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misschosaku
Upstart Joined: 24 Apr 2011 Posts: 1	Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 12:53 pm    Post subject: Wardrobe   I have scoured the internet and have managed to find out how many balls, dinners, etc. a lady would attend in a season, how much specific articles of clothing cost, and what types of clothing were worn when...but nowhere can I find out how many articles of clothing would have been in the typical Regency lady's wardrobe. I asked Julia Quinn, and she said she did not know, but recommended asking you. Do you happen to know? Thanks!
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Candice
Queen of the Board Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2731 Location: Minneapolis, MN	Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2011 8:17 pm    Post subject: Re: Wardrobe   misschosaku wrote: I have scoured the internet and have managed to find out how many balls, dinners, etc. a lady would attend in a season, how much specific articles of clothing cost, and what types of clothing were worn when...but nowhere can I find out how many articles of clothing would have been in the typical Regency lady's wardrobe. I asked Julia Quinn, and she said she did not know, but recommended asking you. Do you happen to know? Thanks! Depends on the level of affluence, just as it does now. The upper classes changed clothes several times a day, so you'd have to account for that. And I'd be willing to bet that the richest of the rich would not want to be seen in the same gown more than a handful of times, and maybe even only once (as is true with today's women of wealth), especially as regards evening dresses, ball gowns and such. Remember that all clothing was hand made. A fashionable London modiste using the very best fabrics would be expensive. A family member clever with a needle would not. So again, the level of the family's wealth would dictate the size of a lady's wardrobe. The less affluent lady might have only a few good dresses, altered with different accessories, laces, ribbons, new sleeves, etc. to make it look like she had a larger wardrobe. Also, dresses from previous seasons, one's own or perhaps a hand-me-down from an older sister, would likely be changed to suit the current fashions, eg raising waistlines, shortening hems, adding flounces, etc. So, there is no absolute answer to your question. If your heroine is wealthy and her parents indulgent, give her as big a wardrobe as you want. If she is less affluent and you still want her to have a large wardrobe, make her a good seamtress who can take older dresses, unpick them, and make them over into something fashionable. If she is less affluent but the size of her wardrobe doesn't matter, give her 1-2 evening dresses and maybe 4-5 day dresses with various pieces of outerwear to add variety. _________________
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ella1673
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 202 Location: In front of my computer, England probaby London. and Indeed, only probably England.	Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 8:12 am    Post subject:   I think judging how many dresses a Regency lady actually had is very hard, as women often had dresses "re-made", basically redecorating or re-altering to ladies fashion at the time. Also, decorating bonnets and making shoes was considered good for a lady to pass the time, and you were "accomplished" if you make pretty bonnets, shoes etc. _________________
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:40 am    Post subject:   Unless it's germane to the plot (as in, she's poor and has to be inventive or she's rich and never wears the same thing twice) it's not really a detail most authors are going to need. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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Jayne17
Upstart Joined: 03 May 2011 Posts: 14 Location: UK	Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 12:23 pm    Post subject:   This post got me thinking - (never a good thing) - about what types of clothing the modiste made? I always assumed as well as dresses they would have made coats, cloaks, and undergarments - as how else would they know if the dress fitted properly. But what about gloves, and slippers. I always imagined that these matched the dresses and so I thought they would have been made by the modiste, but then there were specialist like cobblers that made shoes. So did the ladies take strips of the dress material to the cobblers so they could match the dress or did they just choose a pair of shoes that suited the dress rather than matched it? Was it the same for the gloves, were there specialists for making gloves or was this done by a modiste? _________________
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Candice
Queen of the Board Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 2731 Location: Minneapolis, MN	Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 3:14 pm    Post subject:   There were specialists for gloves and shoes. I would think a sample of fabric would have been provided, though it would more likely be used to match colors, especially for gloves which would need a different fabric. Slippers could have been covered in the fabric though, and often were in the 18th century. Glovers were a major guild and would not have appreciated a modiste getting into their business. Plus, they knew best how to custom fit a hand. Both gloves and slippers, in standard sizes, could also have been purchased ready-made at an emporium or other large store. A modiste could make all other parts of a lady's wardrobe, including undergarments, though these could also have been purchased ready-made. The only major garment a modiste dod not provide was the riding habit. Those were made by a gentleman's tailor. _________________
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 7:39 am    Post subject:   Stays/corsets were also made by specialists (who were almost always men; it was believed that women weren’t strong enough to get the needle through all the layers of fabric and to insert the bones). Shifts/chemises, pantalettes, and drawers were also often made/sold by someone other than an actual modiste. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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Jayne17
Upstart Joined: 03 May 2011 Posts: 14 Location: UK	Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 9:49 am    Post subject:   Well I knew there were lots of guilds but I didn't know Glovers were one. I now have this image of a modiste who has been making gloves without the Glovers permission waking up to find a black glove on the pillow next to her. _________________
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ella1673
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Posts: 202 Location: In front of my computer, England probaby London. and Indeed, only probably England.	Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 11:58 am    Post subject:   Jayne17 wrote: Well I knew there were lots of guilds but I didn't know Glovers were one. I now have this image of a modiste who has been making gloves without the Glovers permission waking up to find a black glove on the pillow next to her. Oooh!!!! Scary!!!! Well this post has taught me a lot (especially since I didn't know what you where talking about until I had the good sense to look up modiste on the internet....) and I must say, I have a lot to learn! _________________
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Jayne17
Upstart Joined: 03 May 2011 Posts: 14 Location: UK	Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 1:29 pm    Post subject:   KalenHughes wrote: Stays/corsets were also made by specialists (who were almost always men; it was believed that women weren’t strong enough to get the needle through all the layers of fabric and to insert the bones). That's something I hadn't considered, as without the use of machinery, jobs requiring a lot of strength would have been very difficult, and not just for women. Ella1673 wrote: Well this post has taught me a lot (especially since I didn't know what you where talking about until I had the good sense to look up modiste on the internet....) and I must say, I have a lot to learn! Well they do say you learn something new everyday. And the ladies here are so knowledgable and happy to share, so thank you ladies. _________________
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junehur
Upstart Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 31	Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:15 am    Post subject:   If ladies are changing their wardrobe ever so often due to the constant changing of fashion, how long did it take usually for a wardrobe to be filled? If the dresses are being hand-made I'd imagine it would take at least two weeks for one dress?
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