Hunt Ball Gown

I love the month of November! In spite of the cold, I enjoy looking at all of the different colors of  leaves, and everything else having to do with fall such as Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the Gadsby's Tavern's Hunter's Ball. The Hunter's Ball, previously called The Jefferson Ball (sadly Colonial Williamsburg's own Bill Barker, portraying Thomas Jefferson had to cancel), is a ball celebrating everything to do with the hunt: fox hunt, stag hunt, mink hunt... you name it. 

Given my limited options (time x money), I had to do some quick thinking on how to make regency ball gown that was related to the theme. I thought about doing something along the lines of a riding ensemble, just like the one pictured below. 

It's simplicity is what makes it so elegant :D
However, given that I don't have much time to get the materials and the pattern to make a Spencer jacket, I decided to just work with the colors. From my research on British hunting ensembles, my plain brown dress was a perfect canvas for this project; it just needed some new trim. The Black and Gold  trim were perfect for the gown's uniformity, and it only cost me $2.99!





I plan on doing a little more to the outfit as far as accessories go; my mother's red and black shawl, and of course some jewelry (maybe a string of pearls or a yellow gold necklace and matching earrings). As for my hair I was thinking of ringlets, a bun, and a headband/tiara. Maybe a hair appliqué made of pheasant feathers? So many ideas, so little time. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bram Stoker's Dracula Movie (1992) Synopsis Pt. I

Image
Going back a little further here on the movies that I feel are now 90's classics, I definitely want to review this movie that I felt had good acting, really good special effects, perfect actors that matched the characters in the novel, and of course the beautiful costumes that surprisingly carried cultural and religious symbolism. I'll also talk about the comparisons between the movie and the novel itself. While the movie is tightly based on the novel, there are some contrasts that I'm sure you will find just as surprising. (Spoiler: This is a synopsis) The movie opens up with Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, a solicitor, embarking on a long and arduous journey into the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania to meet the elusive and mysterious Count Dracula. . . . I'm sorry, that's not how it began. That was in the book. The movie actually opens up with a viscous war going on in 15th century Transylvania, with Prince Vlad Tepes (played by Gary Oldman), killin...
Read more

Fichu construction & Tutorial

Image
First bit of progress done With only 5 days left until the battle reenactment at Mount Vernon, I realized I didn't have anything to work on for a demo for my seamstress impression. Then it hit me: why not a fichu/neckerchief? It would be really easy and quick to sew, and I wouldn't have to keep track of all the pattern pieces (considering it's only a giant triangle). That in mind, I got right down to it and started cutting the fabric out of 100% cotton striped remnant I picked up from Burnley & Trowbridge this past weekend. While I could have sewn this up in a heartbeat with the sewing machine, I opted to be more traditional and sew it all by hand; I wanted this piece to be historically accurate for educational purposes (since sewing machines weren't invented until the late 1800's). I won't have this project finished until Sunday for demonstration purposes, but I can't wait to have it completely finished. If you'd like to make your own, ...
Read more

Time Skip Perona Cosplay dress Part II

Image
As mentioned before in my last post I'm getting started on my Perona cosplay early for Anime USA. For the dress's construction, I made the bodice out of a corset pattern, and added a zipper in the back and a large ruffle on the bottom to act as the top skirt tier for the dress. For the next couple of tiers I had to do some brainstorming, because if I continued to sew all 4 tiers to the bodice, the weight alone would cause it to slide down. Now there is the option of sewing clear bra straps to the bodice, but at the same time they're not really something that I'm fond of. With that being said, I grabbed the next color, the orchid/lavender, and used an elastic waistband and made a skirt. This would relieve the extra gravity off of the bodice, and focus on the hips. As I worked my way down each tier, I did have a few mishaps such as making the ruffles; with all of the fabric being seriously heavy on my little sewing machine, it would unravel and I'd have...
Read more