Somewhat belated but here’s our first completely edited video! It was really exciting putting this together and we really learned a lot about video production. It’s probably a little rough at the edges but we’re just getting started. Enjoy! 😁
Victorian Dress
Pattern Review – 1890s Cape by Wearing History
In this video, we review the Victorian 1890s 1899 Ponderosa Cape Pattern- Reversible with Hood and Pockets by Wearing History. This is available for download as a PDF Sewing Pattern and very easy to download and put together.
For our Patrons, we will be releasing more detailed content to include details as to the specific fabrics and trims used, construction techniques, and the design choice that we made bringing this project to life. We highly recommend this pattern and you can get your copy HERE.
One of Our Latest Projects
Want to know more about this fabulous circa 1883-1884 evening dress that we recently made for a client? Become a Patron and find out more! We’re posting exclusive content on our projects for our Patrons. Click on the button below to find out more. 😉
Contrast Colors – The Building Blocks of Fashion
Over the years, we have found that it’s easy to get lost looking at the various styles of Victorian clothing and the tendency is for it all to blend together into a massive collage of “stuff.” What’s a lot harder is to “get under the hood,” so to speak, and attempt to determine the logic of specific style choices. So, in an attempt to shed some light on late Victorian style, we have decided to hone in on one of the most common features in the styles of the era and that’s the use of colors and textures in a deliberate manner to create a specific aesthetic effect. We hope you enjoy our small excursion.
The use contrasting colors and textures was a major element in late Victorian Era fashion and as such, it offered a wealth of style possibilities. During the 1880s, the use of contrast was especially in vogue and there were endless variations on this theme. The use of contrasting colors is an effective method for breaking up what would otherwise make for a plain, monochromatic appearance.
So what are contrasting colors? Simply put, they are colors that are separated by one or more colors on the color wheel and the more colors that stand between them, the greater the contrast. Looking at the color wheel below gives an illustration of this:
Or, to put it another way, the color combinations below would be considered to be high contrast:
Granted, this is somewhat of an oversimplification but it conveys the basic idea. 😃
So, turning to fashion, how does this translate? For the late 19th Century, we see an assortment of contrast colors and one good illustration of this is with this circa Mid/Late 1880s dress that we found on the Augusta Auctions website:
Here we see these basic contrast colors:
Here are some more pictures:
In terms of color, what is also interesting is that celedon is a cool color while the burgundy, and the yellow gold to a lesser extent, are warm colors and this serves to only intensify the contrast. Also, the cut of the overskirt draping over the underskirt is also dramatic and it further emphasizes the contrast. When looking at this dress, eye is immediately drawn to the skirts.
The contrast in colors continues up the bodice, given an enlarged “canvas” to the design and from a distance, this dress could almost be a princess line. Below are some close up views:
Texture also plays a role here in that one can see three different textures at work: a burgundy-colored silk velvet; an overskirt/over bodice of celadon silk brocade; and a yellow gold box-woven silk or cotton.
The above has been a somewhat oversimplified examination of the use of contrast colors in late Victorian fashion but it illustrates one of the basic building blocks of fashion during this period. Stay tuned for more in the future. 🙂
Project: Circa 1884 Evening Dress- Part 1
We thought that we’d start out 2022 with a discussion about our last project: a circa 1884-inspired evening dress. This was a fabulous project for us in that we were able to utilize just about every couture sewing technique in the construction and utilizing authentic materials, and trims. The project began with the client coming to us wanting a circa 1880s ballgown that would have no train and a yellow color theme. Beyond this, the client pretty much gave us carte blanche in our design choices. So where to begin? Well, we turned to Harper’s Bazar, one of our major go-to sources for late 19th Century fashion when we need inspiration and in particular, Victorian Fashions & Costumes from Harper’s Bazar 1867-1898:
Basically, we focused on the right cover image as our starting point. As you can see, the book has gotten a lot of wear over the years and is now falling apart…
And now a little more on the inspiration image on the book cover…it’s actually based on this illustration that appeared in the February 23, 1884 issue of Harper’s Bazar:
Harper’s Bazar, February 23, 1884
Here’s the dress description (I have edited it slightly to make it easier to read):
Figure 2: EVENING DRESS: This graceful dress with a small train is made of sea-foam green silk trimmed with white lace and large clusters of roses of variegated colors- pink, cream, and deep red- held by flots of green velvet or satin ribbon. A deep flounce of ribbon crosses the front and falls upon a narrower flounce. The apron over-and skirt is caught up on each side and joins the back of the, which forms the small train; the back breadths are arranged in a large puff, and in uneven drapery below. The flowers are posed alike on each side of the skirt.
The low pointed corsage [bodice] is of silk, covered by lace put on smoothly as a transparent. A drapery of the silk begins on the right shoulder, crosses the front, and is lost under the flowers on the left side. A smaller bouquet is placed on the left of the corsage. The high coiffure has a cluster of pink and pale green ostrich tips. Painted silk fan, silk stockings, and satin slippers the color of the dress.
As you can no doubt determine from this somewhat long-winded description and accompanying illustration, flowers play a major role in the dress design and this was a major factor in designing the client’s dress except that we used yellow flowers at the client’s request.
To be continued…