Fabulous Frocks

If you are looking for cushions please scroll down….

These two outfits have formed a major part of my life over the last 6 months or so.


They were commissions for two friends for their Civil Partnership ceremony and the making of them was a mixture of delight and hate. Some of the pleating in the blue one drove me insane with frustration as I tried to match up the original 18th century patterns (from Patterns of Fashion) to a modern-sized person! It is based on a 1780s riding jacket and has a matching long skirt, also in silk dupion. Its lined in a pink peacock feather print from Liberty.


The buttons on this jacket were embroidered with amazing real silver sequins that my friend Gina gave me. They are made from tiny rings of silver wire hammered flat and are C-shaped so you can see where the ends of the wire ring meets. Its hard to describe and impossible to photograph! Just trust me that they are a million times nicer than modern plastic sequins.
The pink outfit is based on a caraco jacket like this among others, and on open gowns of the period. These are mid-18th century style. The pleating on the back is more like a gown, with the pointed back bodice and gathered skirt.



The trim is box pleats which is common on 18th century gowns and is a technique I have used a lot in my contemporary work here and here and I love it. I’ve also used it on bags and for curtains and lampshades. I’ll have it everywhere eventually!
The cuffs are one of my favourite parts of this jacket. Very very smart I think, and surprisingly easy to make (and to wear, they don’t dangle in your dinner!)
There are more pictures on Flickr.
What a huge sense of satisfaction and indeed pride to see these finished. I also made myself a 1790s over-dress to wear, but no decent pics of that yet – its pretty difficult to photograph yourself!