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Friday, July 22, 2011

The 1812 ball gowns left the studio this week. It's always sad to see them go. I have been showing them to so many visitors to the studio. The reactions are always good to hear and see. Our day to day clothes may be practical or comfortable, but we all secretly love the fancy stuff!

I took these photos at the last fitting. Meet Emilie (in mauve) and Lesley ( in blue), who work for Fort Wellington in Prescott, Ontario, Canada. They'll be wearing these costumes at various events commemorating the War of 1812 over the next couple of years.




I'm happy I took the pictures this way, as they show the front and back of each gown. They are silk taffeta, lined in cotton.

Here are pictures of Emilie's Spencer, which is unfinished. It will get lace inside the collar and frogs to close the front. Lesley will have a shawl and pelisse, which is a long coat. It needs braid and sleeves before I can show it off.




It's burgundy velvet and shows darker than the photo shows. Don't you love the little pleats at the back? This pattern is taken from an original garment. It features the classic "M" notch at the lapel, which was fashionable in 1812. The extra long sleeves were fashionable also. Sometimes they were folded back to form a cuff, still keeping the sleeve below the wrists.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Beautiful work Edwina! I love the pleats on the back of the jacket and the gathering at the back of the bodice's of the gowns. Thanks for sharing the photos!

Edwina Sutherland said...

Glad you like it Sue!

The pleats make it so special, even though they were not uncommon in 1812.

I love to add back interest.