Evening full dress: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/1800train/1809-white-washington.jpg By the way, I would be suspicious of claims that all women wrapped their gowns over their arms to pull them tight. SOunds like a modern interpretation! - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Question: Regency trains?
It is an interesting question, isn't it? My take on that phrase has always been that when she wrote Northanger Abbey in 1798-1799, pinning up a train would have been necessary, particularly in the crowded assembly rooms at Bath. It would have still been an accurate statement when Austen revised the manuscript for potential publication in 1803. The manuscript was revised again just before it's actual (and posthumous) publication in 1817, but it's hard to imagine that anyone would have a train on any gown by that time, so I had always assumed that Austen simply left the earlier phrase stand during that last revision. It captures Catherine and Isabella's relationship so beautifully that I'm glad she left it in... - Hope Lavolta Press wrote: Generally, I agree with you that early 19th-century ball gowns were often shorter than other evening dresses. However, Jane Austen does interestingly say in _Northanger Abbey_ that Catherine and her friend Isabella called each other by their Christian name, were always arm in arm when they walked, pinned up each other's train for the dance, and were not to be divided in the set. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] The Peterson's magazines
Please find a home for them! Once trashed they do no good for anyone. These kinds of primary resources are a goldmine for anyone studying history, literature, material culture, historic anthropology, sociology, etc. High school or even elementary school teachers who want to provide their students with a hands-on experience with historic documents would probably love to have them. Yes, scholars and researchers know where to find complete issues, either in their original form or in their digital form, but these bits and pieces still have value. For another example, while I absolutely love projects that have digitized masses of material, like Google Books, Making of America, or Accessible Archives, copyright and access issues are still important for those who want to undertake small, focused digitization projects. Having access to an original item that is in the public domain makes those kinds of projects possible. (At least they will be as long as the Google legislation doesn't go through as it now stands.) On a personal note, if anyone has 'bits and bobs' from publications from between 1849 and 1863 that include fiction, I'd be happy to give them a good home. - Hope Laurie Taylor wrote: Well, I just so hate to throw anything out that might have any little tidbit of historical value. Goes right along with being an incorrigible packrat. Yes, they're mine. I can do what I want...but it's not easy to toss out parts! I too sometimes get sucked into the fiction, not often, but it is ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Ye olde modern art WAS Research, Primary so on
Very pretty images, nice depth and texture to the animation. As for the womens' gowns I would say: 1950s painting of a Victorian dress up party into which some women in their underwear have accidentally wandered! :-) (but my guess is that the pictures they were based on were mostly later 16th century Venetian) - Hope stils...@netspace.net.au wrote: Whoever designed the game look has actually done more than gone to a Ren Faire, the woman is not a bad animated match for some Durer sketches of that period -- or maybe just the Moonlighting Taming of the Shrew ep! The lushness and textures impress me. Still, there is something about the briefly-seen costume that annoys me although I cannot put my finger on it. Fall of gown? Shape in general? I dunno. Anyone else seen it and have an opinion. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] 1960s hippie fashions
Ah, what fun. I know by the early 70s I had several long dresses for casual wear, but when did the trend start? Well, here are two factoids that might help: In the late 60s Laura Ashley introduced daywear that had a longer length. (see any history of Laura Ashley, wikipedia will do) And my favorite kind of evidence--mention in contemporary literature: In 1968 the popular writer Barbara Michaels published Ammie, Come Home a ghost story set in Georgetown, MD. The key thing here is that early in the book the protagonist goes shopping with her trendy niece and is talked into buying one of those new maxi skirts. (BTW remember that the first maxis were mid-calf length. Later the term was applied to ankle-length as well.) - Hope On Sat, Jul 4, 2009 at 12:06 AM, Sylvia Rognstad syl...@ntw.net wrote: Anyhow, I'm trying to remember when long skirts and dresses came in. I can only recall wearing them in the 1970s, but my legs, not being what they used to be, definitely do not want to be seen in a mini skirt, which is all I can remember wearing in the late 60s. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Question about a portrait
What a strange portrait. It looks like an amalgamation, or artist's re-imagining of something like these two gowns, with a bit of Flanders flair in the color and in the hat: http://www.afoolintheforest.com/images/2007/04/04/holbein_ladysquirrelstarling_large.jpg http://www.shafe.co.uk/crystal/images/lshafe/Holbein_Mrs_Pemberton_Jane_Small_c1540.jpg As others have already said, I'd guess a much later date, more like early 20th century than Victorian, though. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Question about a portrait
Helen, what a wonderful find. And no wonder I thought it had a Flemish look to it. Title: Lady J. Grey, Artist: Richard Burchett, Date: Between 1854-1860, Location: Prince's Chamber in The Houses of Paliament. Notes: This portrait is in fact copied from a painting now known to be of a Flemish Lady. But it looks very similar to some other images of Jane. Here's another interesting thought. Doesn't the first image at the Lady Jane Grey site look awfully familiar? Lady Jane Grey page: http://www.bitterwisdom.com/ladyjanegrey/Life/1c.html First image: http://www.bitterwisdom.com/ladyjanegrey/Life/janegreywrestpark.jpg Holbein's Lady Pemberton miniature: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/tudor/pemberton.jpg ...but the page itself, with all the versions of the images, provides wonderful examples of how understanding of clothing changes when copies are made of copies are made of copies... - Hope Helen Pinto wrote: There's a reason why I still do image searches with altavista... The painting that started the question is by Richard Burchett, painted ca 1854-1860. It is a copy of a painting in the private collection of the descendants of Henry Grey, first Duke of Kent, by an artist of the English School, dated to the mid-16th c. There are literally dozens of copies, most also Victorian. Who knew. You can find the painting in question, the original it was copied from, and all of the other copies at the Lady Jane Grey Internet Museum, here: http://www.bitterwisdom.com/ladyjanegrey/Life/1c.html ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] New York fabric shopping
Despite the fact of its popularity, despite the 'tourists,' I have to admit I love Mood. I've never gone in there without finding something delightful, which I can't say about some of the other places in the area. It's mainly because Mood seems to carry more than the usual amount of natural fibre fabrics. Sometimes you have to ask for help finding specific items. I'm a $5/yd kind of person who likes to buy things on sale when I find them and then figure out how to use them. But the prices at Mood are not totally outrageous. For example, a fine silk taffeta was the same price there as it was at Denver Fabrics online ($14/yd), and I nabbed a beautiful semi-sheer cotton/silk blend there last year for $8/yd. That was something I had been looking for in vain on online sites. The wools are plentiful and, while not usually $5/yd at least you know when you buy a worsted twill there you can see what quality you are getting. (As you can tell I've been burned online by the we say it's a worsted wool twill but we really meant it's a cheapo tricotine.) - Hope Robin Betzhold wrote: Same thing with Mood fabrics, well worth seeing but expensive. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Mary I -- FOUND
