The Bustle Dress at Sherbrooke Village

During the late 1860s, the hoop skirt  gave way to the bustle. Huge skirts advanced into a more slim line with the fabric concentrated and pulled to the back of the dress. The first of these new fashions still had some fullness at the front but the most of it was now centered and pouffed at the back. The 1870s were a transitional period for women and their fashions. Perhaps because of these changes, the era was full of creativity and intriguing ideas; the bustle came back into fashion, albeit much different than it’s predecessor. Trains reappeared and fabric was used in huge quantities, trims too were used to the extreme; a woman could never add too much trim to her gown.

Much of the overindulgence in ladies’ fashions was due to that new fangled invention and the wide spread use of the contraption known as the sewing machine. All those trims, tucks, and pleats that once had to be sewn by hand could now be done by machine. Not too many of us have a very good idea of how slow hand sewing was/is – can you imagine sewing the long and endless seams of the skirts and gowns of that time? We would also likely chuckle at the slowness of middle nineteenth century sewing machines compared with what is available to a seamstress today. I own such a peddle machine, (although I don’t sew on it) it is powered by ones feet, no motors, electricity or computers. I learned to sew on just such a one when I was in my early teens and my mother still has it at home. The early sewing machines sewed over one thousand stitches per minute, and this was at least sixty times faster than hand sewing. The result of this was that what once was very expensive to produce was now much more affordable. What previously only the wealthy could wear, now the middle class could create themselves.

In addition to the laces and trims that were made at home or in a dressmaker’s shop, many trims could be purchased and were produced en mass. Everything from pleated yardage, to flounces, to tucked materials, to bindings and elaborate cut-work could be bought at the general store. Women rushed to take advantage of these advances and even the simplest house dresses were trimmed, frilled and required large amounts of fabric. It must have been so exciting for them!

I have always loved the bustle gown. The distinguished lady with her ruffled or pleated, laced and bustled skirts, the feathered hats tilted smartly to the front or the side of the head, the beautiful laces and trims and the rows of buttons embellishing the bodices, which in contrast to the skirts were fitted snugly. They made a woman look beautiful, feminine and curvaceous. Padding was used in the bodices at the bust and under the arms area giving a woman a soft rounded look; and the seams for the sleeves were set in just slightly off the shoulder.

For the first bustle gown I decided to sew, I secured a Truly Victorian pattern for the polonaise. A piece that became very popular in about 1873 and was styled in many different ways. It was actually a combination bodice and over-skirt, saving the woman of wearing these pieces separately. The fitting process for these patterns is done a little differently then the usual way; (Victorian tailoring methods are used), but once you get the hang of it, it’s not really that hard and it does give one a very good fit. The skirt I designed and drafted myself using fashion plates of the period for my inspiration. I left it untrained as I wanted a walking skirt.

The entire ensemble was sewn using a beautiful green shot taffeta. I trimmed the polonaise with various venise laces – a beautiful four inch floral for around the sleeves and the bottom front, and I edged the entire front with a lovely one inch swagged lace which I also added to the basque back. I found the prettiest gold and black store bought daisy buttons for closures and also pleated black satin ribbon which I added to the bustle at the bottom edge at the back of the polonaise. The skirt was over-layered with a black floral lace to just below where the polonaise ended in the front, and I pleated and added about a 12 inch length of taffeta around the bottom of the skirt; which I trimmed with thick black braided trim. I always add my trims by hand as I find that a sewing machine is just to rough on these beautiful additions, plus I find it a pleasant task to sit in the evening and sew. It also gives my hands something to do as I find it difficult to sit and do nothing.

For matching accessories I bought a smart, green, plain wool hat and trimmed it with gathered and somewhat pleated taffeta to the brim, black embroidered lace over the crown, and satin ribbon left both plain and ruched around the crown. The outside of the brim was also decorated with black braid. I finished by making a matching reticule with a bit of the left over taffeta, braid and beaded trim. Such things as matching hats and reticules are a great way of using up leftover trims and fabrics.

When we went to Sherbrooke Village I also carried a black parasol, wore black elbow length non-shiny gloves and black shoes. Underneath the dress I wore a small bustle, bloomers and cabled stockings. Because it was a 3.5 hour drive to Sherbrooke and I did not have help to lace it up, I did not wear a corset, although I do own one and the dress does have an even better shape when it is worn with it.

