I presented my latest costume talk twice during the last week – for the Yorkshire Embroiderers Guild on Saturday 10 March 2018 in Cottingham in Beverley and then again for the Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh on Tuesday 13 March. https://www.royalscotsclub.com/afternoon-tea-2/

My talk about Marie Antoinette compares the styles of two dresses she wore – elaborate and and ornate Robe a La Francais or Sack Dress and the simpler La Reine Chemise. I explore the character of Marie Antoinette in relation to the clothing she wore and the impact it had on the French Aristocracy.

I am always happy to include a question and answer session after my talks. You may be interested to read some of the questions and answers below. 

Questions included

How wide was silk produced in France during the 18^th century?

Silk today isn’t usually very wide – mostly 44” however I have bought some silk which is 60” wide although this isn’t very readily available.  I know that the width of silk produced in the past was generally dependent upon the length of the arms of the weavers as they moved the frame. So the silk fabric was usually about 28”during the 18^th Century but could vary from a narrow as 24” up to as wide as 36”.

Did the ladies of this period wear anything at all under their skirts?

The ladies of this period wore nothing at all under their skirts and petticoats.  The first pair of knickers or drawers were worn about 1795.  They were separate legs and not joined at all in the middle. They were tubes of fabric based on men’s trousers. As the skirts were lighter and sometimes see-through they were needed for cover and warmth.

Were the cocoons of the silk worms producing silk in China brought to France to produce silk?

Silk dying and weaving developed in ancient Syria, Greece and Rome but the silk itself always came from the East. Silk production first made it way to the West in the A.D. 6th century when monks working as spies for Byzantine Emperor Justinian brought silkworm eggs from China to Constantinople in hollowed out canes. Bursa in present-day Turkey and Athens, Thebes, Corinth and Argos in present-day Greece all became silk producing areas.

Silk production spread to Italy and France and continued through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Industrial Revolution but was devastated by a silkworm plague in 1854. Louis Pasteur discovered the cause and developed a treatment. The Italian industry recovered but the French industry never did.

I would like to thank my super son James for assisting me with the talks and my kind friend Dave for doing all the driving and there was a lot of driving! 

I really enjoyed presenting the talks  – I love meeting new people and enjoy chatting to them about my passion – costumes! 

Bath costume exhibition

I am writing a new talk about Fashion and Queen Marie Antoinette.  I have already designed and made a number of garments for my new lecture which include period underwear, a Chemise a la Reine, a wig and I am now finishing my spectacular La Robe Francaise.  It is now fully constructed and only needs to be decorated. I thought it would be a good idea to visit the fabulous Fashion Museum at Bath to see some extant gowns before deciding on how to complete my dress.

It is a fabulous museum and there were a number of dresses similar to my gown to which I could look to for inspiration.They included a cream gown, a rust striped gown, a blue gown and a brightly coloured gown of painted silk. I have included pictures of the all the dresses however I really loved the cream silk robe.

Cream dress

It is a fabulous and very elegant silk gown with lovely embellishments so I decided to include a similar type of trimming for my dress to give it both an authentic and a very attractive look.The lightweight cream silk Robe a la Francaise (called a sacque back in England as it hangs in folds from the top of the shoulder) included a slight train.

Pale Blue Gown

Almost all the Francaise are silk and tend to come with stomacher and petticoat. As they were usually silk rather than linen (which was cheaper and re-used) they were saved through the years as an expensive artefact. They tended to have luscious trimmings, lace or furbelows and needed to use more fabric which adds to their importance. (My gown has already swallowed up 14 yards of rose pink pure silk brocade fabric).

Detail of cream dress skirt front showing furbelows

The cream gown on display is cream striped silk brocade with a matching petticoat and an open front. The bosom is covered by a decoration mounted on a stomacher piece, or by a false front (a compere). The false front was decorated by a dressmaker – it is interesting to note that if it was embellished with ribbons it then came in the remit of a milliner! The stomacher has been decorated with a strip of fabric which is hemmed and box pleated then sewn down the centre with additional narrow curving trim on each side for decoration. A flat bow finishes the bottom edge of the stomacher.

Rust coloured striped Dress

The dress is decorated with Furbelows (strips of fabric hemmed, pinked or frayed which could be edged with narrow trim) – which are either gathered or box pleated and sewn to the dress. This dress has box pleated furbelows trimmed with narrow braid sewn down around the edges of the gown down the front and around the neck.

There are more strips of fabric in varying width gathered and box pleated curving down the sides of the gown.  If you look carefully you can see that there are also circles of fabric gathered and finished off with trim that are reminiscent of flowers – these are sewn to the front of the dress.

Pale Blue Gown

Treble flounces finish the sleeve – they are finished with a narrow hem or trimming then box pleated onto the sleeve. Ruffles of white embroidered lawn or lace are worn beneath them. The ruffles would have been tacked to the end of the sleeve so they could be removed for laundering.

Detail of cream dress skirt front showing furbelows

The petticoat is designed in matching fabric and also decorated with two furbelows which have been gathered and box pleated. If you notice the wide Furbelows are sewn down the middle and the narrow ones only down the edges. I was unable to take a picture of the back of the cream silk gown so have included a photograph of the back of my pink silk dress which is similar in style. If you look closely you can see the pins attaching the neck trim – as this dress is still not finished!

My Pink Silk Marie Antoinette Gown

When I have completed the gown I will include details of the construction of my gown from start to finish on my website.

This cream 18th Century Dress is a very attractive gown of the period and I am really looking forward to decorating my rose pink gown in this style!

.