The specifics: wired buckram brim and sideband, ivory silk charmeuse flatlined with ivory cotton to cover the brim and crown, bias cut ivory silk shantung brim binding, trimmed with ivory tulle and black ostrich feathers, lined with the same ivory cotton as the flat lining. (Did you know that craft stores sell tulle in 6″ wide rolls 25′ long in all sorts of colors in the bridal section??? This is great for hats!)
All in all, I’d say the hat turned out beautifully! I didn’t take the time to smooth out every bubble in the silk charmeuse along the brim, so there are a few bubbles… but I think I’m the only person who will ever notice them. It’s rather a tall hat… But I like it! I think it achieved the mushroom-y look I mentioned in Part I of the Ivory Mushroom Hat adventure and it has space in the head size opening as I intended. It even resembles a mob-cap, as I mentioned in Part I. Yay! I think it lends some serious Edwardian grandeur to my look. Full length pictures of the tea gown are coming soon so you can decide what you think about the hat.
It turns out that hair makes a great bandeau! I added some fake hair to my coiffure for tea to help support the hat in the back and it worked wonderfully. Without the extra hair the hat slips down over my face to a point somewhere around my nose… luckily, my poofy hair plus some extra hair works wonders!
I decided to trim the hat with black feathers and an ivory tulle bow because all ivory was overwhelming… the tulle trim is lost, whereas when black feathers are added the tulle trim suddenly stands out as well. Judge for yourself, below! Here are some other trim ideas I sampled on the hat before making my decision.
All ivory with a tulle bow.All ivory with ivory millinery leaves.With black goose biots.
The plan: to create an ivory and black hat to accompany my (almost) completed Titantic-era tea gown. I started with some ideas in mind, but was also open to inspiration from challenges of construction or materials. I raided my millinery trim stash for ivory and black millinery flowers and leaves, black and white ostrich feathers, pleated and plain ivory ribbons and trims, and other practical necessities like millinery wire, buckram, and organza…
I’m calling this hat a “mushroom” hat because it is my goal to make the crown roomy about the head and puffy in the crown, like a mushroom top! You can see this mushroom-y detail in the images below: look at how the head size opening is often bigger than the head! Given that the head size opening needs to be big, one challenge I will face is figuring out how to make the thing stay up on my head and not fall down over my face. I’m not sure big hair will be enough… That’s something I’ll have to determine once the hat is complete. I might have to use some sort of bandeau inside of the hat to support it. Bandeaus are often used to perch hats on the head, especially in periods like the 1870s and last quarter of the 18th century, but it seems like a practical solution to this 1912 hat perching problem, also! I’ll have to let you know how the bandeau situation turns out.
A selection of inspirational and awesome hats from a 1910 issue of the magazine Bon Ton. I particularly like the be-feathered hat on the far right...From the 1910 issue of Bon Ton. Look at how huge that head size opening is! And the feathers are just giant! I don't plan to attempt to create this, but I do think it fabulous!Another fabulously feathered hat from Bon Ton, 1910. Also included simply because it is wonderful, not because I intend to build it...
These last two images show the direction this hat is going. I love the mushroom-y shapes (which also resemble mob-caps), large scale trim, and head size openings.
Another hat from the 1910 issue of Bon Ton. This hat is one of my top inspirational images for my hat creation. It has that mushroom-y shape.The hat on the right from The Metropolitan Museum of Art via American Duchess. Love the mob-cap-like/mushroom-y shape... and that buckle! Wow!
Oh my goodness! This is such a cool and huge collection of photographs and fashion plates! Lauren over at American Duchess has been referencing images from the Bartos Collection for awhile now, but I didn’t get a chance to check it out for myself until just recently. It is WONDERFUL!
The collection focuses on the mid-19th century through the early 20th century. There are fashion plates and mounds of period photographs and pictures of extant clothing… If you love historic clothes and hats and hair you MUST VISIT! Here’s the link, again, because you must go visit and drop your jaw with me!
It is time to share my classification of the dresses from my recent 1910 Dress Inspiration and Classification post. It turns out that not very many of you commented with your classification of the Edwardian dresses up for review. I’m sure you had opinions and you simply chose not to share them… but maybe next time you’ll want to join in! Without further ado, here’s what I think.
1: Favorite! (I love the gold trim on this dress! It is just SO exquisite!)
1910 Ball Gown (The Met)
2: Almost favorite (I had a hard time choosing between this and the one above.)
c. 1910 Worth Evening Dress (The Met)
3: Beautiful, but not my style (I just don’t like the beading on this very much…)
I was SO excited to pre-order my pair of Astorias from American Duchess for an upcoming 1912 themed weekend in April. Unfortunately, the shipment date of the Astoria shoe has been postponed due to some unforeseen production issues, which means I have to find an interim shoe choice for those upcoming April events…
The Astoria from American Duchess
This link contains an affiliate code, which provides a small benefit to my shoe fund. This does not affect my impressions and reviews of this product.
