#In Powder and Crinoline

[enchantedbook]

'In Powder and Crinoline, old Fairytales ' - Kay Nielsen, 1913

[mote-historie]

Kay Nielsen, Princess Mignon Minette who goes out in search of Prince Soushi on a white horse, Illustration (painting) from, In Powder and Crinoline: Old Fairy Tales, retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, Published by Hodder & Stoughton, 1913.

[tomoleary]

Kay Nielsen "In Powder and Crinoline" by Arthur Quiller-Couch (1913)

From a previous post and I wanted it included in this group.

[phantastische-illustrationen]

In Powder and Crinoline - Sir Olaf And The Underworld, 1913 (Kay Nielsen)

[rococofemme]

𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 treat [ I ]

𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘩!𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘹 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘮𝘦!𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

tw: homophobic society (not in this chapter but future chapters!), mentions of bloodshed + war

this is a reupload !!

bones of men left to die crunch beneath abby's leather boot, a sound she'd grown to love, almost like the sweet hum of a violin or piano. it was borderline sadistic, the odd satisfaction she got from it, but it was evidence of a job well done, a reminder that she could've been the fateful 'man' to end up in such a state, consumed by dirt and left to rot among pretty pink peonies. the fields were often used as a place of mourning, people would plant seeds near bones and hope to sprout beautiful trees or plants- disappointed to find the same spot dead as ever when they returned to track its' progress. she'd vowed herself to make it past training, make it past the violence and death that surrounded, she would save you from that kingdom, even if it was the last thing she'd ever do.

🍰

sugary bubbles fizz in clear glasses of peach wine, red raspberries bathing and floating along the surface of the alcohol- perfuming the air with the sweet, almost youthful scent of sickeningly honeyed fragrance. it was enough to make an old man's teeth rot at one sip. you sat on the velvet couch by the bow window, eating the cake that sat on the stool beside you- served on a silver platter. buttercream on your fingertips. the scene could be considered erotic to some, the plump of the red cherry and each miniscule concave on the strawberries surface filled by a yellowish seed resembled teeth tearing into meat, perhaps even a vampire's fang impaling the skin of an innocent's neck, cherry coloured blood seeping down the wound like the bursting juice of a succulent fruit you wipe your mouth with a gloved hand, the satin material picks up the crumbs of red velvet cake, cream cheese smears your nose and likely clogs your pores but you couldn't bring it in yourself to care. a letter on the windowsill sits there too, and a singular strand of lavender woven between the browning paper- the edges frayed from old age, opened but forgotten and left to the side, much like a heart. a metaphor live in the flesh. a woman walks through the room, her shadow is tall and dark along the walls that run high, leaving the pretty woman nothing but a dreary shadow with claws for hands and an ugly stretched figure, she was combing gel through her frufru hair and trying to perfect the classy curl atop her forehead, poking and prodding. "i just cannot seem to get it right today. my hair wants to make a fuss the day the knights return from their trip to the midlands. heavens know how many possible suitors lurk among that handsome crowd!" she practically sings, her dress was a powdery blue, with frilled organza tulle along the bodice, hips and the general figure of the dress accentuated by a wide crinoline. her blonde hair looks sticky to the touch, glossy with flaxseed, she could pass as a glazed donut to any man hungry enough. good enough to bite through, sugary sweet to the point eating it could be a risk. she'd searched through the large wardrobes in the room, shoving pastel heels your way, demanding answers until she settled on blue buckled flats. "it surely cannot be that important, charlotte. you will find quickly that most of these 'suitors' are traumatised men, who would want to be with to someone like that forever?" you mutter, helping charlotte lace her corset, the scent of pastries still lingered in the air, you'd turned your head to find that the maidens had refilled the platters, trays of palmier sprinkled in powdered sugar, meringue and many others left identified, buried underneath the mountain of saccharine treats. "it is a dire situation! if i do not find a prince, marry and continue my family's lineage, what else would my purpose be? don't be nonsensical." charlotte giggles, it fades out into white noise when she notices you not laughing- popping a meringue into her mouth, glancing at you sideways. "what kind of person doesn't like meringues? everybody loves them- apart from you." she quips, nudging you with her elbow, her curl had unravelled by then, the sticky string of hair simply choosing to stick up like a crude finger. "it is not what my heart desires, nor my stomach. meringues are not for me." brushing off conversations was easy with charlotte, she forgot things easily- played the part of a 'dumb blonde' to a tee. admiring the lacing of her corset, she envelopes you in a bone-crushing hug, one that could easily make eyes pop out like squeaky toys and send your stomach shooting up from your throat, it was almost fascinating how acts of love and kindness could be mistaken for something downright macabre- or perhaps it was only you that thought this way.

by the time charlotte had left, the raspberries had pruned like skin left in a bathtub too long, wrinkled over every crevice and practically waiting to burst open, filled with the candied peach wine. it melted like honey on the tip of your tongue, it had bled red in the contents of the drink, leaving the glass rim stained with a rubicund colour, much like a flushed face, if it had grapes within it you were sure you'd be able to see a beady pair of eyes staring back at you from the drink.