After Holbein - I'll say - way after! Holbein died in what, 1543, which would be just a few months after Mary Queen of Scots was born. Mary 1 of England died in 1558. If those sleeves happened before the 1560s I'd be mightily surprised. The nearest I can find on a quick look is ZEEUW, Cornelis de Portrait of the De Mucheron Family1563 http://www.wga.hu/art/z/zeeuw/p_family.jpg It's a wonder how these things get propagated, though. Here's an article from about.com that uses the image, which it got from clipart.com that has the same (must be erroneous) attribution. http://womenshistory.about.com/od/medbritishqueens/tp/medieval_british_queens.01.htm http://www.clipart.com/en/close-up?o=5272687memlevel=Aa=aq=mary%20ik_mode=alls=1e=15show=c=cid=findincat=g=cc=page=k_exc=pubid= - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Movie costumes
Land of Oz wrote: the blue farewell dress worn by Susan Any tips on a photo... couple of rough screen shots--none of the back, but it is shaped as same as the front... - Hope P.S. I don't remember if this list takes attachments. I can post them somewhere if not. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] 2 questions, one 18th, one 19th
Hello - I'm trying to gather materials to make an 18th century gown. Does anyone know where I can find fly fringe? It's the type of trim on this gown, though hard to see: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/objectid/O74093 Also, I'm working on a semi-replica of this gown: http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/M982.20.1section=196 I found some of this trim at the local Joanns but can't decide if it is workable for the trim on this gown. The trim on the hem looks like it is stitched on but the trim on the bodice looks like it is thread work. Stitch it well down on top of ribbon or what. Ideas? http://www.mjtrim.com/Catalog/Product/66/00416/00416.aspx Any help appreciated! - Hope - [EMAIL PROTECTED], U of Vermont ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] High Rise shorts? A little OT
Try: L.L. Bean (www.llbean.com) Coldwater Creek (www.coldwatercreek.com) click on outlet for the good prices Their sit at the waits shorts and pants come halfway up to my neck! (OK exaggerating a bit but for those of us with low rises it has been refreshing the last couple of years to be able to buy pants that say low rise but actually end up sitting at the waist.) - Hope Pixel, Goddess and Queen wrote: I tried to go shopping for shorts today - EVERYTHING is low rise now. I was in Macy's, Dilliards, Penny's etc - nada - nothing ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] 18th cent. pudding
Another list has posted an excerpt from a 1794 letter discussing London fashion and this question has come up: Does anyone know what the pudding in the following excerpt refers to? I've begun to research it but before I tread ground that may already be familiar to those more knowledgeable about the period, it seemed best to ask. I've found nothing obvious in the OED, have found references to pudding caps for children, and have some ideas, but nothing concrete for this: …your Friend Mrs. Gosling has been obliged to put on the Cravat, but all Bows are left off, for the Ladies either a very full Muslin plain Stock with a larger Pudding, or the long cravats like your old one twisted round the neck fastened behind: this moment Maria has made her appearance with the plain Stock but no pudding, she sais these are very comfortable no ends to treble [/sic/: trouble] her, we are really much entertained with her new appearance… - Hope -- [EMAIL PROTECTED], U of Vermont ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] How Many Costume Books/Magazines/Photos Do You Own
Penny Ladnier wrote: About how many costume/fashion related books or magazines do you own? Far fewer than I used to. In a fit of anti-consumerism a few years ago I gave away a substantial portion of my library. Now I simply rely on the university library or ILL as needed. What was the first one you purchased? Where did you purchase it? I had a couple survey-type books, and maybe some Dover's picked up second-hand, but the first I remember paying serious money for was Hill and Bucknell's Evolution of Fashion. I had fit on semi-permanent loan from the college library but then found my own copy in a bookstore in Manchester Center, VT, around 1979. What do you think was the best deal that you have every made when purchasing a publication? Hmmm...not exactly a purchase--more of a barter: a copy of Hunnisett's 19th century Period Costume for Stage and Screen for helping someone make a muslin for a corset. About how many period photographs do you own just for the costuming? Well, not too many photographs were taken in the periods I'm interested in :-). But I do have a nice bunch of photos taken during a private visit to the attic of the Fleming Museum, Burlington, VT. What book or magazine is your most treasured...if your house was on fire, you would take it with you. My Godey's, definitely. What is the worse costume book that you own? I know Robin has a collection! I hate to say: I gave them away (I hate to admit to foisting them off on some unsuspecting person) but they included Norris and Peacock. Optional questions: How many sewing machines do you own? What types and age? 3. The one I use(Viking), the Singer my Mom bought us in the 60's to learn to sew on that we can no longer get parts for, and the 1920s Singer she inherited from her mother that still kind of works except for the popping noises and burning oil smell... How many sewing patterns do you own? Got rid of most of those too. I still have about 2 dozen that I use various bits and pieces of, but mostly I just draft or drape my own. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Elizabeth reviews
Yikes! My apologies for not editing the previous 2 posts. I forgot that this particular e-mail client renders links as spelled out URLs when one chooses send as text. Here I didn't want to complicate member e-mailboxes by sending as HTML and I ended up cluttering the messages with URLs. Ah well... - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Elizabeth reviews
Desson Thomson of the Washington Post has even more to say about the use of costumes in 'Elizabeth': Just in time for Halloween, Elizabeth: The Golden Age is here to tell us that evoking England http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/United+Kingdom?tid=informline's greatest queen is just a matter of finding the right gown, ruffled collar and frizzy wig. That seems to be the only purpose of this much-anticipated follow-up to 1998's Elizabeth, which thrilled audiences with its spirited embrace of history and the introduction of a fiery newcomer named Cate Blanchett http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Cate+Blanchett?tid=informline . Unfortunately, director Shekhar Kapur http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Shekhar+Kapur?tid=informline has doffed that sensual primacy for a bloated costume opera, in which the characters are essentially dress-up dolls, and Elizabeth has evolved from our favorite royal ingenue to a lifeless, chalk-faced runway diva. Complete, and scathing, review at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/11/AR2007101102296.html?wpisrc=newsletterwpisrc=newsletterwpisrc=newsletter - Hope --- [EMAIL PROTECTED], Academic Computing, U of Vermont ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Elizabeth reviews