I’ve thought about shoes I currently own, because obviously that is a cost effective solution, but I don’t have anything that is dance-able, walk-able, and 1910s looking all at the same time. So… the current idea is to purchase a new pair of shoes. The idea does have its drawbacks, most importantly including a desire to be cost effective. But a new pair of shoes! I’ve been digging around the web looking for shoe options and I’ve broken the seach down into two categories of possibilities: 1- low heeled strap-y pumps, and 2- mid heeled pumps with a buckle or similar toe decoration. The mid heel pump idea stems from images like the one below–an adorable pair of shoes from the 1910s.
c. 1910 Evening Pumps (The Met)
I have had trouble with the mid heel pump idea because I don’t seem to be finding modern shoes with a somewhat correct heel height, that curved in shape, and with a closed toe (even without the toe decoration). I’ve found a few possibilities that have some, but not all, of those qualities. Here are the best options, and there are more on my “In lieu of Astorias…” pinterest board.
The heel height is perhaps a little high, but pretty good. And the toe decoration is super cute. Even love the heel shape. Don’t love the narrow heel style for the 1910s (although I think this is a great modern shoe!). Also, it comes in a variety of colors. The price is $43.99, which is a little high for what I’m thinking of spending. These are at zappos.comThese have a pretty good heel, from what I can see. They also have a toe decoration, although it looks rather modern and not Edwardian. It only comes in gold, black, and silver. But the price is just $29.99. These are from amerimark.comThese have a nippped in heal, although it is low for the pump look. It also has a toe decoration of buttons, which seems like a good modern-does-Edwardian shoe possibility. This shoe is only availble in black and is $29.99. It is from bedfordfair.comThese have the right heel height and stockiness, but not quite that curved in shape I like about 1910s shoes. They do have the strap-y look going, which is a plus. They come in a variety of colors and are $19.99. Like the price! They are at bedfordfair.com
Back to the first train of shoe thought: a low heeled shoe with a strap-y 1910s look. I’ve found a few options for this style, although it is a little tricky. There are actually a fair number of t-strap shoes that look very 1920s or 30s-ish, but the simple t-strap isn’t quite the right look for the 1910s strap-y shoe. Here are some of the best low heeled strap-y options. Again, there are more on my “In lieu of Astorias…” pinterest board.
These have a low heel and they are strap-y. They look a little heavy and not quite dainty enough, I think. But they come in a variety of colors and the price is $24.99. They are are amerimark.comThese have a low, slightly curved heel I think. They have an interesting t strap detail. They come in a variety of colors and the price is $29.99. These are at amerimark.com
I think right now I am leaning towards this last pair of shoes. They seem dance-able and walk-able as well as being sort of generic early 20th century looking, which means that I think I could push them into the 1920s or 30s for dance purposes… I’m just not entirely decided. Do I really need a new pair of shoes? (Of course, the real answer is that I do not need a new pair of shoes… but how often it is nice to have a new pair of shoes simply to have a new pair of shoes!) Or maybe I should go in a pump direction? Ack! It’s really too bad that my Astorias will be just a few weeks too late for these events! (Sad face…) Anyway, I hope that wether you are waiting for Astorias or just looking for Edwardian shoe possibilities these are some helpful ideas!
The next historically clothed event in my life is Titanic-themed and I have five busy weeks in front of me to prepare for it. I’m quite excited to see everyone’s clothes from a whole new era that is so different from the usual 19th century looks. I’ll share some of my progress on my emerging 1912 wardrobe soon, but for now here is a selection of inspirational dresses for your perusal!
In what order would you classify these dresses? You are welcome to create unique descriptions to describe the order you choose! I’ll let you comment and share my classification later (I want to avoid swaying anyone my way, you see).
1=Favorite! 2=Almost favorite 3=Beautiful, but not my style
1910 Ball Gown (The Met)1910 Ball Gown (The Met)1909-1911 Worth Evening Dress (The Met)1909-1911 Worth Evening Dress (The Met)c. 1910 Worth Evening Dress (The Met)c. 1910 Worth Evening Dress (The Met)
Alliterative, agreed? Ok, I’m done… Honestly, the words just came–I didn’t spend long on them! Last weekend I attended the Returning Heroes Ball hosted by the Commonwealth Vintage Dancers in Holliston, MA. As usual, it was full of fun and laughs. There were fabulous dresses all around (because of course one of the joys of a ball is to observe dresses–old and new) and wonderful refreshments as well. I don’t have pictures of other people, but I have pictures of me!… You can see a variety of people in the photos on Antonia’s blog, Experiments in Elegance…
Me, in Annabelle. I really, really love hoop skirted dresses! And flounces! Whee!!!