⚢

the women of the palace looked much like little cakes, arranged by the king to look like an assortment of the sweetest little macarons, his own personal composition, whilst the knights looked like bleak wet rags, somber was the furrow in their brows and guarded was their body language. the person with blonde hair had caught your attention instantly, a sharp jawline and arch of the nose, piercing blue eyes, unlike the other guard, they had a human-like emotion on their face, relief. relief having made it through those sleepless nights on rocky pebbles or sticks that poked and scratched like little fingers through the dirt, relief having been released from the warzone that they'd made of the midlands, which was now reduced to an eerily silent graveyard- too much bloodshed to look back on. you caught eyes with the person from across the room, biting into a red grape, a vermilion liquid spurting out from it, staining the white lace tablecloth. it looked too much like a mini bloodstain for people to be comfortable with, especially to the knights, far too familiar with the sight of spilled ichor.

[holespoles]

Kay Nielsen (1886-1957）

From In Powder and Crinoline, 1913

[worldsandemanations]

In Powder and Crinoline - Sir Olaf And The Underworld, 1913

[poetryincostume]

When I was regathering my long-neglected research for my Helga Sinclair ribbon corset, I rediscovered this gorgeous extant example in the V&A from 1895. Unlike most extant examples I've come across, this one doesn't feature overlapping ribbons. This suggests that it was made for a particularly slim woman who needed very little support and for particular summertime breathability (supported by the garment waist measuring 19", suggesting a laced waist of 22-24".)

To me, long-since trapped in The Locked Tomb, the ribcage-like appearance was inescapable. Wouldn't you know it, I have a Crown Prince Kiriona Gaia costume that I started a year ago that was needing a little something something to pull the design together and to help motivate me.

The pattern was adapted from my Helga ribbon corset, allowing for 24mm wide ribbon to meet at the sides and spread evenly in a ribcage like fashion at the front panel.

This time I used a beautiful shell-coloured silk ribbon. The ribbon is so beautifully soft, that it was a nightmare to work with. I do not recommend it for something that needs quite so much working as it marked with so much as a hard look! I am fairly certain that the V&A example the ribbon is self-mounted, so I again mounted my main ribbon, this time on a white cottong taffeta ribbon. If i slipped with my mounting or the ribbon twisted or buckled, i thought the white would be a suitably stark and skeletal contrast to the main silk ribbon.

As I am perhaps a little more fleshy than the lady who owned the original 1895 example, I cheated and also added a base layer of nude tulle to help smooth out the laced-up silhouette.

The overall construction process was the same as Helga: quilted the ribbon panels across the boned panels before covering and sandwiching them, and inserting the bones from the side to allow for for hem stitching.

To finish, another ivory powder-coated busk and stitched over eyelets for security.

References:

Underwear Fashion in Detail, 2010, Eleri Lynn

Corsets - Historical Patterns & Techniques, 2008, Jill Salen

Corsets & Crinolines, 2017, Norah Waugh

1895 Ribbon Corset, V&A - https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O138887/corset-unknown/

How To Make A Basic Ribbon Corset, Sidney Eileen - http://sidneyeileen.com/sewing-2/sewing/corset-making/basic-ribbon/

An Edwardian Ribbon Corset, History Wardrobe - https://historywardrobe.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/an-edwardian-ribbon-corset/

[withnailrules]

Illustration for the book "In powder and crinoline" by Kay Nielsen, 1913

[sammymeraki]

York Research Trip

On the third of October, we visited York Castle Museum in York to study and research modern history of fashion.

First, we travelled through the Victorian section. Social classes created were recognisable through a person's dress and clothing. For example, the rich wore inhumanly tight corsets, huge crinolines, and layers upon layers of fabrics sewn together to create a dress's skirt. The poor could not afford this.

We were given a preview of what life was like in the 19th century, with a recreation of a model street. Real and renewed posters were plastered to the walls and buildings. Some 'shops' were open to view, especially the sweet shop where you could buy real sweets, chocolates and fudge!

The next section was World War One and Two. Samples and objects from the wars were stood on display and we were able to experience part of what some events and places were like.

