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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Corsets and silk

So this is what I am currently working on. The bride wants an authentic 1850's outfit, which is right up my alley, especially as I am also making an 1850 child's costume. I'm in the zone! More on that another time. The dress was designed by the bride's friend.

This was our first major fitting. The bodice is just in the toile stage, which is why you can see the corset underneath. The bride is also wearing a hoop, which has hoop steel for the bottom three layers. I used the hoop formula from Jean Hunnisett's book. Then there is a ruffled petticoat and finally the dress, which is duppioni silk.

The profile pictures show the extent of the skirt, which has a small train. A larger detachable train will finish the outfit beautifully. This is filling up my little studio!

It is such fun to create such a vision. Next time you see it, the bodice will be silk, with piping. It's already assembled, I just haven't photographed it yet. I'm waiting for my model to come again!