Part I
Yep folks. The One Dress. The One dress that occupies every girl's mind form the moment she can put crayon to wall. The One dress that will be worn on (hopefully) the one day that will peak her youth and carry her into a lifelong commitment of Marriage. From the moment I could scribble, Regency dresses became a highlight of such dreams. Then i forgot about it for the next ten years...
...until The Man came along. Not just any old man, The Man. Hopefully, he's the One Man too. Rather like the One Ring, but somewhat less evil. It's all a bit of a shock. After years of expecting to be soberly courting a man for at least a year (if not more) before he bends the knee, this Man did it in passionate whisked-away fashion, which actually was marvellously refreshing! A grand total of four months courting...
...sometimes you can know a person for a lifetime, and still not feel like you know them. And sometimes you can know a person for a week and feel like you've always known them.
Ok, call me mad. Go on, get on with it! Cos we already knew it. :-P Funny thing is, this guy comes from a family that seems to uphold a tradition of short engagements and long marriages lol.
But once, i asked my Mum how she knew it was the right time/person to say 'yes'. She thought, then shrugged, then said 'it just... felt right'. Me: 'so how will i know when it's right?' Mum: 'You'll just know, it'll feel right'. Then she smiles this mysterious and fond smile... I didn't really think much of it until university, when relationships began to really happen and I realised what I really wanted out of life and someone to share it with. There was something different about this guy from all the others...
Then the One Man popped the question on the 3rd Jan this year. I already knew the answer and he knew the chances were i'd say yes, but he still asked me properly. Suddenly it made sense what my Mum meant when you just... know. I was still really surprised when he asked, which made it magical. It was a moment more special than i could have ever imagined. <3 :-)
Then the next thought was. OMG. The ONE DRESS!! What do i do? Where do i start?? All these years i've had ideas; the one moment I need to make decisions, i can't! Arggggh! Everyone naturally expected us to have a medieval wedding... after all, medieval history is our specialist zone. However we wanted something refreshing. Something to give us an excuse to get some gear for a different period that we wouldn't otherwise afford. So Regency theme it was. Maybe my little inner girl finally got her dream! :-D
Research commenced; the more i read, the more it hit me how much i'd really not previously grasped a lot of the basics of Regency costume. Or perhaps i'd simply lacked the confidence and know-how to work from the foundations up? It's so beautiful because it is unlike any other dress fashion either side of it, particularly the 1800-1820's bit. Mostly Grecian and Egyptian inspired, women fashioned themselves after goddesses and Greek statues. Influential women include Empress Josephine, Recamier and Lady Caroline Lamb. They wore soft printed cottons, muslins and silks. Cotton and silk velvets and Indian sari material had a lot of influence, whilst at the same time signs of the militia featured in their coats and jackets (pelerines and spencers) with braid and buttons. Their hair was curled and bound by ribbons and bands of fabric. Even corsetry had a break from most hard boning - focus was not in the figure so much as the impression. In fact these softer versions were more commonly referred to as 'stays'.
With regards to the One Dress, what would i choose? One of the blessings of a later period is that there are more visual sources and patterns available. The image that made the biggest impression on me was this:
This was Luise Von Preussen. To me this image was one of the most inspiring; her hair and tiara are dazzling!
So the focus became the most Grecian-based decade, which seemed to be 1800-1810. The one below was the other picture to catch Squiggle's eye. Augustin, 1801. Her dress is so simple, yet those sleeves completely make it! Not sure my ears would take those massive pearls...
The next image is where i chose to start when it came to understanding the basic features (from the V&A Museum, 1800) - usually a round or square neckline, gathered, with an opaque petticoat and translucent gown, a sash of some description and sleeves that don't necessarily have to be puffed:
Part II will look at the materials used for such dresses, and where it might be appropriate to use which. May include some personal sketches...