Just saw Manohla Dargis's review of 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' in the New York Times. Here's a sample: A kitsch extravaganza aquiver with trembling bosoms, booming guns and wild energy, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” http://movies.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=335198inline=nyt_ttl tells, if more often shouts, the story of the bastard monarch who ruled England with an iron grip and two tightly closed legs. It’s the story of a woman, who, as played by the irresistibly watchable Cate Blanchett http://movies.nytimes.com/person/215038/Cate-Blanchett?inline=nyt-per as David Bowie http://movies.nytimes.com/person/82636/David-Bowie?inline=nyt-per in his Ziggy Stardust period, sublimated her libidinal energies through court intrigue until she found sweet relief by violently bringing the Spanish Empire to its knees. But that’s getting ahead of this story, which begins in 1585 when Queen Elizabeth hit 52, though the film seems to put her closer to 38, Ms. Blanchett’s actual age. The blurring of fact and fancy is, of course, routine with this kind of opulent big-screen production, in which the finer points of history largely take a back seat to personal melodrama and lavish details of production design and costumes. In this regard “The Golden Age” http://movies.nytimes.com/gst/movies/titlelist.html?v_idlist=332151;335198inline=nyt_ttl may set a standard for such an adulterated form: it’s reductive, distorted and deliriously far-fetched, but the gowns are fabulous, the wigs are a sight and Clive Owen http://movies.nytimes.com/person/54491/Clive-Owen?inline=nyt-per makes a dandy Errol Flynn http://movies.nytimes.com/person/90030/Errol-Flynn?inline=nyt-per, even if he’s really meant to be Walter Raleigh, the queen’s favorite smoldering slab of man meat. Remainder at NYTimes (free subscription may be required): http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/movies/12gold.html?themc=th Judging by the picture that accompanies the article (a heavy purple moire gown cut beautifully but lacking any decoration), the reviewer is spot-on. The costumes are certainly fabulous. Historically accuratewell...what do we expect?? - Hope -- [EMAIL PROTECTED], Academic Computing, U of Vermont ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Increasing bra sizes (long)
A couple years ago, after losing a substantial amount of weight, I decided I really needed to find a different size bra. While waiting on line for a dressing room at one store (OK, it was Victoria's Secret), an energetic young store employee came up and said have you ever been professionally fitted. I said no, she whipped out a tape measure, did two measurements over my clothes, and told me what size to buy. I then proceeded to try on several bras they had in that size. None fit. So, I assume professionally fitted has several definitions! However, still carrying those body image issues from my younger days, or even more recent but heavier days, I never went anywhere else for a professional fitting that might get, shall we say, more personal. Maybe that's a mistake. But what I did do was read, read, read about how a good bra should fit. Then armed with that information I went to a store (L'Eggs, Bali, Hanes) and started experimenting with different sizes. Took over an hour but was well worth it, and the women in that store didn't mind me being there for that long. Oh, and I ended up with a bra size that was 2 sizes smaller in the band and one to two sizes larger in the cup. So, for those of you who would like to do the same, here are some resources: http://www.herroom.com/bra-fitting-checklist,907,30.html http://www.herroom.com/bra-bands-cups-underwires-panels-straps,902,30.html and links from that page http://www.ehow.com/how_167_find-fit-bra.html Oh, and when you want the ultimate fitting experience, head for Paris. That's what Daisy Garnett of the NYTimes did. Here's her article (may require freee subscription to read) http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00E6DE1631F934A2575BC0A9659C8B63sec=spon=pagewanted=1 - Hope Susan Farmer wrote: It is *sooo* worth it to get professionally fitted. I had it done earlier this year and I can't recommend it enough. Not all bras are equal. I must have tried on 6 before finding one that fit and felt ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] New York City Shopping. Was: Some Comments
Excellent! A wonderful resource. Thanks. - Hope Saragrace Knauf wrote: Here is a link to some information about shopping there: http://www.paulanadelstern.com/fabric/guides/index.htmlhttp://www.paulanadelstern.com/fabric/guides/index.html ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] OT: Some Comments
2 items, 1 of which is costume related, 1 of which is tea related: 1) Costume, or rather fabric: I want to thank all the folks who replied several weeks ago to my request for fabric store locations in California. I ended up at a couple Discount Fabrics with no finds, then went to Britex in San Francisco. Instead of silk I bought cotton. 4 pieces of white, lightweight, very fine, cottons (one satin batiste) and one primrose/jonquil yellow that looks exactly like the color of that early 19th cent. muslin gown with the brown trim that was posted here a couple months ago. Lovely! Now I'm at it again, this time to New York. I remember doing the Orchard St. shopping blitz many years ago, but now it seems the stores are more concentrated in the 30s. While I would love to spend the day browsing every shop, my daughters also want to do some non-fabric shopping. So, does anyone have a favorite, must-go-to, fabric store in NYC (where favorite is defined as you can get some silk or linen or fine cotton historically probable fabric at ridiculously low prices)? Oh, and feathers: ostrich plumes for bonnets? 2) Tea. Ah yes. I'm a northerner but my parents were southerners so I grew up on iced tea. We made it in a pot, steeped for 3-5 mins. as tea should be, sweetened while hot, poured over ice. I still make it that way, I just don't use as much sugar. Well, at restaurants I often ask how they make their iced tea. Many are proud to say that they don't use a mix but brew it from real bags and don't sweeten it. They are also proud to say that they make it nice and strong by brewing it overnight in the refrigerator. Ouch! So here's how I usually order iced tea at a restaurant: could you bring me a cup of hot tea, and two glasses completely filled with ice... :-) (Of course, that doesn't mean they will actually boil the water for the tea but what the heck--can't be too fussy!!) - Hope Penny Ladnier wrote: This IS my last message about tea: I promise! When you add sugar to cold unsweet tea, it dissolves slowly or not at all. This is wasting sugar. To make sweet tea, add the sugar while the tea brew is hot. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] ironing washed linen.
I wear lots of linen so am ironing it all the time. I use a spray bottle. You can usually get these from stores that sell plants or, like I did, just wash out a spray bottle from window cleaner or a similar product. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] shopping recommendations
Hi - I'm going to be on the west coast (U.S.) next week and am determined to visit at least one fabric store! So, in San Francisco or in the LA area, if you could visit one fabric store where you could be assured of a fantastic bargain on silk, where would it be? For silk, I'm thinking taffetas, embroidered, etc., things generally suited to 18th/early 19th century wear. Thanks. - Hope -- [EMAIL PROTECTED], U of Vermont ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] 20th Cent. Paper Patterns Collection Online
For 20th century enthusiasts, AHDS has published a collection home dressmaking patterns drawn from the collection at the london College of Fashion. (AHDS has other collections as well, including London CoF Woolmark Collection, Corwainer's Shoe Collection, etc.) The patter collection includes Vogue, Butterick, McCalls, and others with designers such as Laroche, Givenchy and Christian Dior. To read about the collection: http://www.vads.ahds.ac.uk/collections/LCFPP.html To search the collection, go to: http://www.vads.ahds.ac.uk/collections/LCFPP.html Click on the 'Deselect All' button, then check the box next to 'London College of Fashion: Paper Patterns' You can search by garment type, pattern maker or date. Unfortunately there is no browse. However, if you just type an asterisk (*) in the search box you will get all 620 patterns. And for those of us of a certain age, don't be surprised if you see a pattern there that you still may have in your attic! - Hope --- [EMAIL PROTECTED], Academic Computing, U of Vermont ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Anglo-Saxon in a nutshell?
These images are a bit of a mix. (Check the sources at the bottom to help identify which are considered Saxon and which Norman.) But it may serve as a general overview or starting point. http://www.uvm.edu/%7Ehag/rhuddlan/images/ And of course, in terms of books, Gale Owen-Crocker's is a great resource: http://www.amazon.com/Dress-Anglo-Saxon-England-Revised-Enlarged/dp/1843830817 (and available through interlibrary loan) - Hope - [EMAIL PROTECTED], U of Vermont ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] 16th-century short pants????
