Icy dress for Natalie

Here is one of my old works - light empire dress of blue silk chiffon for Natalie.

The inspiration comes from her new hand embroidered shawl with nice paisley ornaments that you can see on the picture below. And my work was to create a gown that will match perfectly with this accessory and, at the same moment, be wonderful itself.

The decisions comes immediately -  it should be light, glowing from the inside dress, simple, but refined at the same time, decorated with embroidery (made by another artisan), based on tracery lines of shawl figures. Hours of work - and here it is)

I'm in love with the result. And you? 

Sky blue ensemble, inspired by KCI walking dress ca.1815 for Cynthia

Yesterday I'd made the last fitting of the dress, now it's just a question of covering buttons with silk and finishing some other little decorative details. So in few weeks I'll share with you a high quality pictures of the ensemble and add a long post to describe everything about it. Now it's just a couple of fast-made photos of a happy owner as a prelude ;)

The inspiration of the project is a spencer jacket, underbodice and skirt from Kyoto Costume Institute, dated ca.1815.

But we go further, and now we have different looks with less material used:

• Velvet skirt with white silk simple sleeveless bodice, decorated with plait, trimmed with silk pipping;
• Long-sleeve spencer, the idea is taken from KCI item;
• Ball/evening spencer from velvet, but with silk sleeves, decorated with scallops and pleating;
• Regency bonnet, with plumes, silk trims and pearls, made in style of 1810s.

Walking dress from an apple dream

I hope, I give you enough time to enjoy my previous garments, cause now it's time to present a new one, taken from a never ending collection of Victoria and Albert Museum.
This redingote of light apple-green tussah silk, silk satin the same color and many inches of white silk piping is almost an exact copy of one of the most known item of V&A - ca.1810 walking dress ensemble, dated 1817-1820:

The outfit is slightly inspired by military uniform, but so perfectly feminine with all this floral details, silk tassels and elegant cording, that I change almost nothing, just add more contrast using different textures and colors.

The walking dress (or carriage dress) itself consisting of spencer jacket and sleeveless dress. Also I get a nice brown leather boots with front lasing to match, short white leather gloves and made a silk satin regency bonnet, decorated with white plumes and silk ribbons and sew fancy white muslin shirt (pictures of the underwear will be in one of the future posts).

The short waist length spencer has a centre front opening, fastens with white metal hooks and eyes. The collar is stiffened and turned down, shaped to points at the sides and at the centre back, each trimmed with a small silk tassel. The sleeves are long with a puffed epaulet of silk satin leaves. The cuff is trumpet shaped, held at the wrist by a satin cuff band with tassels. The front is trimmed with curving satin bands, and the ends are trimmed with tassels. The waistband is made by silk satin to emphasize the waistline. Spenser is lined with cream cotton. By the edge of the collar and cuffs I also add light silk lase with floral pattern.

The dress has a small sleeveless bodies, lined with cotton, and the hem, padded and above decorated with applied satin border of an undulating edge and curved bands in each hollow, "linked to the bottom of the band with an applied cordonné pleated band"(c).