#lace engageantes

[gogmstuff]

Further into the thirties (from top to bottom) -

The sleeves are usually elbow length and close, but not tightly squeezing, the arm and cuffed, An under-sleeve with a flared cuff emerges from the sleeve.1735 A Music Party by Marcellus Laroon (Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery -  Birmingham, West Midlands, UK). From their Web site 1638X2246. No panniers here.

1735 Catherine Havers attributed to Barthélemy Du Pan (Temple Newsam House - Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK). From artuk.org 1414X1818. The dress could have been worn, minus the cuffs, until the 1770s.

1735 Catherine Hyde, Duchess of Queensberry, as a Dairy Maid, Marble Hill by Charles Jervas (Marble Hill House - Twickenham, London, UK). From artsandculture.google.com/entity/catherine-douglas-duchess-of-queensberry/m0gfdypy 1722X2138.

1735 Henrietta, née Godolphin, wife of Thomas Pelham-Holles, Duke of New Castle Upon Tyne and first Duke of Newcastle Under Tyne and Prime Minister by Charles Jervas (auctioned by Sotheby's) 920X1163.

1736 Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange by Bernard Accama (location ?). From the lost gallery's photostream on flickr 1047X1539.

1736 Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg, Princess of Wales by Charles Philips (National Portrait Gallery - London, UK). From www.liveinternet.ru/users/marylai/post292168318 2400X2998.

1736 Johanna, Mrs Robert Warner of Bedhampton, and Her Daughter, Kitty (d.1772), Later Mrs Jervoise Clarke Jervoise by Joseph Highmore (Mottisfont Abbey - Mottisfont, near Romsey, Hampshire, UK). From bbc.co (now artuk.org) 651X800.

1736 Katherine Hall of Dunglass by Allan Ramsay (private collection). From the Philip Mould Historical Portraits Image Library; fixed spots w Pshop 2418X3023.

[queenie-official]

Chapter One: ‘To find a king’ Bridgerton Au!Anakin

a/n: some of this is going to be time accurate but i’m definitely taking creative liberties 😭 im not a historian so please don’t come for me if certain parts are unrealistic for the time (this goes for all future chapters as well btw)

you take a sharp breath in as the air is pulled from your lungs with the tightening of the corset. your lady-in-waiting finishes with one final tug on the laces that makes you huff in protest. “sorry your highness” She says in a brief whisper. “it’s quite alright Eleanora, you’re only doing your job” she nods in acknowledgment as she begins to put on your Pannier.

tuning back into the rather unpleasant conversation you where having with the man standing outside your bedroom door- Barclay your royal advisor had claimed the matter to urgent to wait for you to get ready before he spoke to you, Thus leading you to your current setup- “the people do not think you can rule without a king” he continues on with the same Argument you’ve been having with each other for days now.

“my father ruled by himself for years when my mother past” you counter while shuffling slightly so that Eleanora could put on your petticoats easier. “i’m aware your majesty but with all do respect, he was The king and you will be just a queen” as soon as the sentence leaves his mouth a bitter taste enters yours, glaring daggers through the door that you could only hope he’d sense. “i am not just a queen, i am The queen. its my birthright.” you state sternly as a final white decorative silk petticoat is placed on top of your other three petticoats. the process of getting dressed already aiding in your exhaustion that the conversation was providing you.

“i must remind you that you are not the queen yet. as of right now you are merely crown princess until your coronation day” he says matter of factly, god if your father hadn’t trusted him so much you’d have had him removed from the Castle effective immediately. unfortunately he was one of the only things aside from your own kingdom you had to remind you of him.

you had a feeling he knew this otherwise he’d be a lot less outspoken. regardless of all that you where still the soon to be queen and therefore had every right to put him in his place. “i’d choose your next words very carefully Barclay” it’s more bark than bite, the worst you’d do is send him off to his room for the day like a child who’d gotten in trouble for eating sweets before dinner but that didn’t make the threat any less real.

you hear Barclay take a deep breath, clearly trying to think of a different approach. “your majesty i of course see you as our queen, but the people not so much is what i mean. i think it pertinent to remind you the people must feel heard, and they want a king.” he tries and all you can do is scoff.