Interesting! particularly the Breugel example which, as you say, looks quite practical. I don't know if it helps answer the question, but here's the iconography behind that fellow: The image compresses two sectionsof the David/Bathsheba story, briefly: David spies Bathsheba bathing, becomes enamored, sleeps with her, she gets pregnant. He orders her husband Uriah home from the battlefield so that she can pass the child off as legitimate. Uriah refuses to go home while his comrades in arms are still in battle. David finally sends him back to battle with a note to his General commanding the General to make sure Uriah gets killed in action. So, the main image in the foreground is the usual Bathsheba being attended at her bath. The background image is King David sending Uriah off with the message that is essentially his own death warrant. The fun part is that while the subject gave artists the opportunity to paint the titillating images of nudity, adultery and lust, the medieval iconography that built up around the images was quite different. Without going into great detail, the image was viewed not as lust and adultery but as a prefiguration of Christ, the Church and baptism. In this case David is Christ wishing to be joined to the Church, represented by Bathsheba who is being baptized, and Uriah, though a Hittite, represents the Jewish people refusing to 'go home' to the Church. An interesting discussion of all this can be found in several places, for example an article by Wayne Craven in the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians titled 'The Iconography of the David and Bathsheba Cycle at the Cathedral of Auxerre' (available online at JSTOR). So, the figure of Uriah, being a historical character (both a Hittite, literally, and a Jew, allegorically) may well be dressed oddly in these images. Add to that that he is a soldier, who are generally depicted in not-typical clothing. Also, the command from David telling him to go home and sleep with his wife is actually given as go home and wash your feet. I don't think I'm suggesting his bare knees are related to that, specifically: just thinking his outfit might not be considered what the well-dressed 16th century man would be wearing! - Hope [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Somebody tell me this guy is NOT showing off his barenaked knees in the background of this painting: http://www.formfunction.org/temp/1530dutchcalendar11bathsheba.jpg Please give me a plausible explanation, before my perpetually-overheated husband finds out and demands I make him a pair! ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Paisley in Regency dresses
Interesting question! I can't remember seeing an allover paisley print. Nancy Bradfield (Costume in Detail p. 103) describes a blue silk and wool dress, made from a shawl, richly woven border in floral cone kashmir pattern... I have another fashion plate image somewhere showing this type of made from a shawl gown. In that same book she says Kashmir shawls became fashionable in England c. 1777 some designs at first being copied in turn by Edinburgh, Norwich, and finally by Paisley weavers. . . The Kashmir-designed shawl with plain field and borders of large floaral cones was most popular in the first 20 years of the 19th century. (p. 115) An 1810 plate from Costume Parisien shows a wool gown with a cone border and allover small pattern that looks. more floral than paisley. (http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/day-plates/1810-day.jpg) It doesn't look like it was made from a shawl but has the same idea: the 'paisley' looking bit is along the broder. Of course, this doesn't answer your question! Hmmm...I've started looking through the extant garments linked at Demode: http://www.demodecouture.com/realvict/1800s.html No luck yet but you might want to take a look. - Hope Elizabeth Walpole wrote: Hi everyone, I was discussing the latest ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion with a friend in the UK and she mentioned a 'coat' with an all over paisley print and asked me if it was period to have a an all over paisley print like that rather than just as trim. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] 1960s-70s School Dress Codes
1. Mini-skirts: Girl's skirt lengths were measured 2. Girls' pants: When were girls' allowed to wear pants to school. Pants-suits, hiphuggers? 3. Boys' Hair: Allowed to wear long hair 4. Boy's mustaches: When allowed Center Moriches High School, Long Island, New York. 1971-72: - mini skirts OK as long as no more than 3 inches above knee--I don't remember any ruler fanatics, though, so that rule was quite often bent - the first year that girls pants are officially allowed. The policy of 'slacks but no jeans' was challenged by Linda T., who wore jeans every day in protest and who also challenged the policy that barred women from taking shop or drafting classes (hoorah for Linda!) - long hair? sure; side burns? absolutely; mustaches? well they tried... - fringed jackets: worn by a few boys (and a couple girls) who aspired to 'artistic/rebel' status and another one: transition from stockings/garters to pantyhose: 1968 or so also: who remembers the Sear catalog choose your jeans options: one, two, or three inches below the waist--low rider jeans! I remember talking my Mom into letting me get a '3 inch' purple corduroy pair! cool. - Hope P.S. Hey Rebecca, I left Long Island for Vermont 18 years ago and am now at UVM! current craze: ugg boots, short skirts, low jeans...pretty much the usual ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] 1850s costume
Here are some images from 1858/1859 Godey's Lady's Book that should help answer the question: - a chemise drawing that states many persons dislike to have any fullness under their corsets around the waist: http://www.uvm.edu/%7Ehag/godey/images/s5906548.jpg and one of drawers: http://www.uvm.edu/%7Ehag/godey/images/s5911396.jpg and one 'all-in-one' called the nonpareil: http://www.uvm.edu/%7Ehag/godey/images/glb8-58p167.jpeg - Hope Sylvia Rognstad wrote: Ages ago I made an 1850s dress, crinoline and corset. If I can still fit into it, I am thinking of wearing it for a high school presentation I am giving. I would like all the correct underpinnings, so I need to make some drawers, I know. I can't remember if in this period women wore camisoles under their corsets or corset covers over them. I'm sure there are some experts out there. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Met Museum Bulletin
Helen Pinto wrote: So... I will scan and send photos of anything that someone fancies, and the whole thing can belong to the first person who asks for it. (You have two weeks to ask for the pictures, then I'll mail it.) The highlights: What a nice offer. I would love to see scans of anything from 1750-1850, especially 1800-1820. And if no one else claims it... - Hope -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] edu, Academic Computing, Uof Vermont ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Re: French Hood (was Tudor Tailor review)
Hi - Feel free to use any of these images. All the citations are there... http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/tudor/gable.html - Hope Kimiko Small wrote: I have plans to do a gathering of images for gabled hoods, which I think developed from earlier hoods of the late 1400s. I've been collecting images as I can, and when I get time this winter (I hope) I want to get them online. My next hood will be the gable, as my group does 1520s events, so the gable is a better choice for us. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Re: illustrator vs fashion historian
Abel, Cynthia wrote: And will in a century or so, be able to custom order our clothing via a Star Trek replicator? I know that one did food, but where did all the clothes come from? There had to be a clothing replicator on board. Yup, there was. That detail comes up in the original series in several episodes. And even the replicator has fitting problems! In one episode Dr. McCoy is delayed aboard when the replicator gives him the wrong size gestapo boots. I don't recal explicit mentions of clothing replicators in subsequent series, though. Of course, what I would like is a replicator that would give me some of that 1960s velour! I wish I could find some of that stuff. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Period for Heidi
Carolyn Kayta Barrows wrote: Hi all! Does anyone know the decade that the Heidi story is supposed to be set in? Published in 1880 with the first edition in English published in 1884, the visual images we've come to associate with Heidi seem mostly to be based on the illustrations done a bit later by Alice Carsey in 1916 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemitem=300014656445ssPageName=MERCOSI_VI_ROSI_PR4_PCN_BIX_Storesrefitem=330013878471itemcount=4refwidgetloc=closed_view_itemrefwidgettype=osi_widget#ebayphotohosting) and by Jessie Wilcox Smith in 1922. http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/jwsmith.htm and http://www.art.com/asp/display-asp/_/ID--16112/Heidi.asp?ui=2B9819F00CA546B8B14DDD908FE040ED). There was also a very popular edition done in the 30s, and the Shirley Temple movie in 1937. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] free Regency bonnet pattern from Simplicity
*tsk* *tsk* Oh those Regency patterns. Why, oh why, do the commercial patterns insist on making those back curved princess seams when it would be so easy to make the beautiful diamond back shape that characterizes this period? And that Short Stays pattern--what are they trying to do--make everyone look as flat-chested as Keira Knightley. Ah well, I'll turn grumble mode off now... - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Re: OT: LJ/ blogspot/Yahoo360 etc.
