The Duchess of Richmond's dress

Silk and embroidered net evening dress, skirt is decorated with baskets, made of silk pipes, and silk hand made flowers.

Cotton petticoat with padded rouleau hem.
Based on the fashion plate from 1819 Ackermann's Repository (April Issue). 

Sewing memories

Detail of my ball dress, inspired by ca.1818 gown from Metropolitan Museum Collection.

 Ivory embroidered net evening dress with silk and glass bead decorations on the base of light pink cotton satin under-dress. 

Hand-sewn, as usual.

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? 

Princess Charlotte's "Pearl Dress", 1817

The one of the maddest projects I've ever come up with was destined for ball in the Tyszkiewicz palace in Trakai, Lithuania.

I made a gown based on the Princess Charlotte's 1817 yellow silk "Pearl Dress". So it is similary beaded in faux pearls and "white silk crimped gauze", but out of velvet - I fell in love with it for it's wonderful deep blue color.

The beading at the hem took approximately 170 hours or 5 weeks time.  And lots of pearls in two sizes - 12000 in fact. Give or take a few.
I'm proud of having actually finished it on time %)

The design pattern will be finished soon, so as the bottom embellishment and the belt, and I'll wear it once again.

And here are more pictures, taken from a book " In Royal Fashion", by Kay Staniland.

Piped pelisse from the Museum of London, ca.1823

Some time ago I visited site of the Museum of London, and fell in love with piped pelisse ca.1823 from it's collection...and decided to sew it.

 

So, as usual, I worked tirelessly during the whole week before Borodino %)

Now, 57 meters of silk cord and many hours later here is my piped pelisse. It is nearly finished and I can be proud of it. 

It is sewn from fine "champagne" wool, decorated with silk braid, embroidered with silk "pipes" and twisted "emerald" wool. Waist fastens with hooks.