early-mid 1900s bodice

I don't collect extant clothing because I don't have space to store items properly and my apartment is extremely damp because of all the Pacific fog.  

But sometimes I run across something that is just so inexpensive or damaged that I acquire it just to see how it is constructed.

I found this black beaded bodice in a vintage store in Santa Cruz.  The silk lining is shattered but the main bodice fabric, which seems to also be some sort of silk, although with a much more crepe-y texture is mostly intact.  From the shape, I'm estimating it is possibly from around 1900-1905/1906, before the more streamlined shape later in the decade.

The bodice was absolutely dripping in beaded appliques. 

I'm not sure that the appliques are original to the bodice. I think they are definitely vintage since they are all glass beads, but once I removed them there were some very nice dress details that had been covered.  For instance all the pintucks in the front of the bodice, and the nice contrast of the pink lining showing through the lace inserts. 

 I believe the sequined net at the top of the bodice is original to the dress since it is faced with a thin strip of silk that matches the pink lining.

Birthday Bustle Dress

GBACG's fabulous New York Society Tea is on my birthday! This seems like a fabulous opportunity to make anew bustle dress. Fortunately, there is one I've always wanted to make.

Mina's red bustle dress
from Coppola's Dracula. The costumes for the movie were designed by Eiko Ishioka, and are gorgeous. 

My to-do list is pretty intense considering I have 1.5 months:

1. New corset with bust and hip gussets, to hopefully give me more of a later bustle shape.

2. New petticoat bustle, to support the skirts better than my lobster tail bustle.

3. Hundreds of kanzashi flower petals.

4. The actual dress.

Guess I'd better get to work!

18th Century Fan Instructable

Need a fan to go with your 18th century gown?

You can make your own with some bits from the craft store.

I wrote an Instructable about how to make one:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-an-18th-century-style-hand-fan/

And if you've never been to Instructables, clear the rest of your day to just look at amazing projects.

Tiffany Glass at SFO

Alaska Air moved into the international terminal, which has the best exhibit space at the airport. Past the security lines is the usual desolate hellscape of duty free shops and overpriced food. But, before security there are at least 2 good exhibit areas.

The Lace exhibit is gone, but in its place is one on Louis C. Tiffany, who's workshop made fabulous art glass, windows, lampshades, and other useful home items from the 1890s through the Depression.

Tiffany had a Women's Glass Department, headed by Clara Driscoll, which employed women as designers and makers. The lamp below is one of Driscoll's designs.

Glassmakers tools.

 

Fan Friday: Regency Horn Fan



1812 - Ackermann's Repository Series1 Vol 8 - December Issue

Regency is a term often loosely used to refer to the years between the end of the 18th century and the Victorian era.  In costuming it often more specifically encompasses "Empire style" (referring to Napoleon's 1804–1814/1815 empire, and often also to his 1800–1804 "consulate") or "Regency" (most precisely referring to the 1811–1820 period of George IV's formal regency.


The dress silhouette of Western female dress in this era is very distict.  Closely fitted in the bust and falling fairly straight underneath.



1813 - Ackermann's Repository Series1 Vol 10 - December Issue

1814 - Ackermann's Repository Series1 Vol 12 - August Issue

Fans in this era are small but fairly diverse.  There are still folding fans, but a new popular fan style is the brise fan.  Brise fans have no leaf and all the sticks are generally the same length.  Regency Era brise fans came in ivory, bone, wood and horn.  They are generally much smaller than the ones from even a decade before, in the 1790s, and are usually about 6-10 inches in length.  From looking at fashion plates, fans seem to be an evening accessory that coordinate with a ball gown.


1828 - Ackermann's Repository Series 3 Vol 11 - June Issue

This brise fan from my collection is made of horn and decorated with inlaid silver spangles.  Horn can be moulded when heat and pressure are applied.

 

Regency/Empire era horn hand fan, circa 1800-1820

1807 Madame Duvaucey by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (Musée Condé, Chantilly)

This style was probably popular from around 1800-1820.  This painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres shows a horn fan of similar style in a portrait from 1809.



Cosplay at Dragoncon - part one

Dragoncon 2014.  Some fabulous cosplay and costuming at Dragoncon this year.  There were definitely some popular themes, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hunger Games, Joker and Harley Quinn, and of course Maleficient.  Here's the first batch of photos.

 

I am Groot

Animaguri Groot

Baby Groot in a pot

And this amazing full sized Groot. This is some dedicated costuming.

Full Size Groot

And of course some Doctor Who

Old school Cyberman and Dalek

 

With an adorable K-9

That fabulous Alexander McQueen butterfly dress that was in the Hunger Games was very popular, saw several versions.

Hunger Games butterfly dress

 

Butterfly dress with bonus characters

Death of Rats from Terry Pratchett's Discworld.  I've always wanted to make a anamatronic or puppet Death of Rats.

Death of Rats

A lot of Maleficients, here are 2 really nice ones.



Classic Maleficient

New Maleficient

 And no idea what this is, but nicely done.

 

Anyone know what this is?

 

 

 

 

Some Costume College photos - Madame Vastra

I think I've finally got the makeup down. Took about an hour to put on with some assistance from my roommates. A little bit of looseness on the chin after a couple hours.