1790s jacket and waistcoat, the Princess Anna Gagarina outfit

I was inspired to make an outfit after a portrait of Princess Anna Gagarina painted in 1792-93 by Jean Louis Voille. The portrait doesn't really show much about her attire, so a lot was left to my imagination. To me it looked like a masculine outfit and I wanted to create something like that. Very simple, undecorated and plain. For a long time I was undecided if should I make it as a jacket or a cut-away front gown, but to keep in line with the androgyny, I decided I wanted a jacket. Like a small scale 1790's frock coat. The jacket is made of wool and silk taffeta with linen canvas interlining and the waistcoat is of duchess silk satin and plain weave linen. Petticoat is of wool. They are hand sewn with silk and linen threads. It's worn over my 1780's stays, a shift, a false rump and two linen petticoats. 

(The gloves are the ones I made for my late bustle dress, so they don't have an 18th century style thumb, but I doubt anyone would care. I liked the dark grey with this outfit.)

And a few pictures with the waistcoat lapels visible. I can't decide which way I like it better.

And finally my 1790's fan from the treasures of dawn has a proper 1790's outfit to be used with.

The waistcoat:

It has lacing down the center back.

The handkerchief is a roll hemmed triangle of cotton organdy.

The construction:

I took the basic shape and construction from the striped 1790's man's coat from Costume Close-Up. I reshaped the front edges for a more severe cut-away shape and added large lapels. I stiffened the whole front edge with a linen canvas interlining that I stitched in to the silk taffeta lining using a handy zigzag stitch as shown here by the awesome Drunk Tailor. I also made facings for the lapels on the other side.

The stand up collar is stiffened with linen canvas attached by pad stitching.

Like the Costume Close-Up coat, I stitched the lining and wool pieces together separately using back stitches. Then I sewed the layers together around the edges together with running stitches. And because random leftover fabric linings in 18th century garments makes me happy, I did that for this jacket too. 

The cuffs have a placket opening.

The waistcoat is just two layers of duchess silk satin, seam allowances turned down and stitched together with running stitches, flat felled in to a one layer linen back with lacing. 

I got the idea from the Diary of a Mantua Maker and her riding habit waistcoat.

For the hat I made a buckram frame with a wired brim.

I covered it with black duchess silk satin and striped silk taffeta. Crown lining is of peach silk taffeta.