Month: November 2015

Done it! Gown no. 3 is finished! This time there is more resemblance to the vintage item, but I had to use much more modern fabric. I don´t posses some vintage batiste nor tulle, so  I took new cotton net-lace The genuine gown from the Metropolitan Museum is real made of batiste, but I used this material on gown no. 2 and didn´t want to repeat it.  The original gown is also much more embellished with embroideries, but contains no further decorations like roses, ribbons or other flowers. And the sleeves are much shorter, but I found this unflattering. For this project, I could use a long treasured, hand-embroidered silkborder, maybe genuine 1920s. The embroidery is in a very similar style to the orginal and looks really nobel. For the sleeves and the independent decoration in the middle of the front, I used the border-scraps and some perfect matching machine-embroidered crepe-silk….Happy end?

No way! I made a final fitting, took off the dress and in the silence of my room I heard a quiet ripping sound….Now, it seems, to use the perfect matching machine-embroidered crepe-silk wasn´t a good idea after all. The silk is brittle, but I hadn´t noticed it over washing, ironing and finally sewing.  That ment cut off the seams, remove the crepe and find another half-way matching piece of lace, that´s not completely rotten. As you can see on the pictures, I succeeded. Delayed  Happy End after all!

A different version of a lingerie-gown again . And I hope, this time there will be  a bit of a visible resemblance…..Well, wait and see……

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have finished gown no. 2. There where some obstacles again. And of course,  there is no real resemblance to the original…..But don´t we rise to the occasions?

This time I chose a kind of “appron-gown”.

First I found some unexpected little damages in the intended centerpiece of the skirt. The kind of damages, that couldn´t be mend invisible. so I patched two appliques on, to disguise the holes and spots. The embroidery is very pretty, two smaller areas on both sides and a big embroidery in the middle, but they are adverse located, so I couldn´t  make the folds of the skirt in the same way, the original gown shows. If I had it done this way, most of the embroidery wouldn´t be visible anymore. That ment also, I had to give the upper part of the gown more space, to show of the centerpiece of the skirt. And I had to cheat a little: It was impossible to get some vintage batiste or muslin. So I had to use some modern organic batiste from my stock. Unfortunatly it was not enough for the many folds on both sides of the skirt. So I made as much as possible.

I had no further embroidered pieces for the upper half of the gown, like the one in the front of the skirt. So I used a vintage collar in a similar style for the neckline. And I had also no fabulous lace like the one on the skirt´s edge…. But a beautiful, hand-embroidered cotton-lace.

For the underdress, I use whatever my armoire has in stock: Some simple dresses in different colors.

The rose-bouquet on one side is bigger on the original gown and made in the same way, as the decoration of gown no. 1.  But I didn´t want to repeat it and chose another rose,  made in a style, that had also been popular in the 1920s. The big bow with tulle was too much for my taste. So I leaved it.  But I´m still not satisfied with the decoration. I think, it makes the gown too  “girlie” and I wouldn´t wonder, it the roses find themselves in one of my new millinery-projects soon………

At the Moment I´m busy with lingerie-gown no. 2.

It will be different to the first one.

Wait and see!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually I should call it my “obstacle-gown”.

From the start, there where some problems. The vintages original (a bridal gown )  included some of the finest, hand-embroidered batiste. Thanks to the californian-treasures, I had a matching piece in the same style and good condition. But it was to broad. To make it fit, I had to  to cut it up and remove some of the embroidery on the edge, which I didn´t want to. That ment, I had to find another one. But all I had, was a hand-embroidered piece in a complete different style.  It´s pretty too, but  matches not half as good, als the other one did. And it was also to broad  But I didn´t want to cut it up either.

So I had to add on another row of lace on the neckline, to prevent the gown from slipping down the shoulders.

The neckline of the genuine gown was very high too. I found that not comfortable and decided to give my version more space.  I also couldn´t  copy the flouncy sideparts, because non of my vintage lace had the right lenght. So I had to adjust the pattern to the existing material.

After that, I found some unexpected little flaws on the net lace, that had to be mend. And than I had to add on some rather rough bobbin-lace, because I hadn´t enough left of the finer ones.

That gives my gown very little resemblance to the original, but I don´t mind. It makes the whole thing more individual.

Certainly, I wear it with some under-gowns in different colors.

At the end I decided to add on a waist-ribbon, because the gown looked much better with a little gathering.

The rose-decoration is handmade from vintage ribbons and the tiny blue flowers handembroidered from old sild thread.

“But”, you would object. “This looks like a night gown!”

That´s right. But the reason ist simple: Till the end of the 1020s, they made no difference in the use of material between girls clothing, womens lingerie, summer dresses and sometimes evening wear. For the whole range, the same lace and fabrics like silk, satin, fine linen or batiste have been wildly mixed. Even the sewing-patterns where nearly the same.

The works of the Callot- und Bouét soeurs  are the best examples. They even used the same embellishments for both, gowns and lingerie. So beholders of today can hardly see the difference.

 

 

 

I love the metropolitan-museum´s online-collection. I could spend hours on this website….

One day I stumbled over a 1920s lingerie-gown, made by the callot soeurs.

I wanted to sew myself a similar dress, but then it was impossible- I simply had not enough or the right  vintage material to work with. And modern lace and fabric won´t do. They are not comparable in quality nor beauty.

The only solution was to wait and collect. Which I did. For years I stockpiled like a hamster. But some key-pieces still where missing.

Until some weeks ago. Then I got a huge lot of vintage items from California.

The californian treasures included some of the “missing links”, so I could finally start my project: Four dresses, inspired by vintage 1920s lingerie-gowns, made by the boué seours and callot seours.

Of cause, it´s impossible to copy the gowns . The vintage originals are hand-sewn, custom-made luxury-items. They´re made from finest muslin or batiste, heavy embellished with couture-embroidery and  priceless lace.  I have not the time nor the skills for such embroidery and my stock of fine batiste is very small. And I will use a sewing-machine. It´s also impossible, to use such huge amounts of bulk stock  lace, like the couturiers in the 1920s did, Most of the vintage lace pieces on the market today are short. (Or very, very expensive!) And to find the same lace, used for the gowns,  is also impractical.

Another problem will be the beautiful patina of the  genuine gowns. My material may be from the same era or before, but it comes from several nations and was stocked under completely different conditions. Which means, the patina of my gowns will be mixed.

Seems, I have to make some compromise.

At least, my gowns can only be a poor tribut to the masterpieces from the roaring twenties. Maybe there will be no visible consensus But give up the project? NEVER!

So wait and see, what´s ahead. Gown number one is nearly done!

 

 

 This dress is almost completely made of vintage napkins. I always try not to cut them up, but to use them as they come, no matter shape or size. (The only exception is, if they´re flawed.) This approach isn´t easy, because you´re restricted in your possibilities. You can forget the most patterns, but I think it´s  exciting and worth it.

For the dress I patched some of the dyed napkins together and made a simple skirt. I had to lift the skirt up, because it was to long.  Than I used another napkin for the back and some scraps in shades of brown for the front.

If you want to try something in that way, every napkin, vintage or modern, does a good job.  You can even try to combine such with completely different shapes or sizes. A bit tricky, but fun!