Not a Miss Selfridge Dog-tooth Check Dress

Back in the summer I fell in love with this dress from Miss Selfridge:

That collar, those little cute button details and dogtooth check – what’s not to love?

Oh yeah, the fit.

As soon as I saw it, I was in love with this dress – I walked past its window on my way to and from work for weeks and it haunted me all that time.  So I finally went in, prepared to buy it, especially as it would be good for work, home and even going out with some dressy accessories – that’s a hard-working dress!  But when I tried it on, it really didn’t fit well – tight on the boobs, loose everywhere else – and for £45, I wasn’t going to put up with a poor fit or faff about fixing it.

What’s a girl to do?  I saved photos from the website and have been on the lookout for the right fabric ever since.  I haven’t found it yet, but I have found a similar pattern:

The photos look a bit bleh, I know, but you get a better idea from the back drawings:

I’m thinking – full skirted version with the button tabs and adapt the top (perhaps using the bodice from Simplicity 2444) to make it a regular sleeveless bodice and then mess around with calico until I work out that asymetric collar.

So, I’ve got my eyes out for the fabric in the meantime.

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In Which I Curse Vivienne Westwood…

… for her 18th century inspired jewellery!  I’ve mentioned the legendary VW previously on this blog – she really is one of the (very) few fashion designers I have any interest in or desire to own the creations of.  And what creations!  I made the mistake of looking at her jewellery collection (silly me!) and found these pretties:

Embroidered jewellery?  A very rococo bow?  What’s not to love about this pendant?  I am sorely tempted by this lovely little cupcake-pretty slice of yumminess, especially as it’s in the sale.  Luckily my wallet cannot stretch that far (even at the sale price!)… Phew!  (But also – cry!)  I was just saying to my Mum yesterday that I was looking for a pair of rococo-esque bow drop earrings – I’ll just have to keep looking!

I do love this combo of embroidery and rococo influence and I thought my lovely readers would appreciate this blend of 18th century and stitcherous serendipity.  But if this one’s a little too simple for you, there’s more:

Or, if you prefer your embroidery at ear-level rather than around your neck (and perhaps within a more realistic price range), there are these:

Or maybe you’re a bit more traditional in your choice of materials and would rather jewellery, y’know, made of metal rather than fabric?  Never fear, Ms Westwood is here to tempt you with more yumminess:

I love jewellery, but brooches are a bit of an obsession for me and this one … wow.  That bow is calling me … must … resist …

But, no – there’s just more temptation!

Bow earrings of WIN!  Damn you Vivienne Westwood!

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Costuming Decisions

Oh dear – leave me alone with my computer and a pay-cheque and I get up to all manner of mischief!

I could spin it and say that it’s good – what I have been able to find in the shops has helped me make a few sewing/costuming decisions:

Pretty leather shoes from India – they’re not quite curly-toed Turkish slippers, but they are close, cute and more practical as I’d actually wear these in real life (plus they were a bargain at less than £7 including postage!).  I do wish I’d bought some curly-toed shoes when we were in Dubai, but I wasn’t feeling very well that day and we were on our way to dinner when we went through the souk.  Oh well!

So, yes, it does look like I’ll be making a Princess of Persia type outfit!

Oh, but wait, there’s more …

Two 10″ ostrich feathers for £2 including P&P(!!!).  They’re not the massive ones, but (a) I have a feeling that I’ll look rather silly with HUGE plumes as I’m so short, (b) I’m not going for super-tall 1770s hair, so I think shorter feathers will be more in proportion with a 1780s hedgehog and (c) if they don’t look right in hair, I’ll put them on a hat or mask or somesuch.  Y’see, I also bought two cheap plastic masks in different shapes, which I plan to use as moulds for papier mache masks for my Birthday Masquerade Party.

I also purchased some spray-on fabric stiffener and fray-check (which I never seem to see in fabric shops – maybe I’m just being blind!) to play around with and perhaps make some kanzashi type prettiness.  I think they could make pretty hair clips to go with the hedgehog and earrings for my Prince of Persia Princess.

I think I’m going to have to get a big bottle of PVA glue as well (I gave what I had to my Mum) for papier mache-ing and for experimenting with fabric stiffening.

So what 18th century outfit am I going for for my birthday masquerade?  Well, I must have been thinking about it a lot before I went to sleep last night, because I had a dream about a particular extant outfit I saw fairly recently which is utterly gorgeous.  I thought I’d saved a picture on my computer, but now I can’t find it.  Poo.

As far as I remember it was a blue pierrot jacket with a white self-stripe(?) petticoat and a red and white striped sash with a buckle at the front.  If you have a picture of it, or know where one is, please let me know – I’ve just spent the past hour and a half trying to find it!

Anyway, more thoughts next time …

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18th Century – For Sale!

Window shopping on ebay is a dangerous thing, gentle reader!

After all, what in the world is there that is better to go with one’s changing styles in the latter decades of the 18th Century than an oak desk from c. 1780?

Rather charming, don’t you think?  And ample room for a polonaise to slide under – how capital!

However, if your budget (like mine) doesn’t stretch as far as the buy it now price of £1,350 (swoon!), then you can still own your very own little bit of the 18th century to weave into your own sewing with this delightful set of 8 steel Georgian buttons:

OK, so a buy it now price of £79 is not exactly cheap, but for the chance to use these lovely buttons in a very special 18th Century ensemble (I’m thinking a jacket?), then it would be very much worth it.  If I had the money available, I would be all over these buttons (or perhaps they would be all over me?).

Alas, I can’t afford them, so I thought I’d share them here, gentle reader, in case you can make any use of them.  All I ask is that if you do buy them, please send pics of whatever you use them for – I’d love to see!

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Ebay Lace Find

OK, so I really should ban myself from Ebay…

I found this gorgeous lace collar thing.  It’s Edwardian and it is beautiful!  I really don’t have the money to spend on it, but hope that it goes to a good home, so I thought I’d share it in case anyone is interested…

I’m out most of today and tonight, but hope to have Zombie Antoinette fan (going to shop tomorrow) and shift (need to hem one sleeve and sew down all edges, then it’s DONE!) updates over the weekend.  Happy Friday, all!

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