editrene

I was at the V&A last week and picked up this book about Lucile, Lady Duff Gordon's fashion business in the late 19th/early 20th century. It's cheaper on Amazon, but I like to support the V&A ;-p

Anyway, it's a must for anyone who's into early Edwardian fashion - which I must admit, I'm not, particularly, but I still found it fascinating. The bulk of the book is a Barbara-Johnson's-Album-esque facsimile of Lucile's "lookbook" for A/W 1905, so lots of very detailed, coloured drawings and attached snippets of fabric for her collection that winter.

The subtitle (1890s to 1930s) is a bit misleading, as the rest of her career isn't given a great deal of coverage, although there's an interesting chapter at the back covering the period c1910-1935, which is mostly what I bought it for. But a good one for the costume library, nonetheless.

You'd think FIDM would know better: stupidity here.

Wait, so it's a 1900s style? But she's supposed to look like she's stepped out of an Austen movie? So that would be 1800s, surely?... But the designer decided to base it on 1920s... but it's completely fitted, and has a waistline? I'm confused.

Also, just got back from a holiday in Italy. Gelato = yum. Did I miss anything exciting?

I know this is a familiar grumble with costumers, but the layers, my God the layers!
My problem is, being mostly interested in outerwear, I can't even begin to make one thing on my endless list of things I want to sew without first making eleventy billion underneath layers.

Take, say, the 1916 coat I want to make - I haven't made anything from this era before, so I need to make something to wear underneath it, plus the multi layers of underpinnings that go under that. I figure that's at least 7 garments before I even get to the one I really want to make.

I'm also REALLY confused about the exact build-up of layers. Looking at the 1917 Perry Dame book, and also the 1918/19 National Cloak and Suit Co catalogue that I have, there seem to be two distinct types of petticoat - pretty white cotton batiste/lace ones, then (in a different section) ones that are made in coloured taffeta or similar. Do I need both? And I'm really bemused by the whole chemise/camisole/drawers/combinations lark.

This is what I think I need - any advice/comments/corrections gratefully received!
(From the inner layer out...)
1. Combinations (all-in-one chemise and drawers in light cotton or somesuch) or chemise and drawers
2. Corset
3. Corset cover
4. Cotton petticoat
5. Taffeta petticoat
6. Blouse
7. Skirt
8. The coat I really want to make!

I love this era, so at least the underlayers can be reused for later projects...

Pics are in! I'm actually quite excited now because my lovely photographer friend Pat managed to make my stuff look much prettier than expected.

The full set is here if you're interested...

**Disclaimer** Compared with all the beautiful costumes my f-list posts, these garments are very, very boring. Don't say you weren't warned.**

Paging kgif

Kelly, you need to get some of these for your new biz! (I was thinking of the stationery, but the other stuff is cute, too).

Way back when, in the early days of VCRs, my brother and I saw the same two films over and over again, for reasons I'm not entirely clear about but which probably involve there being only three TV channels at the time. Those two films were An American Werewolf in London (which I can still quote pretty much word for word) and Logan's Run. Clearly, Logan's Run has worked its way further into my subconscious than I'd realised, as I appear to have unintentionally recreated one of the costumes...

Ah well, no time to change it now! Although the curly sleeves are really bugging me. The hem and neck facing stitching is supposed to show, BTW. Honest.