At Her Leisure

A group of us went to see My Fair Lady in 1910's costume Saturday night. It was a very good community theater production at a theater built in the 1930's. It's a nice venue, and they're a good community theater group. I particularly liked their Henry Higgins, Mrs. Higgins was very funny, and Freddy Eynsford-Hill did a marvelous job with "On the Street Where You Live."

Ten of us met for dinner at a restaurant a few blocks away from the theater for a very nice dinner then walked over to the theater for the show. I think we made quite a nice group.

Here's dinner at Jose's Villa Italia:


In our seats before the curtain:


A proper group picture after the show:


We also took pictures of the individual couples at the end.


I'm glad I got to wear my 1916 evening dress again.

All pictures were supplied by Martha Graham.

Saturday night we went to see the Gilbert and Sullivan Society's production of Princess Ida as a costumed group. There were sixteen of us, many of whom were dressed for the period between 1890 and 1925.



Afterward we went out for dinner and to celebrate one of our number's birthday.





I meant to get better pictures of my dress, but I didn't. Not at all. I did manage to get a picture of the back of the dress since I fixed it, but I still need to tighten up the shoulders a bit because they had a tendency to slide off the shoulder down when I sit.

So here are the same old pictures of the front:




And here are the new pictures:


I also got one showing how the waist fastens.



I was reasonably pleased with how my hair turned out, and it can be seen in the new pictures. Hair is not my strong point.

I think I just have two snaps, one hook and eye, and seven flowers left to finish my 1916 dress. It should be done before the end of the holiday weekend. Then I think I'll have time to put together a crinoline bustle before CLW, which should pack much more nicely than my petticoat with steels and be more appropriate for the Le Baiser dress anyway.

In other updates, the shorts I was making are finished, and I've made progress on the Regency evening bodice. I had to rip out the pineapple and start over - I twisted the stitches when I joined the round so I went to four needles when I cast on again and am much happier about it. At least the second time casting on was rather faster than the first time. My 1912 knit vest is 1.25" short of finishing the back.

We got tons of rain yesterday and Thursday (when I say tons, I mean roads under water and everything), but now the weather seems to have decided it should behave itself for the holiday weekend. It's bright sunshine and 91F.

Next weekend we have a HARS sewing day so that should be fun. We haven't gotten together since the beginning of March due to one thing and another.

I have finished 1916 underwear. Combinations, corset, two petticoats (one plain and one ruffled), stockings (nylon, but they're opaque and thigh high), and shoes. Now I just need a dress.

And now onto the pictures.

The corset:



( More pictures... )

Now I'm starting to get excited about the 1916 dress again, which is good.

Disclaimer: I don't know a lot about 1910's/Edwardian/WWI era construction. I've handled a couple of antiques from the first decade of the 20th century. I've read part of a dress-making book published in 1916, but it didn't really handle closures other than to mention either center front or center back for skirts. I know something about 1930's construction, which is very like modern construction. I don't know exactly when things changed from "let's go through convolutions to hide the fastenings" to "let's just use a row of snaps in a left side placket."

That being said, what follow are my thoughts on how this dress should be constructed. If you see that I've got something wrong for the period or there's a better way to do it, please let me know.

Here's the inspiration dress again:


Here are my thoughts:
Bodice:
Layer 1: lining
Either cotton twill or silk taffeta
Boned at side seams, back, center front, and darts
Goes to the natural waist
Layer 2: taffeta inset
Silk taffeta laid on smoothly at front (triangular inset in picture)
I won't do the whole bodice to save on layers and heat
Layer 3: overlay
Silk chiffon
Cut without shoulder seams
Neck edged with flat lace ~2-3” wide
Short kimono sleeves with rolled hem and caught up slightly at the top with a rosette (~1" diameter)
It looks like there’s something hanging down the back behind her arm, but I really have no idea what, other than that it looks like lace.
Mounted onto taffeta covered lining
Layer 4: taffeta outer layer
Folds of silk taffeta from side seam to center front and from side seam to center back, if I use closure option 1 (see below) or side to side, if I use closure option 2
Rosette (~2" diameter) at point on front

Skirt
Layer 1: taffeta
Silk taffeta using Wearing History 1910's suit skirt pattern but with center back closing instead of center front closing
2-3” deep hem
Mounts on bodice lining between layer 3 and layer 4
Layer 2: chiffon
Silk chiffon
Six points edged with same lace as at neck
Layer 3: chiffon
Edged with bias strips of taffeta (1/2” finished width?)
Cut a little fuller than other layers but same lower edge as layer 2
Caught up between center and side front with rosettes (~1" diameter) and between center and side back with rosettes but not between side front and side back

Closure
Option 1:
The whole thing closes at center back with hooks and bars. (And I'm pleased that I can actually use all those bars I have. Why do they insist on selling packs with both eyes and bars when I really only want eyes?)
I would put hooks as high as the bodice taffeta layer and then just a hook and thread eye at the neck of the chiffon layer.
Option 2:
The skirt closes at center back. The bodice lining closes at center front. The middle layers of the bodice close at the left side. The outer layer of the bodice closes where it overlaps in front, probably with a moderately large snap.


I would welcome feedback, particularly if you've researched this period and can either tell me I've got it right or tell me where to improve my plan.