“utterly ridiculous, i am just as capable as any man” You reply curtly, moving your arms as Eleanora puts your dress on.

“it’s not necessarily that they think you ill fit, but you also must consider that a husband secures the throne..” your brows knit together in confusion at this admission. now standing impossibly still as engageantes where now being basted onto the elbow part of your sleeve, not wanting to get accidentally pricked from the needle. “secures the throne?” you ask unable to deduct what Barclay had been insinuating.

“with a husband comes the ability of an heir” a silence fills the air as he awaits your response. “oh” was all you could muster out as your mind now raced, how that had slipped your mind. You truly didn’t know but at the very least the need for a king made more sense in your mind now. Of course the people thought you fit to lead, but they also want to make sure you wouldn’t be the last.

“though that aside i think the people would trust you more with a man leading as well” Barclay said cutting off your string of thoughts immediately. you roll your eyes, wanting nothing more then to curse him out but you bite your tongue.

“he would not be leading- i would be leading and maybe i’d allow him to aid me” you say as Eleanora finishes, now just adding the final touches of jewelry and perfume. “your majesty-” he began clearly taken aback and slightly appalled by your statement. “Barclay” you cut him off, just wanting the conversation to end. “it is your most important role as queen to provide the people their future.” he chimes back, doing his best to redirect back to the main point of all of this.

you sigh, brows knitting together as you walk out of the bedroom now facing the Annoying man head on. “provide them a future by baring an heir- to place the weight of that on a child” you state slightly appalled at the thought. “you’ve handled it well” he points out, making your face sour.

“have I really..” you trail off, thinking back to your own childhood. you’d been blessed to have a father that tried to shelter you as long as he could. but of course there was a point where the truth was told and the weight of it all crashed down on you, at the time you weren’t sure if you would have rather known sooner. maybe it would of felt less world ending, then again you knew it wouldn’t have made it any easier to cope with. Having the entire kingdom of Alderaan watching your every move as you grew, a scary thought and even scarier reality you live.

“a husband then” you say forcefully pulling yourself from your own thoughts. Beginning to walk down the hallway with Barclay trailing after you. “correct” he says seemingly pleased with your sudden shift. though in your defense days of his constant blathering about finding a king had worn you down, at least you could say you put up a good fight. “easy enough i suppose” you say while mulling the idea over, keeping your head high as you walk towards the dinning hall.

“he must be of sufficient status” Barclay adds quickly making you pause and turn to face him.“how am i to find someone of sufficient status in such a short time between now and my coronation?” you ask in disbelief and frustration.

“well…” he starts clearly not having thought of that either. “whatever we do we’ll have to be discreet about it, if word gets out that you’re simply marrying a random Man just so he’ll fill a role- it would be a scandal. the people would question how much you truly care if you are to put a stranger on the throne beside you” he warns.

“well they wouldn’t have to worry about that at all if they just let me lead the way i wish. Without a King” you huff and yes you’re aware how childish you must be coming off, but come on marrying a man just to gain your people’s approval? it all seemed rather arbitrary. 

“your majesty.” Barclay says clearly annoyed, he looked like he was about to go on another tangent to explain why you must marry someone. the idea of having to listen to him go on and on again made a headache form and you quickly interjected before he could do so “yes i’m aware Barclay.. we’ll keep this a private matter for now, let’s not tell anyone including the royal council” you say reaffirming what he’d warned you about as you enter the dinning hall, honestly you weren’t even that hungry.

