#chemises

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My chemise is finished. I am overall very pleased with how it came out. It fits me well, and the lace trim looks very delicate and fancy.

I feel like a lot of historical costumers are so eager to get on to making outer clothes -evening gowns, afternoon dresses, etc., that they tend to rush through making the undergarments without giving them much thought. Sure, they’ll put careful consideration into the corset(since the corset has an obvious effect on the overall silhouette, also because corsets often hold a certain fascination for people -they certainly do for me), but chemises, drawers, and petticoats are the “boring” garments that aren’t fun to make and won’t be seen in public, so the temptation is to put the minimum amount of time and effort into it.

This is understandable, and I’m not blaming or judging anyone for the way they do historical costuming. I’m supportive and encouraging of any and all historical costumers, regardless of whether their aesthetic tastes match mine(also, not everyone has the time and resources I have). You can make a decent looking chemise in an afternoon, and that’s fine. However, I do think these humble garments deserve more love and attention than they sometimes get. For me, part of the appeal of Victorian costuming isn’t just having the pretty dress to wear to the ball. It’s having *all* the bells and whistles. What I love about Victorian fashion is that they decorated *everything*! Even the simplest humblest garment that wouldn’t be seen in public might be covered in ornamentation. The Victorians seemed to put so much thought into the details.

Of course, not all Victorians dressed this way. Most didn’t. And even nowadays, you can see a similar(or at least somewhat comparable) level of detail and care taken in high end bespoke and haute couture garments. I simply adore the idea of the inside of a garment looking as beautiful as the outside. I’m a very detail oriented sewer. In the couture sewing class I took last semester, my professor mentioned that sometimes couture garments will have embroidery, or tiny seed beads hand sewn onto the lining, a beautiful little detail only the wearer gets to see. I love that idea!

So I am going to spend the next month or two making more fancy undergarments. My goal is to have about 4 chemises, 3 petticoats, 1 pair of drawers, and 1-2 corset covers(or I may do a combination slip that combines corset cover with petticoat). All dating to the Natural Form Era(1877-1882). I won’t be able to get through all of that this summer, since I have a couple of modern garment projects I really want to do(and I sorely need more modern clothes).

I have already ordered the fabric for my next chemise(I wish I had ordered it sooner, I’m itching to get started!). I was going to order more of the same lawn from Dharma Trading. But I’m a huge fan of silk. And silk habotai didn’t cost much more than cotton lawn. Did they make chemises out of silk in the Victorian Era? Why, yes they did! From “Demorest’s Mirror of Fashion”,1881(excepted in “Fashions of the Gilded Age Volume 1, by Frances Grimble):

“Elegant underwear is now so commonly made of white or colored washing silk, and so exquisitely trimmed with masses of fine lace, that the inexperienced would never for a moment imagine they were contemplating ordinary chemises and nightgowns.”