by Marie | Nov 9, 2013 | Everyday Edwardian, Fashion & Costuming, Sewing
I have been watching the maxi skirt’s popularity rise over the last year or two, and it has mostly confused me. Don’t get me wrong, I love a beautiful skirt… but so many of these maxi skirts aren’t. So many of them are elastic waisted, polyester, one-size-fits-all things, often festooned with a print that doesn’t do much for the backside. In my opinion, they are basically the sweatpants of the skirt world. They look great on young university students, but all that extra fabric doesn’t do much for most women. If you search for “maxi skirt” on Pinterest, most of the women sort of look like columns. No waist, no hips, just fabric. Call me an idealist, but I think a skirt should do more for a woman than make her look like an architectural feature.
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by Marie | Jul 20, 2012 | Home, Make Up, Sewing
I realized somewhat recently that I am using (and subsequently tossing) a lot of cotton pads. That’s a lot of very frivolous waste. So, I got to thinking—if you can make re-useable diapers, cotton pads can’t be too far away.
I took a trip to my basement to find some fabric that would make good reusable pads. It had to be both soft and durable enough to withstand multiple washings. I found some stretchy, fuzzy flannel in a conveniently white colour.
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by Marie | Jul 8, 2012 | Fashion & Costuming, Sewing
I watched Somewhere in Time soley because it is set in 1912. Also… Christopher Reeves. Heh heh. The white theater dress caught my eye for a few reasons. I’ll admit I was primed to notice it; it has a few similarities with the dinner dress from Titanic (mainly the diagonal fabric panels across the front), and I had seen it mentioned in a few analysis of the costumes from Titanic.
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by Marie | Jun 25, 2012 | Fashion & Costuming, Sewing, Vintage
Ever since I saw the BBC’s 5-hour Pride & Prejudice miniseries when I was 9 or so, I’ve been enamored with gowns from the regency era. They’re so beautifully simple, yet incredibly flattering. I especially love how versatile they are. The waist is just under the bust, but after that, there are a lot of variables that can be played with. Add another skirt—make it short, long, longer, or shorter. Add another bodice. Long sleeves, short sleeves, or both. Drawstring neckline or not. That list right there gives enough possibilities for an entire wardrobe.
The miniseries shows a lot of muted colours; beige, white, pale yellow, and baby blue, with some brightly coloured overcoats. It turns out, though, that the era was nowhere near as muted. The only reason we think it was is because all the extant samples are all faded out.
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by Marie | Apr 7, 2012 | Clothes, Fashion & Costuming, Sewing
As you may or may not have notice, I love Titanic. And not just the movie. Or even the ship. I love the entire time period. Now, you know I love the costumes from Titanic. But I also love the costumes from Tuck Everlasting, Finding Neverland, Somewhere in Time, and pretty much any other period film you care to show me, as well as extant dresses from the time.
One of my favourite type of dresses from the era is the lingerie dress. White, frothy, and heavily adorned with lace, pin tucks, and eyelet trim. And oh, oh-so lovely. So lovely. So I elected to create myself an updated version of it so I could have a bit of Edwardian elegance on a day-to-day basis.
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by Marie | Mar 19, 2012 | Clothes, Fashion & Costuming, Sewing
Phew! It’s been a crazy weekend, so I thought I’d share part of what made it so busy. I needed some new photos of me in my Titanic dresses for reasons I will disclose sometime later, so I got together with the lovely Hannah P. to shoot some. We had great fun.
Anyone want to guess what my favourite movie is?
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