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tbarbin
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 240 Location: Holloman AFB,NM	Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:04 pm    Post subject: Kalen   Wasn't there a time near the end of the Regency when no petticoats were worn? Was the idea that some ladies moistened their gowns to make them cling true? Angel _________________ "I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
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VanessaK
Lady of the Order of Bluestocking Joined: 28 Aug 2007 Posts: 383 Location: Ottawa, Canada	Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:13 pm    Post subject:   Thanks for the excellent tips, Kalen. I was just reading about Osterly Park in the London Encyclopedia tonight. Any thoughts on Apsley House? _________________ MY FAVORITE COUNTESS, May 2011 Regency Romance That Sizzles http://www.vanessakellyauthor.com
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DeniseM
Upstart Joined: 04 Oct 2006 Posts: 4 Location: Oklahoma	Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:25 pm    Post subject:   I love the dresses! And I just may make myself one for the next costume party I go to. Any suggestions for period dresses for those of us that are a bit more woman than the typical model? _________________
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Sherrie Holmes
Upstart Joined: 13 Jul 2008 Posts: 7 Location: Olalla, WA	Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:39 pm    Post subject:   KalenHughes wrote: Round Gown, c. 1800-1810 (with watch pocket and matching spencer). Kalen, I love these pictures! I have a question about the round gown with a "watch pocket." Where is the watch pocket located? Is it the small slit below the right boob? Or is that just a tear in the dress? Also, did Regency clothing have pockets? I know men sometimes had pockets in the tails of their tailcoats (which has always struck me as odd!) but what about women's gowns? Sherrie Holmes, the heathen without an avatar or picture for my messages because I prefer simple _________________ Holmes Editorial Services http://www.holmesedit.com http://newsfromtheholmestead.blogspot.com/
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Lucky47
Influential Member of the Ton Joined: 02 Oct 2006 Posts: 287 Location: New Jersey	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 3:29 am    Post subject:   Kalen, Thanks for sharing these photos with us here. I love the gold dress and spencer as well. Some of them remind me of the edwardian dresses I had in the 70's, reproductions of course but I loved them. Great info too Kalen, thanks again. Carol _________________
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:19 am    Post subject: Re: Beautiful Gowns   RegencyBride wrote: I wanted to ask you, what type of accessories did brides wear during this time period? I went ahead and bought a modern day dress, and from what I've seen of Regency Era Brides, my dress looks nothing like that. However, everyone else will be dressed in that time period so I'd like to try and make my accessories/hair, etc, to look like from the Regency Era. Do you have any suggestions? First, you can check out period jewelry at Three Graces (Regency is under the "Georgian" Umbrella) for ideas and styles. Next, you can look at fashion plates of Regency brides. Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll be lovely. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:20 am    Post subject:   Ciaralira wrote: How much would the construction and design of a lady's maid's costume differ from these? Ciara It wouldn't really differ at all (the fabric might, but the basic design and shape and layers would all be the same). There are period letters and such deploring the fact that lady's maids dressed so well that one could often not tell the lady from her maid. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:26 am    Post subject:   KeiraSoleore wrote: My first start of surprise was in the variety of the sleeves: shapes, sizes, embellishments. For some reason, I'd come away with the assumption that the sleeves were only the short, puffed kind (like the ones on the gold gown). So... my question is: Were the shorty, puffy kind the most common, or did the sleeves always have this wide range of types? There is a WIDE range of sleeves throughout the period. Remember in Pride and Prejudice (published 1813, but written in 1796/1797) there is the bit about the aunt letting them know that long sleeves are fashionable? You tend to see short sleeves on ball gowns and opera gowns, but longer sleeves (which are often removable, leaving only a sleeve cap or short sleeve) are very common on day dresses. KeiraSoleore wrote: I find the gap at the back of the dress after the last button inexplicable. What purpose did that open area serve? Easier to wear the garment? You need the gown to open so you can step into it or pull it on over your head. Think about it. Today we’d have a zipper. The gowns don’t usually gap open in my experience. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:31 am    Post subject: Re: RE : Thoroughly enjoyed your workshops at the conference   [quote="doglady]What sort of fabrics would these dresses be made of circa 1816 and would those fabrics vary from season to season and from class to class. For instance, I would assume a governess would not necessarily have dresses made of the same sort of fabrics as the mistress of the house, or would she? I know colors might be more drab, but what sort of fabrics might denote a difference in a woman's station in life?