1913 Estes Dress Foundations Research

     I thought I would start working on the most time-consuming project first, and the Edwardian ensemble is going to take quite some time. Maybe not in construction, but definitely in research, as I haven’t done anything in this era before.

     The project will be called the "Estes Dress."

     My inspiration is Estes Park, founded in the early twentieth century and located less than an hour from where I live. The Stanley Hotel (yes, that Stanley Hotel) was finished in 1909, and the Estes Park Theatre, the oldest-operating movie theater in the western United States, was completed in 1913. I'm digging the color scheme of these buildings, and will probably replicate the colors and some architectural motifs in my design. 

The Stanley Hotel via enjoyestespark.com

Estes Park Theatre via historicparktheatre.com

 I’m aiming for a 1913 silhouette, and need to make an entire set of foundation garments, a dress, a hat, and need to find suitable shoes.

Loving the far right silhouette (via tuppencehapenny.co.uk)

Foundation silhouettes by year (via dentellesetmacramees.wordpress.com)

     First, I’ll start on my foundation garments, of which I am a little intimidated. I have two corset patterns at my disposal: the 1911 corset on page 86 of Waugh’s Corsets and Crinolines, and the 1914 corset on page 87 of Salen’s Corsets. The 1917 Austerity corset on page 91 of Salen’s book is also very similar in silhouette to both of the earlier examples, so that may be an option as well. The desired shape (though there were slight modifications year by year) was a svelte, willowy figure with a minimized waist to hip ratio. As I am super hippy (13" w/h difference), I hope I don't end up looking boxy and/or like a sausage. Fingers crossed on this, guys. 

1911 corset via Corsets and Crinolines page 86

1914 corset via Corsets page 86

1917 corset via Corsets page 91

     For the chemise, I may augment the Edwardian Underthings pattern from Folkwear Patterns, or I may just fudge one from scratch. 

image via pinterest

     I am quite hesitant to venture into this time period, as the fashion called for underbust corsets, and that freaks me out for some reason. I think I would feel awkward even with several layers over my chemise, though a bust improver or early brassiere might help. 

     

     Until next time!

     Meg

New Year, New State, New Projects

     So many things have happened in this new year, and I'm only now starting to get myself sorted. I've moved from sunny Southern California to equally-sunny, but a mite colder, Boulder, Colorado. I'm still a barista, so the caffeine consumption has not changed, and the coffee scene here is fantastic.

     Alex has brought his great-grandmother's industrial Singer (which we have yet to name) with us, so I've said 'so long' to Gunther the Pfaff. We just recently inherited a baby lock, and Wee Clara is still churning right along. Needless to say, our home will be overrun with sewing machines. 

     The only problem: they're all still in storage. 

     With pre-leasing season in full-swing here, we had to search high and low for an available place we really liked. But we found it! And now all I have to do is wait until our move-in date. And wring my hands, and think about all of the progress I could be making for upcoming events. 

     I've decided to take this time, and my nervous energy, and put it to good use: project planning.

     I will definitely be going to Costume College '16, and I think I may have talked a couple of people into trying it for the first time! So that is on the front burner. 

     Costume Ideas for CoCo'16:

Thursday-Night: Incroyable in Mustard

     For the Pool Party, I want to be comfortable, yet super historically-hip. I've been dying to make an ornate, over-the-top spencer with a mustard-striped velveteen that I have a ton of. The theme for the party is "mod," and I figure that Incroyables et Merveilleuses were pretty 'hip,' so I'll go with it. I'm making a matching shako or bonnet, and I've already painted some shoes to match. 

via chertseymuseum.org

via objektkatalog.gnm.de

Friday-Day: Wartime Dress

     Last year I took a class at Costume College about British fashion during WWII, and it was so fascinating. I want to recreate a Wartime dress, and have even been on the lookout for glow-in-the-dark buttons! I'll be using Decades of Style's New England Dress as a guide, though I'll have to cut out some fullness and length in the skirt and sleeves, as the yardage limits for a dress at the time were 2.5 yards. 

via decadesofstyle.com

Friday-Night: Night Circus Air Walker

     

     The Friday Night Social has a circus theme, so a few friends of mine are going to go as characters from The Night Circus. We were going to go as a group last year, but other costumes got in the way, and I was only able to get the bodice half-finished. The Night Circus colors are black, white, silver, and grey, so I'm really excited about this costume. As the Night Circus is magical, I'll be going as a tightrope-walker with a twist: an air-walker. I want to incorporate plumage and bird imagery, and am using this image as my inspiration:

via VintageVenus.com.au

Saturday: 1885 Walking Gown

     I've learned to really appreciate the late Bustle Era and the neat, almost severe look of walking outfits of the period. I love the fact that I don't need a ton of embellishment, as I feel it distracts from the fit and silhouette. I have some heavier weight cotton in a black and olive check, which I feel would look great as a walking gown. The local fabric store, Elfriede's Fine Fabrics has a great selection of worsted wools (and even wool flannel!). I think I'll make a black wool petticoat with a deep pleated hem, and make the apron and bodice out of the check. I want to keep the petticoat a solid black, as I would like it to serve double duty for a later project.

via VictorianKat

Sunday: Edwardian Ensemble

     I have a confession to make: I've always been a bit bewildered and intimidated by Edwardian fashion. The posture, the silhouette, the snag-prone fabric. It makes me shudder a bit, and I have no idea where to start. But I want to conquer my fear, and make a simple outfit. Alex has recently given in and has started Downton Abbey (for some reason, though his entire family and mine love this show, he was a bit reluctant to start), and I've found a few outfits and pieces that look so simple to make. So I'll be jumping in at the shallow end this year. 

via Museo de la Moda

via August Acutions

    Good luck to everyone's projects; I can't wait to see the beautiful creations in August!

     Until next time!

      -Meg