Transitional Fashions, a Survey

In the study of fashion, I have come to realise that I really like the transitional periods best, when shapes and forms were fluid and changing from one long-established mode to a new and different one. This is true from the Jacobean through the modern periods. Here we will examine the the aspects that changed in these periods and see if there are any common features to transitional fashions.

In the period of James VI/I, we begin to see softer silhouettes than the previous Tudor styles, moving towards the loose, billowy styles of the Stuart monarchy in the mid 17th Century.

In the Rubens portrait, we see in his flowing doublet skirts the beginning of a coat, and in the longer breeches, the petticoat breeches of mid-century.  Our lady in the second example still has the form of the Tudor dress style, but gone is the conical bodice shape and farthingale. The prevailing mode is a softening of the more geometric forms of the previous period.

A century later, in the transition from the Stuart to Georgian (Hanoverian) periods, we again find change in dress, this time from a large blowsy silhouette (as it had become) to a slimmer one that was less ornamented (briefly).

Here we do not see the enormous cuffs on the man's coat that we saw earlier, and will again later, nor in the woman's ensemble the beribboned bodice of the late Stuart or the wide hoop to come that would define Court dress for a century. There is a purity of form, the clothing reduced to essentials.

In the 1790s again we see change, not entirely, as has been supposed, due to the influence of the demise of the Ancien Régime, but of the natural flow of fashion trends. From the 1770s, the silhouette had been simplifying and reducing, refining once again to its most essential components, until in the late 1780s, an almost severe form emerged.

 In short order, the breeches  in that severe suit would become pantaloons (trousers), and the modest embroidery would disappear from men's waistcoats virtually forever. in the woman's gown, all the experimental stages of zones, chemises a la reine, and overskirts have disappeared, leaving a simple gown that shows clearly the direction the waist will go and the form that will dominate for the next thirty years.

Our periods of change are now becoming more rapid, and will do so increasingly into our contemporary period, where fashions shift almost with the seasons.

On the late 1820s and early 1830s, the transition went from straight, severe unornamented forms to a descent to the natural waist for women, a widening of the shoulders, for both men and women, a lengthening of the men's frock coats, and a widening of the skirts of women's gowns.

The natural form of the body is celebrated in both cases, giving charm and attractiveness to the costume, but it is significant that with the exception of waistcoats and cravats, men's clothing will remain subdued with a few extraordinary exceptions (the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, the Artistic Dress of Oscar Wilde and company).

The 1880s were the height of Artistic and Reform Dress, co-inciding with each other in form if not in expression.

In the Artistic Dress examples, we see rich fabrics used in loose and comfortable clothing, which does not exaggerate any part of the body; it follows the natural form. This is also true of reform dress, in the second set of examples. Comfort, if not highly artistic expression, is favoured in, for the man, a loose soft collar and cravat and plain sack coat. In the women's coats, there is no exaggeration of bustles, the hemline is off the ground and the ornamentation is minimal.

Our final example, of the very late 1910s and early 1920s, also shows the same loosening of strictures of dress of the previous decades, with more than hints of fashion to come.

In the man's fur coat, there is an almost last-hurrah of personal style before the 1960s loosened men's attire once more. In this period, we see the advent of the ascot, worn for informal dress, the college jacket (typically striped), and innumerable Fair Isle knitted waistcoats, which allowed men some personal style expression. Informality of dress was almost a catchphrase of the 1920s, and here we see its advent at the end of the Great War.

In the women's frocks, we still see the dainty ornament of the 1910s lingerie frocks, but the structure has loosened and overblouses and tunics presaged the dropped or eliminated waist to come. The clothing is still pretty, feminine and comfortable, with the natural as the focus.

In our brief survey, we have found that the commonalities of transitional periods are: a reduction of the style to its essential form, emphasis on the natural form of the body, a reduction of (or increase of) ornamentation in response to the previous period, a loose, soft style, and a (relatively) slow movement from one style to another based on an organic process (not imposed from without by fashion designers). These elements, then, might justifiably be seen as the hallmarks of natural fashions, suitable to all time periods and styles.

Spring and Tokens of Affection

Since our move, we have all had the 'flu here at Brother Rabbit, so we apologise for the long delay in posting. But the apple and pear trees are now in bloom, and the lilacs have budded and are dotting the Hill with Easter colour.

Presently, we are working to have our Accessory items in museum shops across the United States, including Mount Vernon, Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, as well as the Smithsonian and living history sites from Plimouth Plantation to the Dunsmuir Helman House.

We have a wide array of museum quality Gentlemen's, Ladies' and Children's items suitable for gifts, souveniers, and tokens of affection.

 

Our New Location!

As of March 13, 2015, our new location will be in the San Jacinto mountains, in the beautiful little village of Idyllwild, wither we have sojourned since childhood.