Between your conversation with Barclay and how tight your corset was you truly didn’t have much of an appetite at the moment. “it’s a matter of the people, for the people” he says surprising you. utterly confused you turn to him, giving your full attention. “i’m sorry didn’t you just warn me that if word got out it’d be a scandal?” you raise a brow at him, and he scoffs “i meant the people of Alderaan not the royal council” he states with crossed arms a unamused look on his face.

“my private life is non of their business” you say say with a glare, crossing your own arms mocking him. “your business is all of their business, you are the queen” he’s quick to point out and all you could do was laugh at the audacity. “i thought you said i was merely the crown princess? funny how quickly that view changes when needed” before he could fight back you hold your hand up silencing him. “we can discuss this more further later, currently i have more pressing matters to attend to. I mean it when i say we tell no one Barclay, not yet anyway.” you walk away before he can respond, off to do your duties for the day.

part 2

okay here’s chapter one🤭🤭 i hope you guys like it- i actually had a lot of fun writing this and researching certain things. this is going to be more of a reverse Queen Charlotte bridgerton story situation. 😗Anakin is going to be introduced in the next chapter, i’ve actually already got like two more chapters started so i’ll probably work on those tonight 😋 anyway i did go in with the intent to make this a one shot but quickly realized that was not gonna work if i didn’t want it to seem rushed 😭 so yea… anyways i think that’s all i had to say, have a good day huns Xx<3

[jewellery-box]

Gown (robe à la française), 1760-1770, Lyon, France.

Robe à la française with matching petticoat and stomacher made from an elaborate, brocaded silk with matching serpentine robings. The robings are additionally trimmed with knotted and tasseled (fly) fringe. The bodice and sleeves are lined in linen. Each sleeves terminate in a gathered cuff and two scalloped flounces. Lace engageantes are present, possibly original. The lower flounces are faced with an off-white silk, as is the hem of the robe and petticoat. A separate, matching, wide stomacher is now basted to the proper right side of the gown. This stomacher is lined with green silk.

Polychrome, supplementary-weft patterned silk (brocade); polychrome silk fringe; off-white, plain-weave linen lining; off-white, plain-weave silk facing; green, plain-weave silk lining; off-white, silk lace.

Wadsworth Atheneum

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode nationale, no. 3, 19 janvier 1895, Paris. No. 20. — Toilettes de bal. Bibliothèque nationale de France

Explication des gravures:

(1) Robe de satin rose pâle. Corsage décolleté, garni par une draperie de mousseline de soie noire à pois roses, et dans le bas par une ceinture de passementerie perlée. Manches ballon, en mousseline de soie avec grande engageante de dentelle, sur longs gants blancs.

Jupe éventail, à demi-traîne, brodée de fleurs et de nœuds, un relevée sur un bas de jupe en mousseline de soie noire.

Coiffure de plumes dans les cheveux ondulés.

(1) Pale pink satin dress. Low-cut bodice, trimmed with a drapery of black silk muslin with pink polka dots, and at the bottom with a belt of beaded trimmings. Balloon sleeves, in chiffon with large engaging lace, over long white gloves.

Fan-shaped skirt, half-train, embroidered with flowers and bows, one raised on a black silk muslin skirt bottom.

Feather hairstyle in wavy hair.

Métrage: 16 mètres satin rose pâle.

—

(2) Toilette en peau de soie vert-Nil. Corsage à pointe, garni dans le bas de passementerie perlée et autour du décolletage par une berthe de guipure de Venise, relevée en pointe sous une garniture de perles et faisant jockeys sur manches ballon relevées par un motif de jais, au dessus d'un volant de guipure. Collier de perles fines à plusieurs rangs. Double jupe-tunique faisant la pointe, toute brodée de fleurs aquatiques et de perles, relevée et drapée sur le côté sur une seconde jupe semblable.

Dans les cheveux ondulés aigrette au milieu de perles.

Longs gants de chevreau blanc.

