1890s day dress

 This is a bit of a cheat - I wanted to explore the changes between the exaggerated bustle of the 1880s to the sleeker line of the 1890s.


 

1899

 I do quite like Gwen's 1880s bustle ensemble ( bustle cage, petticoat, skirt, apron, bustle piece and bodice) but thought such a complex outfit should really work harder. So I  aged Gwen's bustle dress by 10 years. This has been a bitty week, a bit of this and a bit of that,  kind of thing, so altering rather than starting from scratch fits in perfectly.  The flouncy bits have gone, the silhouette has changed emphasis, and decoration has been added. It isn't a precise replica but hopefully addressed some of the differences shown by the 2 fashion plates - 1st is from 1885, the 2nd 1899.

One major change was the shape and rigidity of the corset (Gwen is wood so no amount of tight lacing is going to change her) .Lots of information from the V&A Museum plus extant examples - http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/corsets-and-bustles-1880-1890-from-over-structured-opulence-to-the-healthy-corset/


1898 - a bit much?

The bodice fitted Gwen2 - a slighter larger cast of the original Gwen- so by transferring it back onto Gwen there was some room for manoeuvre.  Some judicious padding has given it a more 'forward' bust  and curved the back more, plus the shoulders are squarer now; all trying to make the waist look smaller in comparison.   Some of the flirty flounces at the back have gone, the tail is now split with a central vent - probably should have split it further. The usual problem occurred with the buttons - never can find the right size or design (at a price I'm wanting to pay!). Having done the button holes there was no going back, but the buttons looked awful - too flat, too modern, too plastic. Camouflage required - masculine/military styling was still fashionable so lacking a braid, or the patience to make one,   to make frogging - one length of ribbon later.....


Also note cunning plan - set the era late and avoid the exaggeration of the sleeve - there was nowhere near enough fabric to even think about leg of mutton sleeves....

The skirt remains essentially the same - did try to streamline  the rear pleats into darts to give a smoother more 'A' line  sweep to the back,  but  having tried it on one side it looked awkward and lumpy. It needed a complete restructuring, so back to the original design. The petticoat is still there but squashed and bullied  to be less bulky at the top, she is wearing a small rump bump to emphasise the hip.
 The addition is a row of sharks teeth  trim. This I'd seen used before and came across a good tutorial by Lynn Collins so couldn't resist having a go.  I have just enough ribbon left to add a  coloured line at the top of the tooth with little folded teeth coming down inbetween. Haven't committed to this yet- it may be a decoration too far.....