Costume College dress rehearsal part I, 1770s robe à la Polonaise à coqueluchon

This dress was one of the seven I took with me to Costume College this year. I hadn't had a  proper chance to try out all the different ways to drape the back having only worn it a couple of minutes in freezing cold when it was finished, so I wanted to try it on before I packing. And while I was at it, I did a simple hairstyle to go with it and took a couple of photos that I thought I'd share.

Late 1770s robe à la Polonaise à coqueluchon

Judging from the amount of hooded robes à la Polonaise you can see in portraits and fashion plates they were quite popular in their time. I think it's a cute style, kind of a crossover between a dress and an overgarment, so I wanted to give it a try. It's made of striped silk taffeta with linen and silk lining and trimmed with silk gauze. It's hand sewn with linen thread. It closes with hooks and eyes. I'm wearing it over a shift, stays, a false rump, two linen petticoats, silk stockings, silk shoes and accessories, all hand sewn by me.

Snow and -14℃ aren't the best conditions to photograph a dress, but today was the first day off I've had in months without snow or rain falling from the sky, so we took few quick photos before running back inside.

Construction:

I was mainly inspired by these three drawings. 

Gallerie des Modes, 1778

Carmontelle, Madame la marquise du Dreneux

Vigée Le Brun, Standing Woman Holding a Sheet of Music, 1772

A lot of the basic construction I owe to the the research Kendra and Brooke have made over the past years. I drafter the pattern myself using my riding habit and late 18th century jacket patterns as a guide.

I sewed it together by first back stitching the two silk layers and one linen lining layer and then folding the seam allowance under from the other lining piece and whip stitching it over the seam.

Back has only one layer of silk and linen. Front has two separate layers and both are stitched to the side back seams and are joined together also on the neck edge and armhole. The outer front pieces are lined with silk to prevent the stripes of the inner bodice from showing through.

The joined neck edge on the finished dress.

I set the sleeves the same way I usually do. All four fabric layers together under arm and sleeve head sandwiched between shoulder strap an it's lining.

To loop up the skirt, the tapes running over side back seams continue unstitched from where the seam ends to be tied up on the inside.

Close-up

All the trim is roll hemmed and pleated in place.

1770s -1780s accessories

My most recent project, robe à la Polonaise à coqueluchon, is a day dress and I wanted to accessorize it accordingly. I needed a new hat, elbow length gloves and I also wanted equipage. I couldn't justify purchasing any of those gorgeous reproduction equipage that are available. Facing the option of making my own, I was inspired by the mismatched pearly equipage that Marie Antoinette is carrying in the 1785 Wertmüller portrait.

Mine are just quickly strung together and not nearly as fancy. And I don't have a proper reproduction 18th century style pocket watch to wear with it. But regardless, it's nice to have these to add a little more life in the outfit.

The hat is a buckram hat with a wired brim. It's covered with white silk and decorated with strips of striped silk taffeta. It's hand sewn the same was as all my previous buckram hats so I didn't bother with construction photos.

The gloves are made of leather. These are stitched together by whip stitching the seams from the underside.