(2) Nile-green silk skin ensemble. Pointed bodice, trimmed at the bottom with beaded trimmings and around the neckline by a guipure de Venise berthe, raised to a point under a trim of pearls and forming jockeys on balloon sleeves raised by a jet motif, above a ruffle of guipure. Necklace of fine pearls with several rows. Double skirt-tunic making the point, all embroidered with aquatic flowers and pearls, raised and draped on the side on a second similar skirt.

In the wavy hair aigrette in the middle of pearls.

Long white kid gloves.

Métrage: 22 mètres peau de soie.

[windermeresimblr]

Late 18th Century Lookbook, Part One

This is meant to be set in the 1760s. I'm also forcing myself to work with EAXIS' meshes and stop mentally complaining about them not being stitch-perfect. (Well, I did cheat a tiny bit with the hat, which is a TS4 conversion based off a TS3 store item. And of course the makeup and skin and eyes and hair textures and fichu accessory aren't from EAXIS...)

Anyways, this is a very proper look for a very proper lady; perhaps she's off to tea. All that's missing is a set of mitts--I need to go on the hunt for some.

Hair: Buckley's edit of EAXIS' "Candy Do" bun with sunglasses | Hats: Bergère hat by me (personal conversion) and lappet cap by @danjaley | Blush by Chagasi | Sack-Back gown by EAXIS, with my channel edits to make the engageantes look better (I need to fiddle with the lace textures more) | Fichu by JingleStartK, edited by me to be sleeveless | Shoes by EAXIS | Patterns by @simlicious

[bijoumikhawal]

egyptian fashion ideas I've had

Velvet melaya leff

Gauze tob sebleh and aba / other translucent materials for showing off clothes underneath

Coptic slippers incorporating tapestry woven fabric either over the leather as a decorative layer or as an extension to create a boot

Sirwal worn high at the knee to show off patterned stockings

Some muesums and recreations of garments indicate either sleeves or body of Coptic tunics may have been scrunched or gathered when worn because of the proportions; modern Coptic garments based on that could have ruching, pin tucks, pleating, etc, along the shoulder and/or sleeves

Aqbiya abd sidari with gold embroidery like how Khedival dress uniforms have (as well as other fancy garments but that's the search term that will most easily pull up what I mean)

Aqbiya with capelets

Yeleks and ladies folkdresses with engageantes. I've actually seen a few old photos of women wearing dresses like that but we should do it more- you could play with tulle bi tell to see if it behaves well for this too

Broad collars made of embroidery and with dangling tassels and further decorated pieces of fabric at the end of the ties

Turbans with elaborate silk flower pins

Khuzam with enamel, mother of pearl inlays, pearls as the beads or dangly bits, and takfeet designs

Honestly takfeet jewelry in general

Elaborately embroidered binish and djubbeh coats

Djubbeh with really full cut skirts, kind like some 1830s coats

Using Coptic nymph scarves (the art motif is called velificatio, and is much more wide spread, possibly influencing the pibo)

Khayamiya style applique on galabeya, skirts, etc

Aqbiya, yeleks, caftans, sidari, etc with evil queen/1890s medici collars

Aqbiya and yekeks with butterfly sleeves, longer in the back than the front perhaps

Lace yeleks

Belts with long pennants like what antique ghawazi belts have

Folk dresses with watteau back pleats

[stickytidalwavetaco]

