The Chemise a la Reine was the first project I made using my new dress form, which I got as a Christmas present in 2010. I draped the whole thing in Jan 2011, using the pattern in
The Cut of Women's Clothes, by Norah Waugh. I was inspired mostly by
this portrait of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier by Jacques-Louis David.
The body of the dress went together very easily, but I did have quite a case of sleevil on this one. You can read my dress diary for the project
here. It is made of white cotton lawn, and trimmed with drapey ruffled lace and velvet ribbon around the neck, with shorter lace at the sleeves, all from Joanns. The sash is made from poly taffeta, three lengths joined together, with a narrow hem down the sides.
To go along with the chemise a la reine, I made a light blue cotton sateen petticoat, a bum pad, and a short-sleeve chemise, and wore them with my blue fully-boned stays. The petticoat is made of two large panels, knife-pleated to bias tape ties, which tie at the waist. The bum pad (cotton stuffed with batting) was based on
American Duchess's design, with three sections, and an eyelet lace ruffle on the edge. The chemise is a standard rectangle with gussets design, and a drawstring neckline, made of muslin. I'll post more on the stays later. I also made an additional petticoat a couple months later, out of blue and white floral striped cotton, using the same knife-pleated to bias tape design.
Other than a quick photo-shoot at home, the first time I wore this was at Costume College 2011, for the Sunday Tea. I have since also worn it for a Regency tea with the South Bay Ladies Tea Guild (since I don't have anything Regency-era), The Queen of Naples Ball in 2011 with the Bay Area English Regency Society, and Bastille Day 2012 with some of the ladies from Somewhere in Time, Unlimited. When I wore it for the Ball, I wore it sans stays, and with my new "Regency" shoes I decorated for the occasion - white $7 Walmart flats to which I added bows made of vintage ribbon, ribbon to wrap around the ankles, and painted the petersham binding and faux seam lines.
 |
| Costume College 2011 |
 |
| Costume College 2011 |
 |
| Costume College 2011 |
 |
| Costume College 2011 |
 |
| The Queen of Naples Ball |
 |
| The Queen of Naples Ball |
 |
| The bum pad |
 |
| My "Regency" Shoes |
No comments:
Post a Comment