I recently gained a new accessory: a deep purple burnout silk velvet scarf, big enough to use as a shawl. The shawl was decommissioned from a friend’s modern wardrobe because it is rather intense for a modern look; however, it works wonderfully as a 19th century piece, I think! I’ve been waiting for about three months to try it out with this outfit… I think it is fabulous and nicely complements the purple in the flowers. Do you think it works for an 1860s look?
Ooo... Purple silk velvet shawl. So cosy! (and stylish to boot!)Thanks for taking the photos, gentlemen (you know who you are)!
I’ve been trying out more complicated, poof-filled hair styles in preparation for early 20th century styling and I put some extra effort into this hair-do to try out more poof-ing. From the front my hair has it’s normal 1860s style with a center part where each from section is slightly poofed and rolled back to join the low rolled chignon at the nape of my neck (above, left and right)… but from the back this most recent style has extra poof-age!
See the extra poof at the top of my head? Poof close-up
In terms of the hair-styling itself, I think I like the extra poof as it gives more dimension and adds a regal feel to the overall look. Do you like the added poof?
I also decided to rework the hair wreath I’d made for the German Cotillion back in October (left). I’m not sure I like it as a giant mass of flowers, I might rework it again into a crescent shape like the flower piece that matches Belle, my other 1860s ball gown (above right). In terms of the flowers, giant mass or crescent shape?
I’ve been plugging away at my new Standard Ballroom Dance dress. I’ve made progress, though not quite as quickly as I had hoped, as the dress was intended to be worn in about 9 days!!! Once the dress is sewn, I still have the job of individually gluing on about 3,000 (yes, that’s three thousand!) rhinestones. So… in the effort to preserve my sanity and focus on other projects, I have decided to be a smart stress-reducer and put this dress on hold until summer so that I can have a new dress for the fall competition season.
Also, I am glad to report that my old yellow dress does not fit quite as tightly as I remembered it fitting just a few weeks ago! I wore it this past weekend and, while tight, it didn’t seem to be uncomfortably or unflatteringly so. Also, I was told that the velcro accident instigated by my partner is not visible from the dance floor, which is an encouraging thought. I do have quite a few neglected snap and hook and eye repairs to do on the dress, though… And I really should do those in the next 9 days, so that I’m not distracted on the dance floor…
Regardless of the sewing future of this dress, I’ll share pictures of my progress now, so you can appreciate the delicious berry colors I decided on.
My progress on the dress so far.
Disclaimer: this dress form does no favors for the dress. It fits me far better than the form, and it helps that I have arms to keep the straps on! Most of the weird bumps in the bodice are from the built in bodysuit that is bunched under the dress: the leg openings just don’t work on a dress form!
But anyway, progress: the bodice has been sewn and fit multiple times, the skirt godets have been sewn in, and there is a very invisible zipper sewn in center back (you can only see the zipper pull because it is pink instead of purple-ish)! Still to do before the rhinestones: serge all the skirt seams and hems (which I actually did after I took the pictures), finish the hems with plastic wire (which I did… it was disastrous looking! I hated it and it was so frustrating! so then I took it all out… I think I might try horsehair), finish the top edge of the bodice, sew the straps on… Once the rhinestones are on I still need to make floats (the usually chiffon pieces that hang off of the arms) and a neck decoration of some sort. I’m not sure what that will look like yet, but now I’ve got time to plan ahead!
The back of the dress. Those straps blend in with the dress form so well I can hardly see them!
I keep mentioning hems (plural). The skirt is actually four layers: chiffon and organza treated as one, charmeuse, and then organza. So when I say finish seams, or hem layers, that’s because there are three separate layers in the skirt that need attention! Each godet is a full quarter circle, which means that each hem is a full circle and a half. The under layers actually do show through the chiffon, depending on how the light hits the dress (see the picture, below, with a flash on). You can also see the way the chiffon has stretched out more than the other layers.
The skirt photographed with the flash on: you can see the pink under layers much better here.
I’ve decided to call this dress the “berry” ballroom dress, because all the colors (except maybe the purple chiffon) remind me of berries! (And I do love berries!)
The fabrics used in this dress: nude power mesh, berry stretch knit, purple chiffon, raspberry charmeuse, and raspberry organza.
Ooo! Lauren over at American Duchess has just opened the pre-order period for a new style of historic shoes! Head on over to American Duchess to check out the details of the Kensington and other styles from the 18th and 19th centuries!
New from American Duchess: Kensingtons in red and black
These links contain an affiliate code, which provides a small benefit to my shoe fund. This does not affect my impressions and reviews of these products.
Recently, while looking through the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Collection for entirely unrelated items, I came across these very purple quilted slippers. I like them, but I also feel they are a little loud. Quilting? And purple? And velvet? And bows? There’s just a lot going on. They look pretty comfortable, though! How do you feel about these? And can you imagine what sort of dress would go with them? Perhaps a white cotton flounced one with purple trim…
1865-1885 Silk Slippers (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
The Quintessential Clothes Pen 