This beautifully beaded Robe à 𝒍𝒂 𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒏ç𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 is an excellent example of how the lighting in different films can affect the color of a dress. The dress can appear white, silver, gold, and even a dark gray, depending on the lighting. In reality, the dress is white with silver beading, gold embroidery, and hanging pearls. The sheer amount of detail in this gown is incredible. This dress was made for 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟒, where Helen Mirren wore it as Queen Charlotte. In 1999 it was worn by Jodhi May as Sarah Lennox. The dress was seen in the background, worn by extras in the 2001 film 𝑭𝒊𝒍𝒎 𝑳𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒔 (𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒍𝒇), as well as 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒇𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆. In 2006 it was used in the episode of 𝑫𝒐𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝑾𝒉𝒐 entitled 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆, where Sophia Myles wore it as Madame de Pompadour. At this point, the pearl drops on the engageantes (lace cuffs) have mostly fallen off. Brooches seem to have been added to the top of the stomacher at this point to give it a different look. . . . . . . . . .       All intellectual property rights vests with the owner of the copyrighted material. Recycled Movie Costumes, is not Copying, Distributing and using these materials except for Entertainment purposes only and deems itself to be protected under the regulations of mandatory law (such as the right to quote), unless otherwise stated for certain material.The films/television shows/books and other media represented in the images on this website do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Recycled Movie Costumes. Said media may contain mature content. Viewer discretion is advised at all times. We are happy to take down any material that the copyright owner/trademark owner feels is a violation of their statutory right. Before proceeding with the legal measures, we request the alleged aggrieved to contact us at submissions@recycledmoviecostumes.com for us to assist them with our cooperation.

[thefourthhexgirl]

Engageante

False sleeves worn with women’s clothing. They were worn during the 18th and 19th centuries, with a brief revival in the 20th century. In the 18th century, engageantes took the form of ruffles or flounces of linen, cotton, or lace, tached to the elbow-length sleeves then fashionable. In the mid-19th century, the term engageante was used for separate false sleeves, usually with fullness gathered tight at the wrist, worn under the open bell-shaped pagoda sleeves of day dresses.

[unit3beth]

1860’s Fashion

In the early 1860’s Crinolines we’re still quiet popular. They allowed skirts to be as large as possible in their circumference without needing too many petticoats. Crinolines were often quite affordable so we’re seen throughout society. However during the 1860’s the silhouette started to change so that the back of the dress was the main focus. Fitted bodices were very popular as well as different sleeve styles. One of the sleeves styles was the pagoda sleeve. These sleeves were narrow at the top and gradually flared out towards the bottom. Most of the time women would wear these sleeves with engageantes also known as false sleeves. These acted as a sort of under sleeve when wearing wider sleeves. Engageantes were often detachable. Also in the 1860s sleeves started to drop below the natural shoulder. I think this was mostly seen in the Garibaldi blouse. This was a shirt that was inspired by the military uniforms that were worn by the Italian freedom fighter Guiseppe Garibaldi. They consisted of a high neckline and bishop sleeves which were long and gathered at the bottom with a button cuff. These blouses were often cut longer than a typical blouse so it could be tucked into a skirt waistband. Women often wore it with a simple belt. Another fashion trend that came from military clothing was the Zouave jacket. Originally worn by Algerian Zouave troops during the Italian war in 1859 the short and collarless jacket became fashionable among women. The jacket was open front and fastened at the neck and either had pagoda sleeves or slightly fitted sleeves. Sometimes the jacket was paired with the Garibaldi blouse. It became more popular for young women to pair a blouse with a skirt in this period instead of wearing a matching bodice but only for daytime wear. Evening wear in the 1860’s consisted of an off the shoulder neckline that was trimmed with a Bertha which is a collar made of lace and other thin fabrics. Evening gowns had short sleeves which were sometimes basically just a strap across the shoulder. By the end of the 1860’s women started to wear jackets a lot more as well as shawls which were still popular. The most common jacket was the Paletot which was a three quarter fitted jacket with loose sleeves.

[gogmstuff]

Back to the 1770s -

Top left  1770-1775 Front of robe à la Française (Metropolitan). From tumblr.com/antiquelaceartist 2048X2743.

Top right  1770-1775 Back of robe à la Française (Metropolitan). From tumblr.com/antiquelaceartist 2048X2883.

Second row  1776 Friederike Elisabeth and Wilhelmine Oeser by Johann Tischbein the Elder (Goethe Haus - either Frankfurt am Mein or Weimar, Germany). From tumblr.com/la-reinette 960X760.

