1860’s Evening Gown
I’m currently working on recreating a gown from 1865 based off a dress housed in the The Gallery of Costumes in Manchester, it is a owned by a Miss Wyatt after her marriage in 1864 and is an Evening dress from around 1861-1864 in rose pink taffeta with fine double stripes woven in black. It can also be found in Janet Arnolds Patterns of Fashion 2. The dress required me to not only make undergarments such a period accurate corset to the 1860’s As well as Drawers, Chemise and a Corset Cover that were all based off pattern’s found through out multiple sewing manuals from the time but as well as a Crinoline in the elliptical style. There is also multiple petticoats made from cotton and an in progress taffeta petticoat and dust ruffle. The dress itself is still in the process of being sewn, as the process of pattern drafting and altering a garment that was meant for one particular person requires the fundamental undergarments to be properly fitted.
The dress itself will have several differences from the original source material such as the colors instead of pink will be red. The dress itself will also have an alternate skirt done in velvet.
This process has taken nearly 3 years, from gathering fabrics and notions to doing months of researching the best period sewing techniques and learning new skills such as working with metals when doing the hoop skirt and refining corsetry skills. The process of just undergoing the undergarments showcases how much time and effort it took to produce clothing during this time even when sewing machines were slowly being introduced.
I’ve included some of the photos of the process so far.
Picture of the Patterns of Fashion 2 book by Janet Arnold, of the page of the 1861-64 Evening Dress