Susan B. Farmer wrote: Does anybody know of any good bookmark management tools? There are a couple of social bookmarking sites. I use http://del.icio.us (all about it here: http://del.icio.us/help/) The advantages are several: - your bookmarks are stored online so it doesn't matter what computer you are using, you will always have access to them - the tags (keywords) you use to describe your bookmarks get compiled into the entire system so you and people who use the same tags as you can find things you have bookmarked--spreading the work and the wealth, as it were (i's called building folksonomies, i.e taxonomies or naming conventions determined by the people who use them instead of by an authority) - if you use the Firefox web browser (http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/) there is an add-on that works with del.icio.us that let's you add a button to your toolbar so you can add bookmarks with the click of a mouse - you can build a network of people with whom you want to share bookmarks, and they can share their bookmarks with you - and then there are the cool things related to RSS that let you pour your bookmarks into your blog and such--but let's not get carried away... We now return you to your regularly scheduled sewing... - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] NYC recommendations
Speaking of NYC: I'll be heading down there this summer and (obviously!) need to visit some fabric stores. I used to cruise around Orchard St. but that was many years ago. This time through I'll have my daughter in tow and have promised her that we won't spend too much time fabric shopping. So, long-winded way of asking: can anyone recommend one or two SPECIFIC stores ( or even a specific block) for: - good quality lightweight linen - silks (not dupioni, which is easy enough to find elsewhere) but especially taffetas or heavier silks suitable for 18th-19th cent - fine lawns, voiles or cottons suitable for early 19th cent. And, of course, all at super discounts!! Thanks. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] OT: meeting at SUNY Stony Brook
Hey, I used to work at SUNY Stony Brook! A couple things to consider: check out the LIRR schedule at http://lirr42.mta.info/. There are only a handful of trains from Stony Brook and they take about 1.5-2 hours because of transfers. If someone could give you a ride down to the Ronkonkoma station, the trains leave once an hour during midday and even more frequently during morning rush hour. The train ride is shorter, too--about an hour and fifteen. (Drive to Ronkonkoma from Stony Brook? hmmm--about 15-20 mins if the traffic isn't too bad, so overall it might add up to the same--just depends on how the SB schedule fits your day.) The Cloisters is so tempting, but again, time is the enemy. It's way way uptown. If you are at the Met you've got to get across Central Park, then take the A-train up to 190th, then about a 10 minute walk through Tryon Park. (http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm). So, add at least an hour or two to your day for travel time if you want to head up there. You're also just in time for the newly expanded exhibit space at the Morgan Library (http://www.themorgan.org/exhibitions/default.asp) featuring a best of illuminated manuscripts. Yum! If you like Renaissance Vienna you're in luck--the Frick has a Veronese exhibit--http://www.frick.org/exhibitions/current.htm. (I usually go there to pay homage to Holbein's portrait of Thomas More. The Frick is more known for it's furniture/bronzes than for it's painting collections but the Veronese exhibit looks interesting.) Closer to Stony Brook, there's the Carriage Museum (now called the Long Island Museum, http://www.longislandmuseum.org) right in town. They have a wedding gown exhibit going in June. If you like gardens, my favorite is Old Westbury Gardens (http://www.oldwestburygardens.org/), seen in umpteen movies and advertisements--gorgeous look at what the Gold Coast used to be all about--about a half hour's drive away. - Hope (who is happy to have moved to Vermont but sometimes really misses NYC!) ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] NYHS: New Exhibit
Those of you who are or plan to be in New York city this spring may want to visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/web/default.php?section=whats_newpage=detail_prid=5765978 GROUP DYNAMICS: FAMILY PORTRAITS AND SCENES OF EVERYDAY LIFE AT THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY EXHIBITION OPENS A visual treasury of 18th and 19th century America on display May 5, 2006 through September 17, 2006 The New-York Historical Society (N-YHS), New York City’s first museum, presents Group Dynamics: Family Portraits and Scenes of Everyday Life at the New-York Historical Society, an unprecedented exploration of group portraiture drawn from the Society’s extensive collection of paintings, photographs and sculpture. The exhibition features 90 works of art ranging from masterpieces of colonial, federal, and Victorian- era painting to painted portrait miniatures and souvenir tintypes. Group Dynamics opens on May 5, and is on view through September 17, 2006 at the New-York Historical Society, located at Central Park West and 77th Street. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Showing off my 18th century work
Suzi Clarke wrote: If anyone is interested, this website, a newly revised one, has a large number of my 18th century costumes in its gallery. www.minuetcompany.org Wow--that's all I can say--wow! - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] linen sale head's up
For those of you who like to line with lightweight linen, there are two colors on sale at fabric.com: tan and khaki, $3.75/yd http://www.fabric.com/clearance-fabric-fashion-fabric-clearance-47-discount-fabric-30-off-apparel-fabrics.aspx Lots of silk organzas, too... - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] quickie textile guide
What a great guide for new sewers! I did wonder about a couple of things: - the muslin/calico thing: I believe in England the use of the terms is the reverse of what it is here in the States. That may not be an issue for the people you will be handing this to, but you may want to note that for people who find your guide online - I've usually seen batiste, cambric, and lawn as terms applied to cottons but not linens - (not a comment about the guide--just a question for the group, out of curiosity) do many people use 5-7oz linen for shifts? Just curious--I always use the 3.5 oz linen from fabrics-store.com... - lately many of the online fabric stores (Joann's too) have been selling cotton twill, which is a better weight for pants/tunics than broadcloth, if one absolutely must go with cotton instead of wool. Might be worth a mention. - might want to warn them that if they use tropical weight wool for garments they may need to be lined - shantung is a tough one. From some stores, the shantung is very close to dupioni (a sheen, and fewer slubs). In others, it's closer to a noile (no sheen). - dupioni vs. noile: putting these together might really confuse new folks. Dupioni tends to be shinier and look more like silk to the untrained eye, while noile tends to look more like a cotton. - silk organza is showing up in quite a few places now. Do you want to mention it? - how about cotton velvet vs. rayon velvet vs velveteen: another one that confuses people whew! I hope that's not too much--just some musings... - Hope [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.alfalfapress.com/dress/quickie_textile_guide.html This is my first draft, so any input would be appreciated!! ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Regency Help!
