Costume patterns...

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

OK, these are from 1795 , and they're English, but they're very similar to the French (though the French middle-class Jacobin/leftist actually wore clothes inspired by sober English riding/gentleman's country dress, whilst I think this English couple look more like stripey silky urban/posh French!). The waistcoat pattern is useful, though, as it shouldn't be too hard to make and those wide lapels are a very good shorthand for the period.

Comments

[livviebway.livejournal.com]

The French Revolution has influenced my fashion sense. I now find high collars and large lapels quite attractive and look for them when I'm buying a coat.

I prefer to call this "vintage-inspired" rather than "ridiculously geeky." ;-)

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Excellent! High collars are fantastic - but no modern designers ever do them (bwah!). I'm going to have to learn to sew properly (my Mum can, but she's only ever made me culottes, which I wore with a 20's tailcoat from oxfam and winkle pickers - all in black, cos I'm a bit of an old goth, but someone did once come up to me and say "you're really into Robespierre, aren't you?", which was nice! Or ridiculously geeky...!)

There was a programme on here this week,"the Supersizers Go...Regency", where the presenters spend a week eating and living 1789-1820, and at the end of it the man (Giles Coren, who I usually hate) moaned about having to take the fabulous clothes off and wear his normal shapeless boring stuff - I think he should make a stand and carry on in his cravat. He did look about a hundred times better!

[kurotoshi.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh!!! Nice!! Thank you! <3

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

I hope they're useful! By the way, was Marat actually considered quite scruffy by contemporaries, or is that just the invention of numerous screenwriters (he always comes across as a bit piratical)?

[livviebway.livejournal.com]

ARRR!! Pirate Marat!!

(I'm sorry, I'll go now.)

[kurotoshi.livejournal.com]

LOL!! I drew that before!

[kurotoshi.livejournal.com]

was Marat actually considered quite scruffy by contemporaries

Yeeep. For a simple reason though, he was ACTUALLY dirt poor. The money used to keep up L'Ami du Peuple was Simonne's! She also paid rent, food, ect, etc. And his turban was medicinal!

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Though he was probably having more baths than the average citizen! That'd be funny - the bourgeois thing was to have clean linen daily but not bathe - I suppose he'd be the other way around. Was his head towel kept wet or oiled or something? He must have been so uncomfortable...

[kurotoshi.livejournal.com]

Though he was probably having more baths than the average citizen! Haha! More like he didn't LEAVE the tub unless he needed too. Haha, no, it was oil - it was VINEGAR! He was in terrible pain, every single moment. His skin was on fire and he had constant chills. It itched, it annoyed, and he was weak.

[almostlifesized.livejournal.com]

Poor sod. Thanks, this is like reading Horrible Histories! :D

[citoyenneclark.livejournal.com]

Yay! I love sewing. Are there any instructions for this though? Thanks!

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Hi, yes: they're a bit vague but if you're used to pattern books (which I'm not) they should make sense. I'll post them up later today. They're from a great book called 'The Evolution of Fashion', subtitle 'pattern and cut from 1066 to 1930', which is for theatre costumiers.

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

I've just posted the instructions for these, and another style from 1785 but still being worn in the early 1790's - I hope the words are legible : the book's bigger than a4 so the scan fades a bit towards the edges.

[citoyennemiyuki.livejournal.com]

Look around,before you write comments--> it says for me^^; I found, what I looked for. Pattern of regency dress and man clothes. I hope I can use it:D
Thanks :D

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

http://www.costumes.org/History/100pages/18thlinks.htm#French%20Revolution%20Period%20(1798-1800) Hi - this website is great for details and links and suppliers - I really like the wig page! If you can get BBC online, there was a programme on last tuesday in the U.K. on BBC2 21.00 called 'The Supersizers Go Regency', where the two presenters had to dress and eat Regency style for a week, which was great, and you may be able to watch online.