[/quote] I’m going to start a separate topic about fabrics . . . but to put it succinctly, the more expensive fabrics were silks and cottons (like muslin). Cheaper, more serviceable, fabrics were things like linen and wool (aka “home grown” fibers). One of a maids “perks” was her mistress’s castoff clothing, so it’s entirely likely that a lady’s maid would be dressed every bit as nicely as her employer. Also, you see records of employers buying fabric for their maids. Some of these show orders for the same or similar fabric for the maids and the daughters of the house. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:36 am    Post subject: Re: Round Gowns   c082436 wrote: My question: Since these or any gowns of the day were sewn by hand, do we know exactly how long it really took to produce such a gown? Pat Cochran Both my Regency gowns are entirely hand sewn. I'd say the day dress took me 3-4 days, 3-6 hours a day. The ball gown took about twice that, since it has more embellishments. I took a workshop with Janae Whitacre (the head mantua maker for Colonial Williamsburg) where a group of 8 women made an embellished 1770s saque gown entirely by hand in a single 8 hour day. Since this is far more in-line with what would have happened when a lady ordered a gown (as most did) I think it’s a pretty good scale (and remember we’re WAY slower with our needles than actual period seamstresses would have been). _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:41 am    Post subject: Re: Kalen   tbarbin wrote: Wasn't there a time near the end of the Regency when no petticoats were worn? Was the idea that some ladies moistened their gowns to make them cling true? Angel No, and No. Undergarments actually get MORE substantial towards the end of the Regency (the 1820s). Right at the turn of the century c. 1800-1805 is when clothing is the scantiest. The story of the dampened gowns is apocryphal as far as I've been able to determine. It comes from an outraged letter about the behavior of the ladies of Paris. It’s important to remember that the Regency takes place at the tail end of a mini-ice age, and it’s COLD. Plus, houses are drafty. Staying warm is not easy, catching cold can be a death sentence. People die of “trifling colds” all the time. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:42 am    Post subject:   VanessaK wrote: Thanks for the excellent tips, Kalen. I was just reading about Osterly Park in the London Encyclopedia tonight. Any thoughts on Apsley House? I liked Fenton House more, but Apsley is set right at the entrace to Hyde Park, so it's not as out of the way. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:45 am    Post subject:   DeniseM wrote: I love the dresses! And I just may make myself one for the next costume party I go to. Any suggestions for period dresses for those of us that are a bit more woman than the typical model? Well, since I'm one of those "Junoesque" women . . . If you want a Regency gown, keep the upper sleeves on the tame side (big puffs just make you look even bigger), and go with a smooth front, shove all the gathers to the back. The best pattern out there is La Mode Bagatelle. Sadly, it's also the most expensive (but you'll never need another one). If you're not going to make a corset, invest in a really good push-up bra for a similar look. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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KalenHughes
Viscountess of the Manor Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 1100	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:50 am    Post subject:   Sherrie Holmes wrote: I have a question about the round gown with a "watch pocket." Where is the watch pocket located? Is it the small slit below the right boob? Or is that just a tear in the dress? Yes, the watch pocket is the slit below the right boob, LOL. Sherrie Holmes wrote: Also, did Regency clothing have pockets? I know men sometimes had pockets in the tails of their tailcoats (which has always struck me as odd!) but what about women's gowns? The only pockets I’ve seen on women’s clothing are tiny watch pockets. Men’s clothing had an assortment of pockets: Side pockets and watch pockets on breeches/pantaloons were standard (I’ve even seen a side pocket that went to the rear on one extant pair!). Coats often had tail pockets, and in some rare cases an interior chest pocket. The side pockets on coats were usually just decorative flaps by the Regency though. _________________ -Kalen w/a Isobel Carr Ripe for Pleasure, May 2011 Book 1: The League of Second Sons www.isobelcarr.com
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gasawaye
Upstart Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Posts: 2	Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 6:28 pm    Post subject: A question about "Spencers"   This is just facinating! I'm a big Austen fan who's never seen such detail in real period dresses before. I've always wondered about how spencers got their name. Is there a connection with the aristocratic family of that name?
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