Sunday, October 30, 2016

White and Black late 18th century jacket - October 'Heroes' HSM Challenge

For October's 'Heroes' challenge I made a white & black silk late 18th century jacket and black silk sash to go with my black silk petticoat. 

One of my costuming acquaintance friends, Merja, made a lovely white with black trim late 18th century gown a few years ago, (I believe inspired by one worn in a drawing of Marie Antoinette), and I was inspired by Merja's exquisite detail and work (she is one of my costuming 'heroes') to make a white late 18th century jacket trimmed in black when I was invited to a costume friend's black and white party! 
October's 'Hero' HSM challenge - a white and black
silk late 1770's jacket and black sash
Historical Sew Monthly OCTOBER challenge:






The Challenge: Heroes - Make a garment inspired by your historical hero, or your historical costuming hero. 
Material: White silk dupioni from the L.A. Fashion District and black silk taffeta from PureSilks.

Pattern: My draped 1770's English gown pattern as the base, and then I scaled it up a bit, added a peplum, etc.

Year: late 1770's-early 1780's

Notions: Hooks and eyes, ridgeline to stiffen the front.

How historically accurate is it? From afar it looks historically accurate, but it is only so-so; the Robe a la Anglaise pattern is accurate, but I did not pleat the back but cut it as a single piece (to save fabric). All inside seams were done by machine, all outside and visible sewing was done by hand. The cuffs are a smaller version of cuffs done on 1750's/1760's Robe a la Francaise gowns, which I'm not sure if they used this size/style in later decades. So it's a bit of a mix.

Hours to complete: I lost track, but a few hours to cut out and sew together, and then a few more to add sleeve cuffs and sleeve binding, add a peplum, add more to the peplum, add the ridgeline (front stiffening), bind the peplum, bind the jacket, and then add hooks and eyes. And later hem (by machine) a black silk taffeta sash to go with it. Probably 12+ hours overall if not twice that. This one took a long while to put together.

First worn: To a costumer friend's birthday masquerade party last weekend.

Total cost: $5.60 a yard for the white silk dupioni (used a 3 yard piece with some left), and $18 a yard for the black silk taffeta, used about two yards. A few dollars for two pieces of ridgeline and hooks and eyes.
The finished jacket - white with black trim
and black silk sash

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