I am very happy with this gown! I feel good in it and it’s really pretty comfortable to wear.

The Importance Of A Hat!

A word about hats…

I love hats! To me there is nothing like a great hat to finish off an outfit. I think it’s really sad that hats are not more popular in this time period, for during most of our long course in history, hats were of great importance.

Millinery, which is the art of hat making, has existed as a trade in Britain since 1700, of course it  was practiced for many centuries prior to that. It was a lucrative career and one that even a woman could pursue.  Separate from the  Milliner was the Plumassier, who specialized in plummage and the dyeing and arranging of feathers. Feathers were, of course,  prized and very important, since no hat would be complete without at least one plume. The rich would pay a  veritable fortune for an elaborately feathered hat and some sported entire stuffed birds; that was until the Audubon Society put a stop to that!

Hats have always been used to protect the head and keep it warm since much heat is lost through the top of ones  head, however, hats have also, for many centuries been status symbols and fashion statements; there is nothing like a hat to draw attention to the face.They were large, small, plain and elaborate and were worn by both men and women. You would’ve known immediately what a man’s occupation was by the hat he wore, whether he was rich or poor, working or upper class. During the Regency period or Napoleonic era, a man of title or money would have worn a tall top hat or perhaps a bowler. It might have been made of wool, beaver fur or even horse hair. Sea faring men wore very distinguishable head gear with Captains wearing tricorns, bicornes, fore and afts or Chapeau de Bras.  Hats represent authority and were and are today still a part of a uniform for military men, police officers and others.

For women however, hats are and have most often been, a fashion accessory. Much effort and expense went into the procuring of the perfect hat and it is by far the most important one that any person can wear. There is an old saying that says, if you want to get noticed or get ahead, wear a hat. I believe the pun is intended.

Head coverings were not limited to fashion only however, and during many periods of history, there was real etiquette involved in the wearing of one. A lady of any class and during most historical eras, would not have been properly dressed  if she did not have something covering her head. This practice continued until as recently as the 1950s and 60s – my grandmother for example, would not have stepped into a church without a hat on her head. During the Victorian and Edwardian periods a woman would have been  in disgrace if she did not cover her head even if it was just to post a letter. Only the poor or the peasants sometimes went without head gear and even women of that class often wore caps, which  had the added advantage of keeping ones hair clean and tidy.

Hats have slowly lost popularity since about the 1920s, being used only for church attendance, weddings and other special occasions into the 1950s and 60s. Today, it is indeed rare to see an individual wearing a hat that does not serve a practical purpose, (unless of course if you are the queen) or isn’t part of a uniform. Sad but true.

One great thing of course about re-enacting or dressing in historical reproductions is that we can go a little hat crazy…

Details! Details!

How can you level your costume up from alright to amazing? The answer is in the details.

Patterns! There are a lot of pretty good costume patterns out there, made by the more common pattern companies like Butterick, Simplicity and McCalls and for a very reasonable price anyone can get one. There are also those less well know companies such as Sense & Sensibility, Past Patterns, Kannik’s Korner and J.P Ryan, who produce some really great historical reproduction patterns. Some are quite complicated and some not. Some offer reproduction garments and some are just for fun costuming and still others are a combination of both.

The historical reproduction patterns often require a fair bit of hand sewing, but much of the sewing can also be done by machine. I tend to do both and use a serger or just a regular sewing machine for many of the long seams. I do, however, try my best to hand sew visible stitching and I almost always apply trims and things by hand. Doing this creates a much more authentic looking piece of historical apparel and I like that. Whether or not a person does this is completely a personal choice. The choice might be made, keeping in mind what the garment is to be used for. If this is a gown for a Halloween party or a masquerade ball, you could simply sew the entire thing by machine. If you will be using it as a historical re-enactment piece or for a historical ball however, I would suggest doing at least some of the sewing by hand. It’s a great opportunity to learn some of the tricks and stitches used by the seamstresses and tailors of old.

Fabrics! An important thing to do, if you wish to create more realistic apparel, is to do some research. What kinds of fabrics did they have available to them, what was popular with the different classes and so on. If you are wanting to reproduce something from a certain time period and class, there is no point in using an expensive silk fabric to sew a dress for the serving or working class who wore mostly cottons and wools. Unless of course it is just for a fun costume and then anything goes. Serving wenches can then wear satin and lace! If you wish to create something a little more authentic however, and come up with reasonable facsimiles of time period clothing, find out what was worn in what era and do some detailed research about that before you start to sew or buy materials. People in history did not have access to synthetic fibres, true fabrics like silk, cotton, linen, muslin and wool were used.