Third row  1778 Countess of Fries Portrait by Alexander Roslin (location ?). From Merinok's Facebook pages 1440X1800.

[saisew]

Hamilton Costume Analysis - Eliza (part 1)

Schuyler Sisters

Eliza wear a robe à l'anglaise, a dress featuring a stiff, fitted bodice with a tab front, front button closure, lacing up the back, pleated, full skirt with volume at the hips, square neckline with lace trim, and ¾ length sleeves with lace engageantes. The lace trim and engageantes are part of the chemise, In the 18th century the engageantes could be part of the chemise or separate pieces. Proper 18th century undergarments are worn, stays, chemise, petticoats, and a bum pad. The dress is made of silk, the most popular fabric of the 18th century, in a mint blue. Blue has been a popular color for centuries, in the 18th century light colors like sky blues were popular. Her shoes are a ‘Louis’ heel made of a matching fabric with a shoe buckle.

Helpless - Satisfied

Eliza's dress for Helpless has the same silhouette as the first dress with some additions and changes. This style of dress is called a zone front dress. The neckline and stiff bodice are the same but without the buttons and there's a center front seam. The dress has long, fitted sleeves and goes into a jacket like shape on the bodice, covering the back and buttoning in the front, it’s not a jacket because it’s attached to the dress and not removable. This jacket part goes all the way down over the back section of the skirt with a peplum in between the bodice and skirt. The middle section of the dress is a mint blue, and the outer section is an aqua shade. There is also a belt that goes with this dress, but I’ve only seen it on display and in behind the scenes, not on stage.

Stay Alive

This dress features long fitted sleeves, front ribbon lacing, a light blue color in a cooler tone than her other two dresses and the lacing is in a slightly deeper shade. She sometimes wears a sheer, white partlet with the dress.

[marzipanandminutiae]

I feel modern fashion has done sleeves injustice - so many varities throughout history, and everything nowadays is simple, in the few times it exists. Any sleeve types you think would be nice to bring back?

Ooh, yes! I like many sleeves!

mid-18th century wide 3/4 sleeves with floofy engageantes (lace cuffs):

(Madame de Pompadour painted by Boucher, 1759.)

huge-ass 12th century flowy bilaut dress sleeves:

(Recreation by Prior Attire but  you can see this style on statues and such from the period.)

Tudor bell sleeves and their later copycat, mid-19th century pagoda sleeves:

(Portrait of Elizabeth I as a princess, c. 1546.)

(Sarah Parker Remond, noted abolitionist, suffragist, and physician, c. 1865. I specify details about her because I’d never heard of her before and we need to know about more awesome historical women- especially Black women.)

whatever Renaissance Revival shenanigans are going on in this fashion plate from 1879:

and on this Pre-Raphaelite fantasy gown by Liberty and Co. c. 1894:

floaty 1930s butterfly sleeves:

(McCall’s pattern, no specific date)

But what I want back most of all in sleeves?

HIGHER-CUT ARMSCYES (arm holes) FOR GREATER RANGE OF MOTION

[chic-a-gigot]

La Mode nationale, no. 367, 6 mai 1893, Paris. No. 10. — Robes d'intérieur. Modèles de la Maison Lévy Frères, 18, rue Martel, à Paris. Bibliothèque nationale de France

(1) Robe de lainage imprimé, faisant petite traîne. Corsage bas, mis dans la jupe sous ceinture drapée, au-dessous d'une chemisette de mousseline de soie, plissée et montée sur un col droit. Manches flottantes, terminées par une engageante de mousseline de soie. Jupe plate devant, très plissée derrière.

(1) Printed woolen dress with a small train. Low bodice, tucked into the skirt under a draped waistband, under a silk muslin chemisette, pleated and mounted on a straight collar. Floating sleeves, finished with an engaging chiffon. Flat skirt in front, very pleated behind.

Métrage: 10 mètres lainage imprimé, grande largeur.

