1876 Ballgown & Undies
Today I am showing off the ballgown and undies that I made for the DPP Competition over at Your Wardrobe Unlock'd!
The ballgown is as historically accurate as I could make it, given my budget. It's from the beginning of the Natural Form era, so it's meant to be worn without a bustle. It's in three pieces: a skirt, overskirt, and bodice. For visual interest, it uses an unusual Victorian color combination and contrasting fabrics: teal-green charmeuse, copper shot taffeta, and gold taffeta, along with beaded trims that tie all the colors together. I sewed it over the course of a year, and I encountered a great many challenges and stupid mistakes that I had to fix. You can view lots more photos and read about the whole process at my sewing diary, here.
To go with the ballgown, I made a corset.
The corset is made of aqua silk. It's trimmed with Venetian lace and has flossing at the ends of the boning channels. You can see more pictures and read the sewing diary here.
I also made a trained "Natural Form" petticoat.
It follows the examples of antique petticoats in that it has a double-layered skirt from the knees down. The back cinches with a drawstring, which enables it to be worn either with or without a bustle; when worn without a bustle, the gathered up fabric gives support to the back of the skirt. I made a tutorial for this petticoat, which you can read here.
The ballgown is as historically accurate as I could make it, given my budget. It's from the beginning of the Natural Form era, so it's meant to be worn without a bustle. It's in three pieces: a skirt, overskirt, and bodice. For visual interest, it uses an unusual Victorian color combination and contrasting fabrics: teal-green charmeuse, copper shot taffeta, and gold taffeta, along with beaded trims that tie all the colors together. I sewed it over the course of a year, and I encountered a great many challenges and stupid mistakes that I had to fix. You can view lots more photos and read about the whole process at my sewing diary, here.
To go with the ballgown, I made a corset.
The corset is made of aqua silk. It's trimmed with Venetian lace and has flossing at the ends of the boning channels. You can see more pictures and read the sewing diary here.
I also made a trained "Natural Form" petticoat.
It follows the examples of antique petticoats in that it has a double-layered skirt from the knees down. The back cinches with a drawstring, which enables it to be worn either with or without a bustle; when worn without a bustle, the gathered up fabric gives support to the back of the skirt. I made a tutorial for this petticoat, which you can read here.