Set among tall pines, sweet smelling cedars and legendary rocks, the town has kept its "small town" atmosphere. Locally owned shops and restaurants are all you will find here. Come and experience the peace and quiet of Idyllwild.

If you are ready to get away from the traffic jams, or the noisy city life, this is the town for you.

Here we will teach our classes, to both children and adults, distribute our wares via our Etsy shop and website, and participate in the local living history. Come visit if you are in the area!

Historical Sew Monthly 2015

After years of sighing wishfully, I have joined the Challenges. Lucky for me, they have been changed from Fortnightly to Monthly, so I have a hope of finishing.
My choices for the Challenges are thus far:

• January – Foundations: make something that is the foundation of a period outfit. (Finishing 1780s maternity stays)
• February – Colour Challenge Blue: Make an item that features blue, in any shade from azure to zaffre. (Arts & Crafts type print 1840s wrapper)
• March – Stashbusting: Make something using only fabric, patterns, trims & notions that you already have in stash. (Bust bodice(s)- the Reform answer to corsets, the necessary for S-bend corsets.)
• April – War & Peace: the extremes of conflict and long periods of peacetime both influence what people wear.  Make something that shows the effects of war, or of extended peace. (Daughter of the Regiment Reform dress -1860s- in the manner of the 1st Virginia Cavalry.)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• May – Practicality:  Fancy party frocks are all very well, but everyone, even princesses, sometimes needs a practical garment that you can DO things in.  Create the jeans-and-T-Shirt-get-the-house-clean-and-garden-sorted outfit of your chosen period. (Gardening dress and smock, 1915, from the Sears Catalogue.)
• June – Out of Your Comfort Zone: Create a garment from a time period you haven’t done before, or that uses a new skill or technique that you’ve never tried before. (Steam punk frock from Simplicity 2172)
• July – Accessorize: The final touch of the right accessory creates the perfect period look.  Bring an outfit together by creating an accessory to go with your historical wardrobe. (Embroidered stockings from Kannik's Korner)
• August – Heirlooms & Heritage: Re-create a garment one of your ancestors wore or would have worn, or use an heirloom sewing supply to create a new heirloom to pass down to the next generations. (My mother's Jackie Kennedy type wedding suit in ivory faille - bengalline)
• September – Colour Challenge Brown: it’s not the most exciting colour by modern standards, but brown has been one of the most common, and popular, colours throughout history. Make something brown. (English smock-frock?)
• October – Sewing Secrets: Hide something in your sewing, whether it is an almost invisible mend, a secret pocket, a false fastening or front, or a concealed message (such as a political or moral allegiance). (Pockets- early 18th C. Italian, embroidered)
• November – Silver Screen: Be inspired by period fashions as shown onscreen (film or TV), and recreate your favourite historical costume as a historically accurate period piece. (Lilliie Langtry's LBD, half-scale, full-scale for self in lilac with ecru lace - black is not my colour!)
• December – Re-Do:  It’s the last challenge of the year, so let’s keep things simple by re-doing any of the previous 11 challenges. (Accessorize - embroidered mitts, 185s-60s caps.)                

This in addition to business as usual and interpreting items, including full rig for Miss Lily Yeats for teaching in the schools (1900), and for the Pre-Raphaelite Salon (1840s-60s).

The Way Forward

We have been quite busy here since Christmastide. It was our intention to take the Season, from the Solstice to Twelfth Night as a rest break to be with family and friends, but apart from the few days from the Solstice to Boxing Day, we have been working steadily on projects, making connections for future endeavours, and gathering together some new friends in out co-operative.

We put out a call for artisans, and overnight a coterie of half-a-dozen have responded thus far, with exuberance, willing and skillful hands and open hearts, sharing their stories and their beautiful selves with us.

Heart and hands together, we make a world that we can live in. This is the way forward. The Briarpatch lives!

Green blessings upon you all!
With deep Gratitude,
Kell, Owain,  Lord Byron bunny and the kitties, Ullyr and Siegfried

Introduction to Morris' News from Nowhere

Attached is a wonderful conversation between Tony Pinkney of Lancaster University and the Reader as to why anyone should bother with a Utopian book from the 1890s. The book is free to read on the site, the William Morris Archive.

News From Nowhere Introduction

It begins thus:
Reader: Why should I be expected to read a description of an ideal society dating from the 1890s?  What can that possibly have to do with us today in the early twenty-first century?

TP: Well, do you think you already live in an ideal society, then, so that you don’t need any help or ideas from the past?  With a global economic crisis battering us all from 2008 onwards, with proliferating nuclear weaponry and dangerous international tensions, with the democratic hopefulness of the Arab Spring running into the sands, with international terrorism and the ‘war on terror’ mutually reinforcing each other, and with the environmental problems of climate change, energy depletion, habitat destruction and species extinction accelerating rather than slowing down, I’m inclined to think we need all the help we can get from the models of an ideal society that we inherit from the past!  We don’t have to swallow them hook, line and sinker, but there might be helpful suggestions and inspiration towards improvement there.