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I am not really familiar with the Regency era; however I really liked the dress that Jayne (Rosamund Pike) wore in the opening scene of the latest version of Pride Prejudice (with Keira Knightly) – she wears the same style dress a different points throughout the movie, one in pink and the other in blue. I have looked at the patterns sites that carry Regency patterns (Sense Sensibility, etc.) but have been unable to locate anything like this. There is a dress with an overcoat (?) that has an under-the-bust piece to connect either side of the overcoat. While I have not seen the movie Sense Sensibility with Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood, I have seen screen shots and she is wearing a similar style outfit, a peach white gown on a picnic. http://www.geocities.com/mm_regency1/ss_mpwd.html Does anyone know what the overcoat is called and what type of dress the base dress is? Isn't this a marvelous style? The Sense and Sensibility versions are a bit toned down in fullness, but it was still nice that they included this style. I've seen it most often called a robe or open robe. It's a brief transition style from the late 18th century robe a l'anglaise where the lower part of the bodice is cut away. This gown, from the Victoria and Albert Museum, shows the transition. You can see the evolution: start with the earlier 18th waistline, then move the waist up and make the gown even more open at front, continue until waistline is very high, replace rich silk petticoat with full muslin underdress/chemise dress, and voila! http://images.vam.ac.uk/images/photo/sch/20030207/high/1088-005.jpg Here are several variations, all from the late 1790s: Gold Stripe silk robe from Met Museum of Art (image: Columbia) http://www.columbia.edu/itc/barnard/theater/kirkland/3136/Early_19th_Century_Gallery/pages/1795.5.htm and another view: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dreh/ho_C.I.37.46.1.htm Open robe, brown silk, Manchester City Gallery http://www.manchestergalleries.org/costume/catalogue/Display.php?irn=13418QueryPage=/costume/catalogue/index.php Silk dress (rear view) Los Angeles City Museum http://collectionsonline.lacma.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=recordid=21549type=101 and an Italian version in glazed linen, also from LACMA: http://collectionsonline.lacma.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=recordid=40930type=101 First image at: http://exposition2005.monsite.wanadoo.fr/page3.html Long sleeved day dress version: http://images.vam.ac.uk/images/photo/sch/20030207/high/1087-012.jpg And another from MMOA: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/eudr/hob_1998.222.1.htm And this, worn as a wedding dress in the U.S., shows the pleating in the back: http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_art.asp?recview=trueid=49614coll_keywords=wedding%20dresscoll_package=0coll_start=1 And a couple of fashion plates (two of them may be redrawings) http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/evening-plates/1790s-gown-gloves.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/evening-plates/1795-threegowns-columbia.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/evening-plates/1797-muslin-glove.jpg Janet Arnold shows a similar gown in her Patterns of Fashion from this period. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] RE back side lacing was:Stomacher --a photo demo
Here are a few examples from the Bradfield book Bjarne mentioned: Early style (1803-10): Apron front: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/books-helps/bradfield-costume-p88.jpg anther apron style: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/books-helps/bradfield-costume-p89.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/books-helps/bradfield-costume-p90.jpg Back closure ties and button: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/books-helps/bradfield-costume-p92.jpg Back closure, ties and hooks: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/books-helps/bradfield-costume-p94.jpg Another variation of the apron style: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/books-helps/bradfield-costume-p96.jpg Here's a later style (1815ish) with back hooks: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/evening-extant/1815-ball-peach-mccord.JPG and one with ties (c. 1823): http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/evening-extant/1823-clear-blue-bowes.jpg It's a bit odd to modern eyes because there are gaps, but beneath the gaps would have been a shift, probably some form of stays, and a petticoat. - Hope (who is currently in the throes of pulling together materials for a presentation to the local English Country Dance Group on early 19th century gowns, probable title It's All in the Details, or, How to Make a Regency Ballgown that Doesn't Look Like a Hippie Prom Dress) Jean Waddie wrote: This pink dress reminded me... a friend is making a Regency style gown, for a party so it doesn't have to be particularly authentic, but neither of us can work out - how/where do they fasten? Some have buttons down the centre back, but most don't seem to have any visible opening. Please, somebody, give us a clue? ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] RE back side lacing was:Stomacher --a photo demo
I should have added: several have a tie at the back neck that is actually a drawstring that goes through the entire neckline. I used this method in my first ballgown (from Bradfield, 1823). It worked a treat! Just pulling it lightly closed cinched up the entire neckline so that the bodice fitted smoothly--no gaps around the bust, neck, or shoulders. - Hope Here's a later style (1815ish) with back hooks: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/evening-extant/1815-ball-peach-mccord.JPG and one with ties (c. 1823): http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/evening-extant/1823-clear-blue-bowes.jpg ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] short sleeved kirtle {was Princess Elizabeth}
There are several images of working women in the DaCosta Hours who are wearing the short sleeve/protective sleeve combo. Here they are: http://www.uvm.edu/%7Ehag/sca/work/index.html And as Suzi added, quite a few late 15th century versions of short sleeved gowns. Here are some (scroll down to the kirtle section). I notice this has become a very popular look in SCA/Ren Faire circles. http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/sca/15th/ I agree with you about that multi-panel skirt--fascinating! Here's a bit of a close-up: http://www.uvm.edu/%7Ehag/sca/15th/weyden2.jpg (A couple examples of the odd hat as well.) Though I don't have scans of them, there are a couple non-Italian 15th cent. depictions of women in sleeveless gowns. One was either Netherlandish or German--a woman attending the birth of the Virgin Mary--but I'll have to go look it up. - Hope Kimiko wrote: H... maybe I am putting 2+3 and getting 7 here, but could this image below be an example of a short sleeved kirtle with an attached sleeve? Suzi Clarke added: http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/m/michele/index.html And there are several short sleeved garments in paintings by Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1450, one of which clearly shows the pin holding the sleeve on, although this may actually be from the shoulder strap. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/weyden/magdalen.jpg The Descent from the Cross (huge, in the Prado in Madrid. She is wearing what looks like a gown made from oblongs of wool - quite fascinating- I spent ages in front of it and still haven't worked it out!). (Also called the Deposition from the Cross) http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/weyden/decent.jpg ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] RE: h-costume Digest, Vol 5, Issue 207
re: the petticoat: Red may well have been a favorite color but it should be noted that the term scarlet is also a tricky one. At times it has referred not to a color but to a type of cloth, generally a really fine smooth wool. One of the essays in Harte, N.B. and K.G. Ponting, Cloth and clothing in medieval Europe : essays in memory of Professor E.M. Carus-Wilson (London: Heinemann Educational Books ; [Edington] : Pasold Research Fund, 1983). discusses this but I don't have the book to hand to specify which one. - Hope and references to the reproduction of the costume worn by Princess Elizabeth in the 1546 portrait at Windsor and the name of the pdf was Sources_for_Elizabeth.pdf) that did talk a little about the petticoat: http://www.ninyamikhaila.com/Images/Sources_for_Elizabeth.pdf ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] RE: Men's shoes 1800-1810 question