Closures! Other details that are of great importance are such things as closures. There is nothing so unauthentic as a zipper in a gown or a pair of breeches that hail from the 17 or 1800s! Modern-day zippers weren’t invented until the early 1900s and the forerunners of it not until the late 1800s. Typically they were not very popular because they were far to complicated to use until 1913.  Most clothing was closed by laces, buttons and clasps and the latter two were used later and then often only by the more wealthy, who could afford such luxuries as buttons.

Trims and things! Men and women have always loved to trim and decorate their clothing! However, this was also something that was not commonly done by the working class. Perhaps they might have a small tidbit of lace or such that they could wear with their Sunday best if they even had such a thing. Lace was most often hand-made and  this took time to do, time unfortunately was not a commodity that most lower classed women had a lot of. Upper classed women however did, and they commonly wore lace and trims on their clothing. They also wore ribbons, braid and buttons. Your challenge will be to find examples that look like they were hand-made or see if you can make or acquire it. I favour venetian, battenburg or crocheted type laces because they generally have a more antique or handmade appearance. Embroidered ribbons and silk braids also make nice additions.

Accessories or Accoutrements! Paramount to creating an authentic look are the accessories that you will choose to wear with your ensemble. Depending on their status or station in life, (ie, an officer, a merchant, a gentleman or perhaps a farmer), men wore wigs, silk or linen cravats, gloves, leather boots or hessians, jewelery, such as pocket watches and tie pins, plus a variety of hats and other head gear. I am speaking here primarily about the 18th and the 19th centuries. Prior to that they might also have worn pendants, gold and silver chains and jewels, again depending on their place in the classes. Even weapons such as pistols, swords, daggers or armour on a knight might be considered an accessory that you might or might not wish to invest in. A warning here however, in order to be realistic they must be decent quality reproductions, and this can demand a fairly large drain on your pocket book.

Likewise, lady’s accessories would have consisted of underpinnings such as corsets, stays, hoops, panniers and bloomers. Depending upon the time period they might have worn leather slippers or boots, gloves, carried a reticule and a parasol, worn a hat and a variety of jewelery. Beaded necklaces, brooches and bracelets with pearls, coral, shell and other semi precious stones were popular. Jewels set in gold and silver, also lockets, chains and cameos. Metals such as brass and copper were worn. They did not have access to costume jewelery until much later.  Women also sometimes carried a weapon, such as a dagger or a small pistol. The key here is to see what will fit into your budget and to once again do the research and find out what was worn in what time period. Adding Victorian accessories to a Georgian era costume will not do!

Hair! One other thing well worth mentioning are hairstyles. Hairstyles then as now, were and still are very important to affecting a certain look.  If you wish to portray a person of the upper classes in say the 1700s, you might want to wear a powdered wig. A gentlemen during a certain chosen time period or station, might have worn his hair long or short, with or without a beard, sideburns or mutton chops. It may not be possible to wear your hair long but for most men it will only take a few weeks to grow some strategic facial hair. A woman might want to purchase a hair piece or practice doing and decorating her hair in some of the styles of the period she wishes to emulate. Again a little research goes a long way.

The most important thing to remember of course, whether you are costuming to re-enact, or simply to attend a Halloween party, is certainly to have some fun with it. Almost everyone loves a great costume or reproduction piece, and whether you favour one or the other, the secret to success is in the details!

Departure for Tall Ships!

Well, it’s just before 8:00 AM, and I’m about to start getting into my uniform. Tall Ships, for the Man the Capstan Crew, is here! Johanna, Steve and myself should be departing our Valley residence in just over an hour, to rendezvous with Shara & Tim. We should arrive in Halifax by 10:30 AM or so!

Been a long road getting to this point. Environment Canada is forecasting rain and thunder showers. Sou’ ‘westers and oilskins, lads! Put another reef in ‘er!

I’m bringing the laptop along with me, so provided the Waverley has WIFI access, you can expect updates later today.

Calling all hands to Man the Capstan!

By the way, the beautiful picture above was taken from the Tall Ships 2009 flickr group! The picture was taken by ruth.erin!

