Something New in Menswear (For me, at least)

 

During my last trip to Tombstone, I decided to try something different with my new suit- French cuffs! Yes, French cuffs! Essentially, French cuffs require dedicated cufflinks and they can only really be worn buttoned up- no casual unbuttoning the cuffs and rolling them up and because of this, they have become out of favor with the today’s more casual styles. However, in the late 19th Century, they were more of a thing. Just a little backstory, I ordered two shirts from a fairly well-known maker and somehow my order got confused and when I received them (after almost 18 months), I discovered that they’d been made with French cuffs. Initially, I just put them at the back of the closet and forgot about them…but later, I rediscovered them while re-arranging my closet and I got the idea of finally wearing them.

Don’t mind the stray thread!

Attaching the cufflink can be somewhat challenging in that you have to work it through four thick layers of fabric… 😁

Don’t mind the stray thread there… 🙂

The inside of the cufflink. It’s a pretty simple design. And the actual cufflinks:

Unlike more modern versions, earlier cufflinks tended to have a more simple design for attachment. This is a pair of very simple vintage 1890s cufflinks that I got off ebay:

I like simple designs. Here’s a view of the short-front:

It turned out that I also needed button studs for the front- thankfully, I had some that I usually use when I wear my tails. 😁 And now, the final package:


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Worth: The Father of Haute Couture

We’ve been making some listing videos for the Etsy store but it turned out that they were too large for Etsy…but, not wanting to let them go to waste, we decided to put them up here. Written by fashion historian Diana de Marly, this book is the only English language definitive book on the life and work of Charles Frederick Worth. Unfortunately, it’s been out of print since 1990 or so, which is sad because of its unique nature. Check it out in our Etsy store:

 

Fashion: A History from the 18th to the 20th Century

This is another video that was too big to put on Etsy so here it is…

 

This is Fashion: A History from the 18th to 20th Centuries by the Kyoto Costume Institute (various authors) which covers a 200-year period. Drawing upon the the Kyoto Costume Institute collection, this one-volume work gives a broad overview and while it’s admittedly very small (around 5″ x 7″), it’s very comprehensive and easy to handle. It’s the perfect size for quick reference and handy to have in the sewing room. Check it out at our Etsy store:

https://www.etsy.com/AtelierLilyAbsinthe/listing/1149801675/book-fashion-a-history-from-the-18th-to?utm_source=Copy&utm_medium=ListingManager&utm_campaign=Share&utm_term=so.lmsm&share_time=1641689288790

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From the Parlor at No. 11

Good morning everyone! We’re recovering from our drive back from Arizona and gradually getting things back to some state of normalcy. 😁 As you probably know by know, we’re in the process of putting together some new looks for 2022 as well as utilizing our Tombstone house as a backdrop for some of what we do. Here’s just a few pictures of this past weekend:

Karin modeling her 1880s tea gown with some assistance from Angus. Karin’s tea gown is based off a pattern that she drafted based off of an original period pattern.

And me, rocking a new smoking jacket that Karin and I made together using a pattern from Black Snail.

And here I am hamming it up for the camera in the parlor… 😁

Finally, the both of us along with Miss Fiona.