Though they are not images of extant shoes, so not as useful for details as the image Marc posted, here are some drawings of people dancing. They should provide an idea of what men's dance shoes were like, at least at the latter end of your date range (and a bit beyond): http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/rgnclfil.html#danc - Hope From: Suzi Clarke [EMAIL PROTECTED] I was wondering wat kind of shoes a men would be wearing at a ball in 1800-1810. I have some pictures of men but they are wearing boots ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Olympics costumes
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I think the costumes from last night's long program were an improvement over the compulsory dance ones. I was impressed that the few I saw actually seemed to fit the theme of the music--Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, and flamenco. ...and then there were the Italians! (http://www.nbcolympics.com/2006/0220/5121831_640X480.jpg) My first reaction to their costume was hey, that looks like something I'd put together when my daughter says 'Mom, can you make me a fantasy costume for an event...it starts in an hour' My husband called it the walked through a fabric store with glue on look. Second reaction was: then again, it looks like a modern interpretation of some nice early Baroque opera costumes Of course, when the music started (music from movie 'Prince of Eygypt') I couldn't help but think yeah I can see Moses and Zippora tending sheep in that outfit... But the skating was lovely! - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Olympics costumes
Anyone remember the fantastical costumes of another favorite ice dancing pair, the Russian team of Bestimianova and Butin who dominated the sport in the 1980s? For the 1988 Olympic long program they wore this black and gold number: http://www.holidayonice.com/img/stars_nathalie_andre.jpg That was also the year of the dueling Carmens Katerina Witt and Debi Thomas. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Wife of Bath's headcovering
Here's the appropriate bits from Hodges, Laura F. Chaucer and Costume: The Secular Pilgrims in the General Prologue. (Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2000) pp. 163 - 172. Echoes what has already been said here, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless! BTW, here's the usual picture: http://www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer/zatta/wife.jpg Excerpts, without footnotes: Alisoun's Sunday garb includes three items of expensive dress commonplace in estates satires: a headdress notable enough to swear by, fine red hosiery, and new shoes. Those members of parliament who wished, through sumptuary laws, to regulate dress according to income and birth would probably agree that the Wife's cumulative inheritances and her cloth-making success entitled her to dress in this manner...However, the satirists and moralists would not have been so generous... The moralists were most concerned with what they deemed excess in dress as it demonstrated the sin of pride... Hodges then goes on to give examples of how Chaucer and others often used an ornate headdress to signify pride, vanity, temptation/unchaste behavior, and/or an attempt to challenge their husbands as heads of households, but continues... However, the study of the history of costume and textiles throws additional light on the coverchiefs suggested in Chaucer's description. In the past, critics have debated the nature of these coverchiefs and the issue of how fashionable they may have been. To clarify these separate issues, several things must be considered. 'Hir coverchiefs ful fyne weren of ground' (I, line 453) which Riverside glosses 'fine in texture', indicates quality. However, the first MED definition for ground in this context is 'the background for ornamentation of fabric', and both the MED and OED cite Chaucer's usage in this line as the first literary example. Further, this definition facilitates a better understanding of Chaucer's attribution of heavy weight to this headdress. Granted that a fine fabric was used, what kind of decorated coverchiefs might make a weight of ten pounds? Stella Mary Newton and Mary M. Giza provide an answer to this question. They describe a veil headdress that began to appear in illuminations and sculpture by the 1360s, one which they characterize as 'veils edged with a forest of frills in airy layers almost impossible to count' and very difficult for sculptors to portray except in a stylized manner... [list some examples and provides drawing of the headdress that should be familiar to most h-costumers!]...The multiple frills at the veil's edge are achieved through a weaving process, by adding considerably to the threads at the selvedge edge, thus producing the fluted or goffered appearance, and additional weight. The air flow from the forward movement of dame Alisoun, striding toward the alter rail, would have lifted and fluffed the frills of such coverchiefs and added to the appearance of fullness and weight...Nevertheless even the most beruffled coverchiefs would be unlikely to weight ten ounds...and we should read the narrator's oath...as comic hyperbole directed at a fanciful headdress. As funeral brasses from the 1360s onward make clear, elegant coverchiefs so beruffled that they give the impression of heacy weight were in style in the late 1380s. They were neither a new style nor a fading style at that time, and Chaucer's description suggests that the Wife wears such a headdress, one that demonstrates her knowledge of fine quality in fabric and familiarity with special weaving techniques. In her portrait her coverchiefs serve as her hallmark; they adorn at the same time that they advertise, both for business and pleasure, especially so since, for dame Alisoun, the two are so frequently indistinguishable. Hodges goes on to suggest that an additional association between coverchief and the word coverture. Legally, coverture is 'the condition or position of a woman during her married life, when she is by law under the authority and protection of her husbane' (OED), a definition that the Wife's description of her five marriages makes highly ironic and that invests any coverchiefs, symbol of marital subjection, with the same irony. The Wife's coverchiefs, then, are a highly charged costume sign: they are literally a gesture of submission to her married and legal status, as depited in Chaucer's designation 'good WF' (line 445) and to St. Paul's dictum that womne's heads should be covered in church; economically the proclamation of a cloth-maker's community status and wealth; aesthetically the beautiful veiling of an attractive, seductive woman, and morally the announcement of a woman's pride, materialism, and by extension her unchastity, her sexual manipulation confessed so blatently in her Prologue. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Seriously off topic - need advice
Dawn wrote: Kate, over here most American students never get the chance to study abroad for a year, it's usually a special program for top students with costs borne entirely by the family so very few can afford it. But the programs do tend to be more varied than just languages. If the student happens to be at a University that has a Study Abroad Exchange program, the costs are the same as attending their school for that year (plus a couple hundred in extra fees, and airfare). More info can be found at http://www.isep.org/. Definitely worth checking out if you have a future student considering colleges and thinking about study abroad at some point. - Hope (whose daughter just finished a semester in South Korea and is now in Japan--wish those programs had been in place when I was going to school! Oh, costume content--she just sent me some silk from South Korea. Next Regency gown here I come...) ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Regency question
Diana Habra wrote: Day dress http://www.vintagetextile.com/new_page_537.htm Wow! I got lost on this site for about an hour. And 100 pages of printer Yes, isn't that a wonderful site! I also found this one quite helpful: http://demode.tweedlebop.com/realvict/ Seeing the construction details are marvelous. One thing I did find challenging about these extant gown sites, though: very often they display the clothes on modern mannequins or dress forms. It gives one an improper impression of how the gown should hang, usually because the bust is lower and shaped differently than a corseted figure. Just something to take into account when making the gown... - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Holbein at Portland, was re: Planning my first Tudor
