Happy Fashion Friday Friends! A few years ago, like so many others, I became enamored of the PBS Masterpiece series, Victoria. I loved the storyline, the set design, and of course, the clothing. It had me dreaming of A Dress Inspired By Queen Victoria.

The off the shoulder confections often featured pleated bertha collars and amazingly detailed sleeves.

As a woman of a certain age, there were certain styles that were better suited to those who were well, younger. Like this lovely frock featured in the magnificent film, The Young Victoria

But other styles perhaps could be appropriate. 

I also researched whether mature ladies wore the popular floral crowns and headbands of the day. They did. 

Butterick 3713

Further scouring resulted in finding an out of print pattern, Butterick 3713. It is described as advanced I would say that is accurate. 

It requires approximately 9 yards of fabric. More is needed if you are trying to pattern match a plaid or floral fabric. 

I found 8 yards of a 45″ wide pastel plaid mystery fabric in a clearance bin in the Dallas Fabric District for under $15. A few weeks later I found a single teal silk curtain panel at a thrift shop. I got to work. Two years ago.  

Trials and Tribulations

I was so new to making historical clothing that I did not make a muslin (trial run in cheap fabric). Cue the gasps of professional dressmakers! I just cut into the fabric of choice in what I thought was the right size. It was easy enough to adjust my error on the skirt. More pleats! But the bodice…well even laced as tight as it could go it still fell off my very narrow shoulders. 

Metal grommets had also been selected for the laced closure and I later learned that in terms of historical accuracy this was not done. They would have been hand sewn eyelets. Disheartened I gave up. The dress languished in the WIP (works in progress) pile for a good year. Then I decided to begin again last year right before Christmas. But the pleated bertha collar gave me fits. It was perhaps the fabric I selected. The pleats do not stay in place. Even with a liberal spritz of vinegar water which is often very successful in setting pleats. They perhaps need to be tacked down. 

So again the dress was banished to the WIP pile. Just this past December I told myself I could not start any new projects without finishing those I had started. So I finished the dress. Then I decided that the dress deserved a brief moment in the sun simply to show off the sleeves. 

So I wore it for our 12th Night Dinner celebration. You can see the table setting and links to menu ideas HERE. 

If you haven’t seen the video, here it is, in all its giggling glory. 

Mr. Decor’s Suit

For many people that don’t sew they assume that all sewing is the same. It is not. 

Dressmaking is very distinct from quilting. I’ve made three quilts. I am not a quilter. 

Dressmaking is vastly separate from home decor sewing. I’ve made countess throw pillows, slipcovers, and curtains. It’s not my favorite activity. 

Dressmaking is also immensely different from tailoring. Particularly men’s tailoring. Other than vests and cravats I don’t wanna do it. So I don’t.

There’s a long list of other things I don’t sew either. 

I am very happy to pay others, who do enjoy men’s historical tailoring, to clothe my mister.  His jacket and pants came from Historical Emporium. This is not a sponsored post. We paid the full price. 

He is wearing the Livingston Cutaway Sack Coat with the Livingston Black Brushed Cotton Trousers. 

This leads me to provide a bit of men’s fashion history. The sack coat style was popular from 1858 – 1889. So yes, we are wearing fashions from completely different eras.

We opted to purchase this era of historic costuming first because we attend far more Little House themed events than anything else. Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 and the books span the 1870’s through the late 1880s.  This suit is PERFECT for that time period. 

I am currently saving my pennies to purchase him appropriate Regency/1830s attire. A good tailcoat alone starts at $250. Before fabric. Believe me, that is worth every penny for the tremendous amount of work it requires. 

In the end, I am glad that I made this dress. I learned so much!

Hopefully, this dress will find a new home with someone who wears about an American 8 or a 10 (36-38 bust). $100~ headband included.

The sale of it will perhaps go towards purchasing Mr. Decor’s Regency tailcoat or…

Purchasing a beautiful brocade fabric so that I can try my hand at making this dress. 

I’ll see you tomorrow with a fun vintage-inspired storage idea. 

Laura