John Redfern, was born on November 11, 1820. His father, also named John Redfern, owned a specialty clothing shop in Cowes, Isle-of-Wight, England. Young John spent his early life learning tailoring and draping techniques. John Redfern set up his tailoring business in Cowes High Street following his marriage to Harriet Beazley, and between 1847 and…… Continue reading John Redfern & Sons
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
It’s that time of year again – Edwardian Ball. Every year I make something new for the Ball and repurpose something from a previous year for the World’s Faire. This year, I opted to create a late 1890’s/early 1900’s walking skirt, with a tailored jacket in suffragette colors. Not exactly period-correct, but fun. I found…… Continue reading Edwardian Ball 2017 – Suffragette part 1
It done! It’s official! I’ve bitten the bullet and will be going back to school to start my formal education in the world of fashion. Classes start in February. As I begin this journey, I’m hoping to document both the process and my progress. I’ve decided to start slow—with just three classes: Design Principles, Fashion…… Continue reading Back to School
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
I’ve settled on using two patterns by Truly Victorian as the basis for my 1880’s outfit. I’m going to make a basic underskirt, without a train, topped with TV 363 (Summer Overskirt) and TV 462 (1883 Tail Bodice), both created with the lovely grey floral fabric and trimmed with ??? I’ll try to get some…… Continue reading Replicating the Late 1800’s in modern materials, part 2
refashioning history 