Good news for Holbein fans in or near Portland, Oregon. NYTimes has an article today on the current exhibit at the Portland, Oregon museum of Art: Madonna With Basel Mayor Jakob Meyer and His Family, is on view in the United States for the first time in a widely anticipated exhibition at the Portland Art Museum in Oregon. (That would be this one: http://www.portlandartmuseum.org/asp/special_exhibitions/exhibitions.asp?exhibitionID=39 The show, Hesse: A Princely German Collection, provides both a rare public glimpse of one of the finest private art collections in Europe and an indirect primer on German laws governing cultural patrimony: six paintings in the show, including the Holbein, are on that country's list of unexportable national treasures. Also mentions some 15th century Flemish tapestries but doesn't specify. Runs through March 19. Full NYTimes article at: (free registration may be required to read article) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/02/arts/design/02hess.html?pagewanted=2thadxnnl=1emc=thadxnnlx=1130938652-nNlXwHi5AgBqUkb/wV7oDA Information about the exhibit at: http://www.portlandartmuseum.org/asp/special_exhibitions/exhibitions.asp?exhibitionID=39 catalog and links to some images of the objects - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Re: ballgown
Thanks everyone for the comments on the regency gown. I expected the sheer embroidered fabric to be a pain to sew but it was surprisingly easy--a new, tiny, sharp needle probably helped. I'll consider adding the satin to more than just the sleeves. Next up: this one! http://www.vintagemartini.com/clothing/victorian/pages/1431.html They say c. 1810 but I'm betting it's later given the heaviness of the bodice decoration. It would probably require some heavy stylised skirt/hem piped decoration and a corded petticoat as well. What do you think? And for fabric I'm thinking silk taffeta... - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] First Regency
A couple of months ago I had questions about constructing my first early-19th century gown. So many of you were very helpful--many thanks! The corset went well, as did the petticoat and shift. I wore the gown to my first English Country Dance ball. Here's a pic: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/ballgown.jpg Here's what I like/don't like/plan to do differently next time: 1) Fabric: I always tell myself not to get sucked in to fabrics that aren't authentic looking just because you liek them. I didn't heed myself this time: I absolutely fell in love with the fabric. It's an embroidered sheer. The colors/pattern would do better for an early 20thc entury dress, but I couldn't resist. sigh. 2) The underdress/lining is a pale green silk shantung. Shantung wasn't my first choice, but it was on super sale at fashionfabrics and I thought for a first attempt I'd better mind the budget. 3) The sleeves are a variation of a gown in the McCord museum. The petals are a bit ballet-costume maybe. 4) The pattern is basically from Nancy Bradfield's Costume in Detail gown from 1823, drawn on p. 119. 5) In the pic I drew in the neckline ribbon a bit too tightly in the front. Should be worn with the neckline wider. But generally, I'm pretty happy with it! I also made a white day gown that's a much closer replica of an 1815 gown in Bradfield but no pics yet. Comments that would be helpful for the next attempt would be welcome! Next up: for the holidays, another ball gown, probably a taffeta, late teens-early 20's, solid color with piping details. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] First Regency
Thanks! Yes, it must be the flash. I used green silk satin for the peatls on top of the sleeves and the band with triangles at the bottom of the sleeves, but the shine of the satin reflected in the flash. - Hope Dawn wrote: Gorgeous! I love that embroidered fabric! What is the gold(?) stuff at the sleeves? It looks a little odd, maybe because of the flash. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] 1st Regency
Thank you Diana, Dawn, Ann, Cindy and David (hope I didn't miss anyone!) for your responses to my questions about a Regency gown. I've got three weeks to pull this together, so I'm trying to buy the fabric now. Anyone care to comment? For the day gown, I've gotten some lovely white cotton from Delectable Mountain Fabrics (their web site seems to have temporarily disappeared--I stopped there on the way home this past weekend--talk about drool city!) It has a subtle stripe/dot dobby pattern and just enough body to not be diaphonous. I'd like to wear this with a spencer, so that's the next purchase. Some fabric choices for that are: Pink Check Dupioni http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/home/catalog_itemdetail.cfm?ItmID=L082 or Blue or green linen http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/home/catalog_itemdetail.cfm?ItmID=J248 http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/home/catalog_itemdetail.cfm?ItmID=J311 I also picked up some gorgeous white satin batiste. Scrumptious. Not sure if it should be for a petticoat (it would be a really fine one) or an undergown of the ball dress. Ball gown choices: Joann's had a bolt of $5/yd pale pink china silk with widely, but regularly, scattered embroidered flowers. The flowers are small, simple, with green stems (maybe 1/4 high, about a foot apart). Not quite right--just a single flower not a sprig, but I couldn't resist buying it. Now I'm thinking the color is too young. So, some other possibilities: Blue Silk Gauze for an overgown (over white silk/silk satin, or maybe that satin batiste) with some kind of trimming, maybe a rouleau at the neckline or looped up with rosettes at the hem (in your dreams, lady!): http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/home/catalog_itemdetail.cfm?ItmID=B969 Joann's also had a sheer nylon sort-of-organza embroidered all over with a pale blue and sage green flower/stem. Again, not quite right but very pretty. Then there's the bonnet to make, and a turban for the ball (my hair is too short for an up-do. So, what do you think? - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] 1st Regency
Hi - There's an event coming up in early September for which I'd like to make my first regency gown, c1815. I'm interested in authenticity (will gladly sacrifice modern notions of what is flattering to acheive it). I'll be drafting everything myself. Does anyone have advice on the following: 1) As a matron of, ahem, mature years, I'm planning on making a corset. Though it dates to a bit later, I thought I might go with the more substantial corset as seen in the Kyoto Museum http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/1819stay.jpg) instead of the Corset á Ninon (http://www.regencygarderobe.com/First%20Decade%20corsetry.htm). Any comments on that one? 2) Under the corset will go the linen shift, of course, but over that I'll need a petticoat. I'm a bit confused by some of the websites I've been visiting: were period petticoats shaped like the gowns that went over them, that is, with a small sleeveless bodice, like a slip? Would you recommend linen or cotton? 3) The event has some day events and a ball in the evening. Since there isn't much time, though, I was hoping I could cheat by making a gown that could be used for the ball, but making a spencer or pelisse to cover it up, and wearing a chemisette to disguise it further. (I'll swap a bonnet for a turban, too.) The two examples I'm leaning towards are: http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/02-1810walkingspencer.jpg or http://www.uvm.edu/~hag/regency/01-acandace-1815-2-yes.jpg This would probably mean making the gown white cotton. Would that be OK for a ball gown, especially for someone my age? 4) Since the local Joann's is woefully limited when it comes to fine cottons, I was going to order some from online (Farmhouse Fabrics? any otheres?). Which is lighter: lawn or batiste? Recommendations either way? (For a future day gown I was wondering if this would be appropriate: http://webstore.quiltropolis.net/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=94847281015469484Store_id=198page_id=23Item_ID=8294) 5) Since this event is in the context of the 1815 Battle of Plattsburgh, New York (http://www.battleofplattsburgh.com/main.html) I was wondering if I should be focusing on styles from a few years earlier. How up to date do you think a well-to-do lady from New York, Philadelphia, or Boston would be? So many questions! But this group is always so helpful!! Thanks. - Hope ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