R: Well alright, things aren’t so good at the moment, I’ll concede that.  But if, like Morris in News from Nowhere, you have got a scheme for a good or even perfect society, why not set it out as a series of clear-cut propositions that we can debate straightforwardly?  Why present it in literary form instead?  Why turn it into a story?

TP: As it happens, Morris did set out clear-cut propositions for change in his political lectures of the 1880s.  When you’ve got time, take a look at ‘The Society of the Future’, which he first delivered in November 1887.  If you put your scheme into a story, though, you give greater concreteness to your abstract system; you can give a firsthand feel for how it works, you put flesh on its bare bones.  Instead of saying, as a sociology textbook might, the economy is organised in such and such a fashion, you can actually show people working together under the new social relations, show them in the very process of learning how to become new kinds of people (cooperative rather than competitive, say).  We as readers experientially participate in such new relationships, we feel them on our pulses, rather than just learning about them intellectually, as theoretical possibilities.

DIY Hairpieces for the Lady Re-enactor, Part One

Some time ago, I purchased a cheap child's Rapunzel wig at Party City, as an alternative to more expensive hairpieces at Sally's or online. This was done for two reasons: ease of acquisition, and the fact that my natural haircolour is now a variegated sandy ginger blonde, which is very difficult to match.

The original wig was closer than anything else found, including the Sandy Blonde wefts at Sally's.
The first necessity was to tone down the unnatural blonde a bit. Into a pot with several dark Irish tea bags went the wig, soaking overnight. Then into a similar pot of dilute Manic Panic Atomic Turquoise conditioner, which is what I use to tone my hair around here. Easy, non-chemical, vegan. This was the resulting colour:

When the wig was dry, I combed it out with a shower comb and began to cut apart the wefts from the wig cap:

Don't be dismayed if you accidentally cut the weft, especially around the front edge.

When all the bottom wefts were off, I arranged then according to size:

The very top, I left whole as the basis for a fall of curls, as my primary hairstyle for Pre-Raphaelitism is 1870s:

The small wefts were then sewn together in pairs. they will be used for side curls, braids, and back curls, depending on need:

These will all go woven into my own hair, which, although hip length, still is not enough to make up the hairstyles of the 1820s-1900 to my satisfaction.  Some of this volume in the latter period may be created with pads and frizzing, but not the mass of curls of the earlier periods.

The switches were then braided loosely so as to avoid tangling, ready for the next part of the adventure, curl-papers and rags:

 As every reader of Victoriana knows, curling rags were used in the period, as an alternative to curling tongs (irons), which did not damage the hair. Some used curl papers instead, including Lord Byron and Beau Brummel.

More on which anon!

The Arts and Crafts Ethic as a Template for the Future

We are embarking on a long-term project which significantly promotes the Arts and Crafts.

This project will delineate the origins of the ethic of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries in America, the British Isles and selected countries in Europe. It will explicate the manner in which the ethic was lived by members of the movement, famous and obscure. It will trace the revivals of this ethic into modern times, including the Wandervogel in pre-World War II Germany and the Back to Nature movement of the 1970s. It will show the strong underpinning of this Movement in various contemporary social and artistic  movements across the world.
For the contemporary research, the project will include a website featuring surveys, a blog, and forum for discussion in community.

The result will be a published book on the findings, inspiring and leading people into a new, sane, sustainable future.

Blue to the Elbow with Topsy

An idea becomes a search, which leads us back to our roots:
In thinking about some of the finer gauge items for ladies and children - lovely spencers and caracoes and other such jackets that don't want to be of a woolly pully weight as with Fair Isle - a possibility crept into my mind: lace-weight yarn (such as we use for Shetland shawls) in Fair Isle patterns!
I suspected that the result would be an entirely different animal than regular Fair Isle, and I was right - it is very dainty.

But how to achieve our colours in a reasonable price-point for people (Rowan yarns having a nice range of lace-weight colours but not extensive and at $13 a hank, makes the finished products very spendy.) Well, clearly, taking an ivory yarn and dyeing it. Just as Morris did to achieve his soft colours back in the day. Going back to our roots here of concocting plant-based dyes.

There are two options for the wool, a washing wool with nylon added, and pure merino. The two will dye similarly, but the washing wool will survive normal laundering at a warm temperature.

 As for the dyes, there is still the old option of bark, roots, leaves and berries, with the addition of mordants of alum, tin, copper and soon to achieve different shades.

But there are also now pre-mixed natural powder dyes in 48 beautiful colours, waiting to be blended. Mix water and powder, bring to a boil, add wool. No mordanting required.

I still do, however, think of Topsy at an important meeting, his arms blue to the elbow from an indigo dye vat.