We’ve all seen it. A beautiful period gown spoiled by a limp, dragging skirt. Besides good flatlining in that skirt, the use of petticoats can take that loose mess and make it a beautiful reproduction worthy of a fashion plate. Read More...
Category: Design & Silhouette
Sleeve Shifts of the 1890s
Fashion doesn’t change overnight. There’s a subtle movement when a new thought is presented. The idea is taken to the full extreme over a period of a few years. Then it seems to be discarded quickly; put on the shelf and forgotten. Another new idea is presented and we start the cycle again. This path Read More...
3 Tips for Researching a New Fashion Era
Hello my friends!! I’m back from the adventure of moving 700 miles to a new home. I’m now in Utah about a half hour south of Salt Lake City. If you are in the area and know of dress-up or reenacting events please let me know. I want to join the fun and meet you Read More...
Ruffle Calculations for Height Differences
Have you ever made up a pattern with skirt ruffles, and then when you saw it on yourself it was, like, “Holy Smokes! I’m drowning in those ruffles! They are way too large for my short height.” Or perhaps you are quite tall and skirts seem never-ending in their length. Then you carefully mount a Read More...
Steampunk from a Victorian Costumer’s Standpoint
Guest Article by Valarie LaBore Editor’s Note: When I first came to know Val she was all into Steampunk. Being hesitant but intrigued with this up-and-coming genre I found myself attending her class on the subject a few years ago at Costume College. This article is her condensed version of that class. First off, Read More...
Selecting the Correct Bustle to Create the 1870s or 1880s Silhouette You Want
Scrolling through the hundreds of photos of Bustle Era dresses and patterns makes you wonder – so just what goes under that dress to make that silhouette? How does that skirt get into that shape? This period is all about the skirt! It is what defines this era and further divides it into three distinct Read More...
Trimming a Regency Bonnet – Ideas & Instructions
Jane Austen you say? Lizzy Bennet? A walk to Meryton? The War of 1812? Napoleon and Josephine’s court? If you are at all into the early 1800s you know you can’t dress up without completing the ensemble with a bonnet. (Heck! That’s why those films we swoon over are called “bonnet dramas.”) The Regency Era Read More...
The Tail of 3 Bustles
Once upon a time there was a girl fascinated with all lovely things Victorian. Her dress-up box (i.e. closets and hat boxes and shelves) was cram-packed with dresses and accessories made in luscious silks, light cottons, and other wonderful things. She had so many delights to be satisfied for a century, but it wasn’t enough…. The Read More...