(2) Robe en lainage vert-Nil uni. Corsage mis dans la jupe, sous une ceinture nouée sur le devant. Sur les épaules, collerette de dentelle, s'allongeant en coquillé jusqu'à la ceinture. Manches courtes, bouffantes, avec grandes engageantes de dentelle. Jupe rotonde, garnie dans le bas par un volant de dentelle.

(2) Plain Nile green woolen dress. Bodice put in the skirt, under a belt tied in the front. On the shoulders, lace collar, extending in shell to the waist. Short, puffy sleeves, with large lace wraps. Rotunda skirt, trimmed at the bottom with a lace flounce.

Métrage: 9 mètres lainage uni, grande largeur.

[windermeresimblr]

Francaise Edit Progress Report

Progress has improved now that I know how to separate the mesh and then morph it. I have all the LODs ready to go.

I've also given up on the engageantes being perfectly costume accurate, and left (gasp) the entire lower sleeve as lace. However, to make myself feel a touch better, I've put the tucker (the ruffles on the inner neckline) on the same channel. I'm also working on making the ribbon channel on the sleeves go all the way around, like my beloved American Duchess pattern that I saw and knew Ursula had a mighty need for.

I'm still hoping to have a channel for the robe, a channel for the stomacher, a channel for the petticoat, and a channel for the engageantes and tucker; the choker and compere-front ribbons (I forget the term and need to stop lying around and do something before I waste my vacation) will change their channels depending on the style.

[my18thcenturysource]

Costume Analysis: Kitty, from BBC Ghosts.

Show: BBC Ghosts, Series 1.

Character: Kitty, played by Lolly Adefope.

Costume Design: Lucy Williams.

Set: 18th century England (for this particular character)

Yeii!! The long awaited and asked for post about Kitty IS FINALLY HERE. I’m so sorry for the wait XD I just wrote and lost this post so many times that I just could not post it properly! Sorry!

ANYWAY, let’s start with saying that Lolly Adefope is PERFECT in this role: she sweet and hilarious. Love her.

Now, let’s take a look at her general look: she’s wearing a purple robe à l’anglaise, with an open front, matching stomacher, and contrasting petticoat. The decorations on the gown match the petticoat, so it’s a nice colour play to see on the screen. She shows the lace engageantes (cuffs) coming out of the sleeves, and wears a semi-sheer fichu to cover her cleavage.

Thanks to the robes à l’anglaise and à la française post we all know that the front of Kitty’s dress could look different, but the chosen option is perfectly ok, and we also know that this dress evolved from the mantua with its back fitted with pleats) and became a very English gown, so the choice works great (even though I live for a French gown, this was the right choice). Judging by the gown’s silhouette and the hairstyle, Kitty died sometime in the 1760s or early 1770s.

That being said, let’s take a look at some more detailed takes (I might be too picky, sorry) about this whole outfit that I find odd and would like to change:

The fit. Somehow it looks that this dress is not structured enough nor fit properly for the actress, just looking at the way that the shape of her breasts is visible on the sides, or the way that the front curves inward at the top of the stomacher, is really weird. I really REALLY hope that the body shape of Lolly Adefope was not an excuse for this shitty fit because SHE PERFECT, OK? Now, What would I do? I’d lower the neckline of the stomacher to give the gown a more accurate feel for the 18th century, and keep the fichu covering the skin. I’d add fully boned stays to give the torso de proper conical shape, and (bigger) panniers to create the more striking contrast that is characteristic of the 18th century silhouette.

The trims. The trims are ridiculously small. The 18th century was all about go big or go home, so why do I see pleated satin RIBBON as the zig-zaging decoration of the torso, VERY small bows for the stomacher, and ridiculously tiny bows on the cuffs? WHY?!

