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!