Another Pink Robe de Style

Another fantastic pink robe de style! This dress was recently sold by Carolyn Forbes Textiles and Antique Fashion.

Carolyn Forbes Textiles

Carolyn Forbes Textiles

The description from the website reads -
     "Vintage 1920 Whimsical iridescent pink silk robe de style dress. - Coquette! whimsical and festive iridescent pink silk party dress dating to the late teens early 1920's, done in the robe de style. With overlapped v front and back with dropped waist that sits snug on the hips, with tight smocking of the skirt here. Grand fluffy silk bow with streamers on one side. Full skirt that is longer in the back, with the addition of appliqued multi pointed star shaped medallions each side of the skirt accented with a center floral done in tinted ribbon work, deep interior facing of iridescent blue silk. Fancy and definitive of a short period in early 20thc fashion, probably French no labels. ..."

The large bow on the hip is indeed whimsical, as is the silk ribbon flower on the skirt. The bow reminds me a little of the one on my own pink robe de style. I really like the smocking detail on the drop waist. The hem is lined with a light blue/gray silk which I think makes a really pretty contrast. The fact that the skirt is longer in the back then in the front is not all that unusual. You actually see that quite a bit in 1920s fashions.

Carolyn Forbes Textiles

There are additional pictures of this dress on the Carolyn Forbes Textiles and Antique Fashion website here. Enjoy!

Research and Inspiration Page Updates

Greetings,
I just wanted to let you all know that I have updated my Research and Inspiration Page. I have added a whole new list of books, a few additional links to museums, and new sources for fabric. I've added a little bit here and there since I started my blog but this is the first big update.

Most links for books will take you to Amazon.com but there are other places you can purchase them. Burnley and Trowbridge, for example, carry many of the 18th century costume/fabric books. Also consider inter-library loan!

Have suggestions for additional resources? Just let me know and I'll add them!

Who Wore What?: Women's Wear, 1861-1865, by Juanita Leisch (Author), Thomas Publications (PA); 1 Ed edition (April 1995)

Mitts and Gown Trimming Workshops

Another excellent set of Hive workshops this past weekend! It was a very busy day at the Major John Buttrick House in Lexington, Mass. There were three workshops taking place - making an 18th century hand sewn shift with Sharon Burnston, trimming a gown and constructing mitts with Hallie Larkin and Stephanie Smith.

MET 11.60.232a,b

The gown trimming workshop was very informative. Using silk scraps we practiced different techniques used in making 18th century trim - pinking, ruching, box pleating, and gathering. We also made rosettes and bows and briefly discussed options for adding cuffs and sleeve ruffles. Our examples made in class will be mounted on a board to use as references for our individual future projects. We had a chance to examine an original silk stomacher and a set of sleeve flounces trimmed with fly fringe. What I found particularly useful was the discussion of trims that were available in the 18th century and how we can best replicate them with the resources we have available today. Like it or not, when it comes to certain kinds of trim, even the most accurate costumer may have to compromise. Finding trim that is made of something other than poly can be really difficult. I've seen a few options that were 100% silk but they were very costly.

The workshop covered the importance of having a plan before you begin trimming your gown. Take a look at original examples, either surviving garments or period art work. Don't make stuff up! Decide what design will work best for you, your fabric, and the time period you want to represent. Some fabrics will pleat or gather better than others. Most of our silk brocades, for example, will not hold a cut edge so they will need to be finished. Making a sketch of your gown with different trim ideas will give you a good idea of what your finished gown will look like.

A helpful hint  - make a paper template to use as a guide for S curves and large amounts of trim on your gown skirts and petticoat. I wish I had known that when I made my ivory gown. It would have saved some aggravation in figuring out how much fabric to use. Pleats and gathering will take up a lot more fabric then you may think!

MET 32.35.1a, b

Close up of box pleats MET 11.60.232a,

MET 26.56.2a–c

The most difficult part of the trim class was learning to make fly fringe. The technique is not all that hard but the silk floss was so slippery and liked to stick to everything! It also was prone to knotting easily which is both good and bad. Good because making fly fringe involves tying lots of little knots, but bad because if you're not careful you will have knots in your silk floss where you don't want them. The silk floss we used in the workshop came from the Japanese Embroidery Center

Here is the fly fringe I started making in class.