Tall Ships 2009 Almost Here

Well, being July 16th, we’re just two days away from the weekend! Come Saturday morning, Man the Capstan will be heading out in full regalia to Tall Ships 2009! Tall Ships are already arriving in Halifax (as you can see from the pictures above and below), and the events for the weekend are always being prepared by re-enactment staff at the Halifax Dockyards.

The Tall Ships Crew have a Twitter set up, and are streaming live updates as they come in. Check them out here! They alerted us to a really cool Chronicle Herald article, discussing the events celebrating the 250th anniversary for the founding of the 1759 Naval Dockyards (one of the reasons why Man the Capstan is so interested in attending the festival). Check it out for yourself, there is some pretty cool stuff there! There will be a ceremony at 2:00 PM on Saturday (that’s four bells in the Afternoon Watch) that will include re-enactors and active service members of the Canadian Navy. You just can’t miss this one, folks.

We have a slew of new updates to post, but I’m afraid that will have to wait for another update (as we’ve so much to get done before Saturday). I’d like to remind everyone that we have a Twitter as well, and we update it frequently with new information and Man the Capstan related news. Subscribe to both us and Tall Ships 2009!

Though we are not participating in the scheduled events for the weekend, it will be a true pleasure to arrive in costume along with everyone else. It will actually be a bit of a relief to be a “uniformed” spectator; a bit more liberty to move around the festival, as it were.

We’re all excited here, and can’t wait for Saturday! You can check out the Flickr group for new Tall Ship arrivals, and Tall Ship related photos, here! The two above pictures were taken by compelling, and you can see these shots and others at their Flickr Photostream, here!

Costuming Updates and a Visit to Mt. Uniacke

This month has been a busy one here at Man the Capstan and thank goodness the spring has finally arrived in the Maritimes.  The weather is just lovely now, the trees all have sprouted their new leaves, bulbs and spring flowers are blooming pretty much everywhere and birds are so, so, busy. We’ve already had several very warm days where temperatures have reached well into the mid 20s, so I’m happy!

We had my mother stay with us for almost four weeks which coincided with the 50th Anniversary of our Immigration to Canada from the Netherlands. It was certainly a nice  time to be together. We had a wonderful family visit in which she was able to meet her new great grandson and many happy memories were made. All good things of course, come to an end, and she has now returned to her home in beautiful British Columbia.

We went on a lot of outings and did many things together while she was here, including Dave’s graduation from University, and I’m quite sure we wore her out completely. She has been an incredibly good sport though and thoroughly enjoyed her visit to Nova Scotia.  On one such outing we visited the Mt. Uniacke estate. This  offered us an awesome photo opportunity,  and one which she particularly enjoyed because she was able to wear the English Rose in a true Georgian setting. For more information about Mt Uniacke you can read my blog about that place and it’s very interesting history.

It turned out to be an exceptionally windy day near the shores of Martha Lake, but as it happens the wind was to our advantage in a number of pictures taken and all in all we got some super new  shots of the costumes. I now know what ladies of that time period must have experienced in such weather and it was certainly a challenge to keep that frisky hat on my head!

I have been busy the last weeks working on David’s Royal Navy captain’s coat, as the bias and stand lace finally arrived in April. We have been waiting for that for about ten months I believe, and are we ever happy to finally have it in hand. I just have to show off the amazing detail that I have added to the cuffs and lapels of this jacket. It truly makes this jacket a thing of beauty and authenticity.

Steve’s Royal Marine coat has been  complete for some time of course, but we had yet to photograph him in the entire get up with the lapels in the closed position and the maroon sash tied around his waist. We have all agreed that we prefer this uniform worn in this way best. Check out the gleaming gorget around his neck.

I have recently begun work  on the first of the two Regency Gowns I am planning to sew and will add just a glimpse of it here. There is still much to do and I have plans for a wonderful matching bonnet that  I think should be great fun to make.  In order to help myself gain a better grasp of that period in history, I’ve  been watching a number of films lately based on the novels of Jane Austen and have found that I really do admire the costuming in these movies. I’ve certainly changed my earlier opinion of these gowns and have decided that I would rather like to create a few of my own.  Shara and I are leaning towards wearing these for our visit to the Tall Ships 2009 since it is bound to be a warm July day and these dresses are likely to be much cooler.

You can click on all my pictures to enlarge them!