As a fashion designer, you are to give balance to the garment, and of course to the garment ON a particular person. So, instead of the pleated ribbon, I’d let the big vertical pleats of the front to show themselves (I think they look pretty!), I’d make big bows of the same fabric for the stomacher, add a big ruffle on the sides of the front opening of skirt of the gown, and eliminate the cuff bow and just let the cuff show its pleats. I personally prefer everything on the same fabric, but if the camera reads better a contrasting petticoat and trims, go for them! JUST MAKE THEM BIGGER. I’d take the front of this dress as an inspiration:

Robe à la française, 1760s, Fashion Museum Bath.

The fabric. For a spectacular 18th century gown, the fabric is VERY important, especially if a brocade is going to be used. The purple fabric on this gown is small and kind of sad, since 18th century brocades tend to have bigger and/or contrasting motives. So, If a wonderful fabric is not to be found, I would stick to plain taffeta, since it looks great, is accurate, there are many colours to choose from, it’s very noble to sew, holds the shapes perfectly, all pleats look great, and (important for costume design), it can be found in several price points.

I perfectly understand the choice of avoiding any flashy fabrics or colours for Kitty (given her character), so I get the lack of colourful brocade, painted silk or stripes, so the right choice would be plain taffeta if a good brocade of a single colour is not found. Here some brocade ideas:

robe à l’anglaise, ca. 1747, altered 1770s // robe à l’anglaise, 1750-75 // robe à l’anglaise, ca. 1770 // robe à l’anglaise, 1740-60 // all British, all from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The cuffs. I don’t hate the cuffs of the dress, and I like that they match the pleats of the open front, but I’d add a second row for the lace cuffs. It looks poor, or too small for the outfit.

Finally, let’s jump to beauty:

Hair. I LOVE THE HAIR. And I love that they used the natural texture of Black hair for the hairstyle (I think that the front puff is her hair and the rest is not, since the colour is different). Making her to wear a full wig with a hairstyle clearly referenced on White people’s hair would have been an easy (and lazy) choice, so I’m very happy they didn’t. They took good note of the choices made in Belle (2013) with Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s hairstyles, and made it work for  Lolly Adefope curlier and shorter hair.

Now, the secret for the death date of Kitty I give above is mostly her hairstyle, which is clearly from the 1760s or the first part of the 70s (before they went crazy with the size and height of hair). During the 1760s, the hair began to get higher (being about ¼ or ½ the length of the face), and it was styled in a relatively simple way in an egg shape an added a few decorations, like ribbons, pearls, flowers and feathers.

Portrait of a woman, ab. 1760-1780, Alessandro Longhi // Marie Suzanne Giroust Roslin,1770, Alexander Roslin // Maria Carolina de Habsburgo-Lorena, 1768, Anton Rafael Mengs // Portrait of Marie Antoinette, 1773, François-Hubert Drouais

Makeup. The makeup is clearly thought to appeal to a modern audience, so it’s pretty natural and rosy, which works for the character and the overall look of the show. Would I prefer a more accurate and extreme make? Not really? It doesn’t look like Kitty died during a party night or something like that, so having her with minimal makeup makes sense, and also the historical makeup would totally change the perception we as audience have of Kitty, since it’s much more exaggerated than our modern makeup.

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So, what do you all think? Was a little too picky? I mean, I hope I didn’t become one of those anal people who demand historical accuracy in media that is not required to. I try (with all my costume critiques) to step into the mind and work of a costume designer and improve the costumes through those lenses.

Thinking about what the costumes are for (tell us about the character, define the character aesthetic as an individual and within the show, set the time and place), the costume design of the show do all those things in a proper manner, so I think we can play and get a little picky with the details and how much we would like to make the show look better :)

Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.

Let me know your comments in a reblog or comment or ask or message XD

[mrdraws]

Here’s the Aminta/Point of No Return dress! This one was tough because I loved the original so much–I wanted to keep as much of its aesthetic as possible while still doing something different. Featuring red silk, black brocade, a bit of gold trim and lacing, black beading on the red, and some tiny red silk roses on the bodice and engageantes.