Fashion during the war changed greatly as many wore more wool based clothing and uniforms. If you were to wear a glamorous garment, it would have been seen as unpatriotic to your country as materials were rationed during these years. Many women volunteered as nurses behind the front lines, others became farmers and others factory workers. Those who worked in factories assembling bombs and other dangerous weapons using gun powder, had their hair dyed due to the gun powder. These jobs were dangerous, not as dangerous as fighting on the front line however.

The third and final section was the 1960s. This decade was all about love, peace, feminism and liberation with stars such as The Beatles and Cliff Richard taking their turn in the spotlight.

Clothes became alot more casual, flowing and free with styles such as straigh sweater dresses, mini dresses and skirts and straight skirts with front and back inverted pleats (called kick pleats). The daring short mini skirt was dubbed the Chelsea Look.

The second half of the trip we were tasked to go into three different shops to study their marketing techniques and economics. We visted a few stores but I individually wrote about: Dog & Bone; Molly Brown's; Urban Outfitters. The links to these posts can be found here:

https://www.tumblr.com/elizabethvictoriafashion/763889957062492160?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/elizabethvictoriafashion/763587897739952128?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/elizabethvictoriafashion/763890446145617920/economical-analysis-of-fashion-based-stores-urban?source=share

York was great fun and a perfect chance to discover new fashion based businesses and trends. The city was lovely and cosy.

[enchantedbook]

'In 'Powder and Crinoline', Kay Nielsen , 1913

[mote-historie]

Kay Nielsen, List, ah list to the zephyr in the grove, In Powder and Crinoline, 1913.

Published within In Powder and Crinoline, sub-titled “Old Fairy Tales Retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch”, in 1913. This fine watercolour was originally reproduced opposite page 52 and is one of the 26 colour plates. The illustration accompanies the tale of “Felicia or The Pot of Pinks”. The verse is as follows: “List, ah, list to the zephyr in the grove! / Where beneath the happy boughs / Flora builds her summerhouse / Whist! ah, whist while the cushat tells his love”. (x)

[tomoleary]

Kay Nielsen 'Prince Bismarck discovering the soldier', from "In Powder and Crinoline", 1913

Source

[phantastische-illustrationen]

In Powder and Crinoline - The Zephyr In the Grove, 1913 (Kay Nielsen)

[marzipanandminutiae]

Your post about the Victorians’ attitudes towards the Regency is so interesting!! Do we have any examples of them satirizing or otherwise lambasting the attire of other eras? My teacher once said they hated the Georgians but I’ve also read that was a big 1870s influence so unsure if that’s right.

I think this is where it helps to remember that the Victorian EraTM was a 60-year span of time, and the Georgian era similarly expansive. Parts of it were in and out of favor during parts of the former, so it's not quite correct to say "the Victorians hated the Georgians."

(Also, for fellow non-Brits who were confused by the Georgian/Regency distinction like I first was: the Regency was part of the Georgian era. So were most of the 1820s and 1830s. Georgian does not just refer to the panniers/powdered wigs period. The more you know!)

There was a massive late 17th/early-mid 18th-century influence on fashion in the 1870s and 80s, yes! It's why I get annoyed when people claim that bustles are based on the- very real -exploitation and fetishization of Sarah Baartman (c. 1789-1815). They became popular nearly 60 years after her death, and took inspiration from clothing that went out of style decades before she was born.

(La Comtesse de Mailly, 1698)

(1720s dress, National Museum, Norway.)

(Gown from the Met Museum's collection, c. 1872. Note the ruffled 3/4 sleeves, skirt back fullness, and appearance of an underskirt/overskirt arrangement. Low-ish, square necklines were also popular at the time, though not universal.)

As for satirizing other eras of fashion, I'm sure it happened in abundance; what interests me more, however, is the spreading of outright misinformation about how their ancestors dressed. One of the best-known examples is their take on the "iron corset" of the Medieval and Renaissance periods:

(Illustration from The Corset and the Crinoline, published 1868. One 1871 writer from the London Times dismissed the notion that such garments were orthopedic devices as "superficial falsehood," despite the fact that we now know- and clearly at least some people did back then, too! -that primary sources identify them exactly that way.)

While real examples of iron support garments do exist- as do extant accounts identifying them as medical aids -a roaring reproduction trade sprung up during the Victorian era. At least partially for fetish reasons, it is now believed, echoing the anonymous tightlacing erotica found in such publications as the misleadingly-named Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine.

And that's just one example. The more things change, the more we remain convinced that our ancestors were complete idiots who had no idea how to dress themselves sensibly.

[holespoles]

Kay Nielsen (1886-1957) "In Powder & Crinoline"