The afternoon workshop was constructing a pair of mitts. A must have accessory! For a look at the original pair those in the workshop were patterned after take a look at Hallie's post - Mitt Madness. Black silk with yellow silk embroidery! I'm making my mitts out of a lovely light weight linen. They will have yellow silk embroidery and yellow silk tips just like the originals. All that herringbone stitching is time consuming but I'm looking forward to having a fashionable pair of mitts when I'm done. I don't have pictures of my mitts but hope to post some soon.

Other examples of 18th century mitts
Raspberry silk - MFA 43.1969a-b
Blue silk mitts - MET C.I.44.8.8a, b 
Red silk mitts - MET C.I.44.8.7a, b 

http://www.glovecollectioncatalogue.org/-23448-23463-others

Elsa Schiaparelli Hat from 1940

Let's take a closer look at that fabulous, drool worthy, blue and white hat by Elsa Schiaparelli.

This hat from 1940 is made from a straw base with a blue and white striped cotton covering. A matching blue and white striped bow and a red silk carnation complete the hat. Looks like there may be some kind of bow attached to the underside of the hat as well but it's hard to tell in the picture provided on the MET website. A black elastic helps secure the hat to the head. This is a common feature on hats meant to "perch" on top of the head. This kind of fastener is very discrete, especially if it matches your hair color.

MET Accession # 2009.300.1837

Description of the hat from the MET reads...
        "Red, white and blue are colors often used in nautical flags, and Schiaparelli has playfully interpreted those colors in this sailor-inspired doll hat from her summer 1940 collection. The traditional sailor hat has an even crown and is usually made of straw, but this feminine design, made of a jaunty striped cotton and straw, has a sloping crown, upturned brim and a decorative carnation, which throughout history has symbolized true love and affection. Red, white and blue are also the colors of the French flag and as World War II approached Paris (Paris would fall to Germany in June 1940) this hat could represent Schiaparelli's subtle salute to the French nation."

Here are some close ups of the bow and hat brim. I believe the striped fabric around the brim has some kind of stiffener in it. Possibly some milliners wire but it looks to have more structure than that. Perhaps a piece of basket canning or something similar? The image below also shows how finely woven the straw base of the hat is.

This last image is a nice view of the silk carnation. It looks so real doesn't it? This really is a perfect little hat for summer. Makes me wish the warmer weather would hurry up and get here.

Liebster Blog Award

Greetings!
I had a nice surprise today when I checked my email. Elizabeth from Sew 18th Century awarded me the Liebster Blog Award! I'm truly honored.

I had never heard of the award before so I did a little digging on line. My understanding is that the Liebster Blog Award recognizes blogs with 200 followers or less. Liebster supposedly  means "dearest" or "favorite" in German. The award is a way to recognize and support smaller, up and coming blogs. As part of the requirements for receiving the award, winners need to pass along the honor to five other blogs. A couple of the blogs I was going to list (Struggle Sews a Straight Seam and This Old Life)  have already received the award. A belated congratulations to you!

So here are my five picks:

Fashionable Frolick - I had the great pleasure of working with and getting to know Ashley and Rebecca last summer. We took an 18th century shoe-making workshop together. Their blog shares their adventures in historic costuming and visits to historic sites. Ashley and Rebecca's attention to historic details is outstanding!

Munich Rococo - Writers Alisa and Adam blog in both German and English! Their blog is a great mix of both historic and vintage fashions. I LOVE Adam's gold silk banyan!

Stuck in the 18th Century - Kristen is a graphic artist, photographer, museum planner, and now 18th century re-enactor. Her blog documents her journey learning period sewing techniques as well as some great posts on original 18th century clothing.

1940s Style for You - I love1940s fashions! This blog is full of great images from 1940s magazine, knitting projects, and more. I'm envious of those who knit. It's something I would love to learn but I know I'll never have the time.

A Cat Among the Pigeons - Do you like fashions from the 1930s? This lovely lady certainly does! Her blog shows some of her great 1930s outfits.

Here are the rules for accepting the award:

• Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.

• Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.

• Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.

• Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed.

• Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog.

I enjoy reading your blogs and thank you all for sharing your sewing experiences. Thank you again to Elizabeth for awarding me the Liebster Blog Award. :)