Out of the 16th century, into the 20th
Originally published at Historical Personality Disorder. Please leave any comments there.
So, the early 20th c. is nice and all, but it’s not really my bag of tea when it comes to costuming. That said, I can’t stand the thought of missing out on a good party with friends, even if the costume era is kind of “eh,” so I just ponied up for tickets to the GBACG Titanic dinner. The pros far outweigh the cons… Excellent location (the Bellevue Club in Oakland, the same site we used for the Trianon event), decent looking catered menu, most of my friends are going…
Fortuny "Delphos" gown, c. 1912. Musèe de France.
The problem is clothing. Isn’t it always? And since I’m not going to get a ton of opportunities to wear a 1912-era gown other than this event and Costume College, I’m kind of not inclined to put a lot of effort into making a giant production out of something to wear for 5 hours. Especially since I lack the appropriate underwear for the era, so it would mean starting entirely from the skin out and would only add to the amount of time I have to spend sewing. However, trying to find anything off the rack that was suitable and met my exacting standards and didn’t cost a small fortune, proved a challenge.
That’s when I had a sudden stroke of genius. Fortuny! I’ve wanted to make a Fortuny Delphos replica for years and just haven’t had the appropriate kick in the rear to make it happen. And the added bonus here is that it is comfortable and uncorseted, so I can drape myself all over the place without worrying about a sudden attack of diaphragmatic spasming (ie. hiccoughs, which hurt like a bitch in a corset, let me tell you).
Research is commencing as I type, and several books are currently winging their way to me from various libraries. First order of business: Figure out what kind of silk Fortuny used and whether there’s a modern equivalent that will work. Second order of business: Figure out how to pleat the sucker.
(I have several options to check out for the pleating… I know Fortuny’s method was never disclosed, but there’s a shibori technique that yields similar results that I want to experiment with, and if that fails, I can always send the fabric off to SF Pleating Co. to be pleated by machine. But first thing’s first: Figure out the type of fabric!)
If anyone has attempted a Fortuny gown, I’d love to hear your thoughts and advice. Cathy Hay, I’m looking at you!