Classycanopies

Victorian and Edwardian costumes

Several people have mentioned the costumes I make to wear when exhibiting my prams so I thought I would devote a page to the ones which I managed to get finished!!

Lesley's 1880 outfit was the first one I made. I had chosen a deep lilac printed taffeta for her jacket and a purple/pink shot taffeta for the bustle skirt. The purple feather was just stuck in her hair for effect. I didn't make the bonnet until later.

This was the outfit I made for the Steam Show at Onslow in 2007. I copied the pattern from a design in a Victorian costume book at the museum, and played with it until it fitted me! I had already bought some embroidered taffeta in cream and then matched it up with some silk from Thailand. The parasol was covered and given to me by Alison at the Museum and I made the hat from a straw sunhat and loads and loads of feathers. I called the outfit Lady Edwina!

More close-ups of the costume.

The next dress I made was the Titanic dress for Onslow 2008. The pram was an Edwardian Sol made around 1912/1915 so I tried to find a design which was in the same period. Here was my inspiration! I had the picture pinned above my sewing machine at the museum for months before I eventually decided on the fabrics. I chose a black crépe de chine for the basic dress and found some very pale blue embroidered tulle for the overskirt and over bodice. I added a wide velvet band under the bust and trimmed it with a bunch of deep red roses which reflected the picture as closely as possible. Again, Alison gave me the inspiration for this outfit by bringing a little parasol to work which I instantly fell in love with! She gave it to me for my 60th birthday, bless her!

and here is the dress I made - named Lady Maud - and worn by Diana Butcher at Onslow 2009

A closer view!

The dress and parasol and I'm also wearing the hat which Alison made for me to wear with the dress. I'm standing here talking to Jan Oakes who is also wearing an outfit I made for her. Jan trimmed her own hat and I must say she certainly has a knack for it!

The next outfit I made was for Jeananne and we decided on gold and pale blue, as her eyes are blue. The skirt is made with 5 panels, graduating in length from front to back. The jacket pattern is, again, copied from a Victorian fashion book and was my first attempt at making a jacket pattern from a picture! It didn't turn out too bad but because I know where the faults are I shall make changes when I make the next outfit. Nevertheless Jeananne won first prize at Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza wearing this outfit. Her hat was made from a little "wedding" topper, covered in lace with a cream veil, so I left it as it arrived and used the veiling to add a little authenticity to the hat when I had finished trimming it with cream and blue flowers, a large gold bow to match the jacket and skirt and a tall ostrich feather for the front

At the same time I was making Jeananne's outfit I started a green and gold outfit for myself. The pattern for the jacket was similar but I decided to use some dark green velvet to trim a beautiful green wool which I had been given, so I piped the seams in the jacket and made the collar from the velvet and it looked really good, I was very pleased with it. I also managed to buy a dark green hat from ebay and there was a dark green velvet trim on it which was exactly the same colour as my own velvet - that was certainly a bonus! I just made a big bow from my own velvet and trimmed the hat with a little bunch of silk flowers which Alison had given me, some beautiful dark green veiling with little green spots on it and a piece of white ostrich feather, gorgeous! The little bunch of flowers was my inspiration for this outfit! That's all it takes to set my mind racing - how sad, I hear you cry!! But no, that's how most of my designs begin.

This one is called Lady Beatrice!

These outfits were made for a visit to Blists Hill Victorian Town at Easter 2009 with some other members of The Pram Society including Lynda Jones, her daughter Kathryn, Bill and Lorraine Illingworth, Jackie and Roy Burnett, Alison with her daughter Elizabeth, Anne and Dennis Bartle, my husband Norman and my daughter Jeananne. We had a wonderful day and you can see it in photos and films shown on this site.

Lynda wearing Lady Edwina and Kathryn wearing a sweet little sprigged dress and velvet cape and bonnet I made for her.

On August 1st The Pram Society had been invited to attend the Letchworth Festival of Industry which celebrated the years 1950s and 60s. Anne, Diana, Elaine and I were able to go and take our Marmets and parade with the other ladies and gents who had brought their Marmet prams. There were all ages and designs of Marmet prams there. Our outfits reflected the period of the 1950s.

Anne made a lovely dress made from a designer pattern with a hat and brolly to match, not to mention the coat and shoes!! My outfit was a dress in grey linen with a deeper grey velvet jacket and white cuffs and collar. I'd found a lovely little black velvet hat with a veil which I couldn't resist!

Elaine made a gorgeous brown and white spotted dress and wore a stiff underskirt to give it the right shape and topped with a lovely white hat and cardigan. Not forgetting the big black patent belt to cinch in the waist! Very chic!!

Here's Diana in her shaggy Mongolian coat and psychedelic trousers - original 60s!

Lorraine wearing a royal blue Victorian style skirt, pale blue blouse trimmed with cream lace, a light gold cape embroidered with royal blue flowers, and wearing a lovely flowered hat made from a woven straw and trimmed with cabbage roses!

Jackie wearing a beige striped skirt, olive green flowered blouse trimmed with cream guipure lace, an olive green golf cape and a hat covered with the same fabric as the blouse and trimmed with burgundy and green flowers and a cream ostrich feather.

Kathryn looking a picture in her pretty lilac sprigged dress, navy velvet cape and cotton and velvet bonnet with long lilac ribbons.

Later in the year I went to Hull to take part in the Fountain Boulevard celebrations and took a new outfit for Jackie to wear. She had expressed a preference for blue this time and I had some duck egg blue taffeta embroidered with a bronze thread, so I teamed it with a toning blue voile and made her an 1885 outfit and a little tan and blue hat to set it off.

Two new outfits were made for Onslow 2009 for myself and Jeananne. I chose a dress which is in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, it is pictured below and when Alison showed me the picture I just fell in love with it!

My version - Lady Sarah!!

My hat!

Jeananne adores purple, so obviously her new outfit had to be purple, but I managed to find something a little bit unusual for her, aubergine taffeta embroidered with a lighter thread teamed with a slightly darker taffeta skirt. The colour which provided the "zing" was a bright pink and so I found lots of feathers in that colour to trim her hat. I used the same pattern which I had used for Jackie's new blue outfit and altered it a bit to suit Jeananne, squaring the neckline and making the skirt a bustle skirt. I added some beautiful soft lace flounces to the cuffs of the jacket and some pleated lace to the neckline just to soften the severe lines. Jeananne has what some would call a voluptuous figure and is a delight to dress, she can wear Victorian costume very well as there are no straight lines in Victorian costume design.