For the blue, I really wanted something earlier, so, I went with a 1790's open robe.
I love the nice bright colors of the open robes in this Fashion plate from 1795 I found thanks to zipzippinkspot.blogspot.com. The blue fabric I used is sort of a dark teal blue. One thing I noticed about this style, in almost every single fashion plate from the 1790's, the open robe is shown over a white gown with a printed but white background skirt. The skirt or petticoat looked to be optional but the white gown was not. The handkerchief around the neck also looked optional based on the portraits and fashion plates of the era. So, I had to make a plain, boring, white muslin gown. Grr. I made a drawstring one since that seemed to be the most common type seen without an handkerchief.
I used the same pattern I created a couple of years go for the orange gown and used for the red gown as well. It works very well and is simple to adapt. For the drawstring muslin dress, I just added about three inches on either side to a front closure. For the open robe, I just curved the front of the gown to dip down and show of the bodice of the drawstring.
The fabrics I used:
I started the dress Saturday afternoon. For the top and bottom drawstrings of the muslin gown, I just used regular cream colored cheap ribbon. It actually closes up very nicely and you can't see the gap in the front of the gown.
For the open robe, I just pinned it closed once it was sewn up. Over the open robe, I wore a nice wide red sash with gold "dots". It's actually a duppatta that is sheer but I folded into a nice looking sash.
This was the dress with the handkerchief. I saw it on me like that and...no. Just no. It looked completely wrong on me.
With the dress done, my hair became a priority. Saturday night, I put my hair in curlers. Lots of curlers. To the point it really looked like pink marshmallows attacked my hair and my hair attacked back. See?
My hair was wet and, after combing it, putting the curlers in, I added the first few sprays of hair spray to help it set. Getting dressed on Sunday, I kept the curlers in until the last possible minute. I put on my dress, the open robe, and even draped the red ribbon I wanted to wear in my hair, around my neck so I wouldn't ruin the curls. I then sprayed enough hair spray before taking the curlers out on my hair to make New Jersey jealous. I sprayed each curl after it was taken out of the curler as well. I wanted the curls to stay, darn it!
Once all the curlers were out of my hair, I piled my hair on the top of my head using bobby pins and used the red ribbon to help secure my hair back. It looks to have worked out well!
So, a new Regency dress with Regency hair! Yay!
And post tea hair:
The tea, itself, was lovely. Tons of good food and yummy bright pink tea. :-) I love Sundays since I can eat anything those days.
Today, Monday, I've had apple cider, tea with lemon, and a salad with carrots, mushrooms, croutons, and oil&vinegar with salt and pepper. :-) Tonight, probably bread, oil with herbs, and rice with raisins and carrots if I can get the sink to work again. I need to call up maintenance. *sigh*
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