1827-29 Dress

     Here's an introduction to a project that I have no particular deadline for. It's mostly just musing about a historical dress that has caught my interest. Not quite sure what the final outcome will be, but, without further ado...
     When looking at Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion 1: 1660-1860, you will find the 1827-9 Gloucester Museum wedding dress. Before I had ever laid my eyes on the book, I had had the fantasy of Marie sleeves on a Romantic Era dress swimming around in my mind. Then I saw this dress and was like...DAMN. That is one fine lady. I knew we would have to become friends.

My baby.

     My dad, the fabulous father he is, offered to enlarge pattern page to full scale for me on construction plans-sized paper. Awesome. Now, this was a while back, but I am now finally getting to cutting out the pattern pieces with the added 5/8'' seam allowance.

The pattern, with my little pin cushion.

     I'm not going to bother messing around with the neck yoke and ruffles and skirt gather-decoration-things for now, but I will be using the bodice and sleeve patterns for certain. I hope to fiddle around with them enough to make them normal-people-sized. I've estimated that the sleeves will fit at least my lower arms pretty well. I'm fairly petite, but the bodice will still need some adjusting, seeing as my rib cage is not nearly as tiny as the lucky bride for whom the original dress was made. 

    There is a dress from the BBC series Wives & Daughters that I have lusted over since I first saw the series several years ago. It's the purple tartan one that Molly Gibson wears to dinner. I have heard several negative opinions of the gown, but I BLOODY LOVE IT! The bright tartan, the colors, the cut, the sleeves, the piping, all of it. That being said, the structure of the dress it quite similar to the Gloucester one. Mainly just minus the extra froof (collar, sleeve, and skirt adornments). 

     By the way, in case you haven't guessed, I ADORE the Romantic Era. Yes, the sleeves are huge, the hair is poufy and often resembles bunny ears, and the froof can be crazy...but I love it.

     Keeping that all in mind, I continue on my little project....