Costume Update; Regency Gown #2
Well, I’m finally done the second Regency gown and what a lovely thing it is! It is made once again in the simple styling of the drawstring gown of the early 1800’s but with a few extravagances.
I decided to do this one in an ivory silk like taffeta. The fabric has a lovely texture, just a little bit shiny and is liberally decorated with an embroidered leaves and vine pattern. I think it really has an authentic look about it. I decorated this dress with some lovely ivory venetian style lace which I added to the sleeves and around the skirt of the gown and accented it with ivory satin rosebuds. I made a wide belt with left over fabric and also decorated that with a length of the same lace. There is a lace insert at the neckline of the gown and because it was improper for a lady to show her cleavage other than for evening, I also made a lace shawl collar to go with it and will wear long ivory opera length gloves to cover my arms. This, I feel also nicely suits a middle aged lady like myself rather well. The great thing about it is that with the removal of the shawl feature the gown easily converts from a day dress to an evening gown with the right accessories.
I was excited to purchase the most fabulous head gear from MsRegencys Bee In Your Bonnet at a super price. This lady creates the most delightful Regency bonnets and hats. You can visit her ebay store here if you are interested in having a look at her lovely and high quality products. I added the ivory lace cap ruffle to the hat as most regency ladies would not have left home without this item; it was worn simply left on under the hat in much the way I am wearing it. To tie it in with my gown I added a large pearl hat pin and an ivory ostrich feather. Looks pretty snazzy I think!
For accessories, I already had my ivory parasol and fan both fully laced and decorated and I added an antique brass and carnelian cameo locket (complete with a minature of my seafaring Royal Marine husband inside), pearl earrings and a triple row of red coral beads around my neck. I also used a vintage shell cameo pin to secure the shawl. I recently read that coral necklaces were
very popular with the ladies of the regency period and since both my daughter and I each own coral necklaces I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to wear one of them. I also purchased a pair of cotton bloomers or pantaloons since my dress is quite see through and I’m wearing a nice pair of flat slipper shoes on my feet.
I really love this costume, it’s so very comfortable, easy to move in, exceptionally cool to wear and looks really lovely! Bless me, what more could a girl ask for, besides a hot cup of tea that is…?
Well…that’s about it really, I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of my story. Now all I have to do is finish the lace on the Naval Officer’s uniforms and we’re all set for The Tall ships Festival, which by the by, is just a few scant weeks away.
Tags: cameo, coral, Napoleonic, reenactment, regency, Regency gown, Regency Period, reproduction, royal navy, Tall ships festival, War of 1812
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