Morning fog, pumpkin spice coffee, freezer gets done today, dress fitting, and a bunch of westerns are on today’s lineup. All is well in the Canyon.
Atelier Lily Absinthe
From the Atelier – A Paisley Tea Gown
In a previous post, we looked at a paisley house dress/tea gown from the mid-1890s and noted that the paisley shawls that were a staple of 1850s-60s fashion would up being re-purposed into dresses during the 1870s, 80s, and even 90s. Here’s one such example with this c. 1885-89 tea gown.
Tea Gown, c. 1885-1889; Kent State University Museum; 1995.017.0016
Although the design makes it look like there’s a robe over a separate under-dress, it’s really all a one-piece construction.
And the back is pretty incredible:
Of course, without physically inspecting it, it’s difficult to tell how exactly the paisley shawl might have been incorporated (or if a shawl was actually used versus yardage) but it is somewhat logical given the extensive use of a solid color as an underlayer. The investigation continues… 😎
From the Atelier – What’s On…
Fall is definitely here, even in Southern California and that means the heat has backed off, the days are growing shorter, and the light is definitely different. It also means that we’re working on more projects (no swimming pool to distract us). For me, I’ve been going back and forth between a Mid-1880s dress and a men’s suit. I’ve been pretty bad with the progress pictures but here’s a couple from my work on the suit pants.
Chalking out some lining pieces…
And finished the right and left pocket layouts…they’re quire elaborate. Now to mount them to the right and left front pant pieces… 🙂 And here’s some pictures of the work I did on the vest…
The vest lapels. Lots of pad stitching going on and it will only get worse with the coat. The outcome is really nice but it really takes a toll on my fingers.
Right front side of the vest. There’s more to follow and I’ll try to get some more pictures so everything is a but more coherent. 🙂
Looking Back – Some Past Work – Seafoam Reinterpreted
As we get ready to head out to No. 11 this Labor Day Weekend, we got to thinking about a dress that we made for client living in Tombstone… It’s hard to believe that it’s been eight years since we made this dress but it was one of the most fun projects we ever did and better yet, it now resides in Tombstone. The dress design was intended more for the spring and that’s influenced our color choices for the fashion fabric and the trim. Below are a few views:
This one’s definitely springtime in 1880, perfect for the promenade with dyed to match vintage straw chapeau, re-blocked and sewn on our antique straw machines. Remember, YOU wear the hat, hat does NOT wear you- this is no random assembly of “stuff”. This hat, along with our entire collection of hats, are designed with one person in mind: YOU, the client.
Closeup of hand finished bodice with scalloped neckline treatment with vintage embroidered net and antique lace appliques. The hat is subtle, elegant, and understated with each decorative detail positioned for maximum effect.
Seafoam is an excellent springtime color, conjuring gentle ocean breezes and long leisurely days at the seashore. Embroidered cotton and silk with vintage lace overlays, ruching, and ruffles. As with all our dress designs, this is a unique design constructed expressly for our client and as such, it’s a one-of-a-kind.
Memoirs of Madame Moustache
Here’s some pictures from a film production I worked on as a costume designers back in April…
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