jennylafleur | 1911 evening gown plans

*drumroll* My 1911 evening gown plans. *Ta da!* :>

Can you tell I have been having way too much fun with the costume already? *grins sheepishly* It's funny how circumstances, supplies and inspiration can suddenly and perfectly come together for a frock. I was bitten by the 19-teens bug last month when I started work on my kimono. I think it was re-reading all my Titanic books. And I have some very cool Titianic books too. :> When Bridget and I came up with the idea of doing "Opera" as our theme for Twelfth Night 2006, I knew I wanted to wear a teens dress.

I also knew I wanted to use this dramatically orange ribbed silk. Okay, so it's not actually silk but it looks like it. Lovely stuff really. My fate was sealed when I pulled out this cream and orange silk chiffon. The chiffon is actually silk and it matches the ribbed "whatever" almost perfectly. I've all three pieces of fabric for years now but never thought to put them together before! *duh*

Originally my concept was for more of a teens era fancy dress costume but as I started to narrow down my design ideas, I moved more toward a simple evening gown. Those fabrics just don't need much to "pop".

I was heavily inspired by this c1911 gown (I *think* it's from Karen Augusta but I collected the image so long ago I'm not sure) and this 1912 fashion plate from

elegant_musings's collection. My sketch isn't great I know but it gives you an idea of where I'm going. The colored version is a very rough idea for sure. I definitely went a little heavy on the blue there.

I'm not entirerly sure how I'm going to mix in all the fabrics at the top. I think this is one of those costumes that is going to evolve as I work on it. I really want to showcase my lovely fabrics/colors and that will require hands on draping and allowing them speak for themselves as I work. Should be a fun challenge.

I really like the idea of having one large piece of beading and leaving the rest simple though. I haven't decided what the motif will be exactly but I'm thinking a stylized butterfly or poppies would be fun. I also like the idea of adding some blue/turquoise to the color scheme. It would set off the orange so beautifully. If I go with poppies I may add some red and/or amber as well in the beading. We'll see.

So what do you think? :> Any ideas for a name for it - "my circa 1911 evening dress" is so boring.

Now I really should work on my day dress design so I can make that up first… this project just seems more fun at the moment for some reason…*grin*

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"Sarah Bernhardt Goes to the Opera" or "Norma Talmadge Sings" Just thoughts. The concept is interesting, love the fabric combo. 1911 costumes are usually complex, how did you manage to not make this entire design difficult?

I have a ton of amber beads if you want some, let me know! If I did this correctly you may be able to just see the beads near the cuff.

I'm glad you like it. *grin*

Yeah, Edwardian clothing as a rule is complicated, even the stuff that looks simple. I prefer simple designs and shapes on the body, also my skills are not up to "complicated" so those simple elements were the I was naturally attracted to I think.

I arrived at my design by looking through lots of period fashion plates and vintage pieces online. I collected the images together and picked out my favorites, then went through them again to pick out what it was about each frock that I liked. All my design ideas really clicked when I found that black & white gown. It had so many of the elements I was already in love with but in a very simple combination.

In reality my design is probably a little plain for the period but that is due to my modern sensibilities. I should have some lace or more beading and perhaps a drape of some kind in the skirt. I may add some of that but I want to see all the fabrics together first.

That is one of the fun things about this period, it's all transitional from the "overdone" Victorian to the sleek Jazz age. Fashion was changing so fast too. I called it 1911, because of the basic shape of the gown but the decoration and color is may be more 1912-1913. Ack, it's in there somewhere! *hee hee hee*

Thanks much for the bead offer. They are hard to see in the pic, what size/kind are they? (seeds, rocailles)

I sent you an email with photos of the beads :)

1911 evening gown plans

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