Sometimes things just work out. Perfectly. A few months ago, an acquaintance alerted me to an exhibition of 50 (yes 50!) Victorian gowns. “Sounds great”, I replied, “Where is it?” “In Saco, Maine”, came the response. Gasp! “That’s a little over 3,000 miles away, but thanks for thinking of me!”, I replied and quickly filed…… Continue reading The fates align
I think Ulyana Sergeenko may very well be one of my favorite designers of all time. I love her use of historical and fantasy references and the elegant way she incorporates familiar fairytale elements in dramatic ways. I mean, who doesn’t love Slavic folklore and cunning references to paganism? So inevitably, I had to include…… Continue reading Ulyana Sergeenko
Christian Marie Lacroix was born on May 16, 1951 in Arles, France. He studied art and costume history at the University of Montpellier, and after graduating with his arts degree in 1973, Lacroix went to study at the Sorbonne in Paris, hoping to establish a career as a museum curator. After moving to Paris from…… Continue reading Christian Lacroix
One of the earliest examples of corseting (reducing the dimensions of the torso or waist) can be found on pottery figures created during the late Minoan Period (1500BC) and found in Knossos, Crete. The bodies of these snake goddesses are closely confined within their belt-like bodices, commonly thought to be made of leather or wooden…… Continue reading A brief history of the corset through 1950
Prior to 1870, various types of silhouette-altering garments were worn to change the natural shape of the female body into a fabricated, structural work of art. In addition to the corset, this included hip pads, bum rolls, farthingales, side hoops, panniers, stiffened petticoats, and crinolines. It wasn’t until 1868 that the bustle, or tournure, first…… Continue reading A brief history of the bustle
I finally got around to taking some quick pictures of the outfit I made for this year’s Edwardian Ball. Sadly, I had double-lung pneumonia at the time, and although I did attend, I was not able to fully lace myself into a corset. I opted to use the buttons and lace it up the front instead,…… Continue reading Turning of the Century
I’ve been doing some research in conjunction with the outfit I am making for this year’s Edwardian ball (suffragette colors) and wow is it intense. After delving into the politics, color schemes, protest techniques, and fashion of the day, I decided I needed a bit of a break. So I headed to the antiques faire…… Continue reading Fun little finds at the antiques faire
While I finished the majority of my Victorian outfit this past December, I decided to put a little more work into it and wear it at this year’s Edwardian Ball as well. I won’t go into too much detail , but below are some in-progress and as-worn shots I was able to grab of the…… Continue reading Replicating the Late 1800’s in modern materials, part 3
So, it might not look like it, but I am self-taught when to comes to sewing and making corsets. My interest in fashion has always been pretty intense. I recall as a child wanting a particular item that wasn’t either in style or in-season and sadly having to wait years for the rest of the…… Continue reading My Reference Library
If you’ve been following my blog lately, you’ll have seen the corsets I just finished for “Moving Forward into the Past” at the Alameda Museum. While I take pretty detailed notes while I make each corset, it occasionally takes me a little while to move that information online. But now that the show is up…… Continue reading The Wedding Cake Corset
refashioning history 