Kaleidoscope

Volume 7 Article 13

September 2015

1880s Day DressCorey GregoryUniversity of Kentucky, clgreg2@uky.edu

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Recommended CitationGregory, Corey (2008) "1880s Day Dress," Kaleidoscope: Vol. 7, Article 13.Available at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/kaleidoscope/vol7/iss1/13

Corey GregoryA U T H O R

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The 1880s Day Dress and Embroidering projectemergedwhenIwantedtopracticespecificembroi-deringtechniquesoverlastyear’sChristmasbreak.FirstIwouldliketotalkaboutsomeofthehistorybehindthedress.TherearemanyusefulsourcesthatdiscusstheVictorianeraclothing.Arnold(1984)isagreatsourcethatprovideswonderfulillustrationsoftheconstructionofwomen’sgarmentsfrom1860to1940.Additionally,itisimportanttoknowthatduringthistimeperiod“ornamentationofdresses,coats,andwrapsbecameverylavishwithsilks,braids,froggingandembroidery”(Cassin-Scott,1971).Arnold(1984)alsoexplainsthatdaydressescanbereferredtoas“promenade dresses.” Another source states thatthedaydresseswereanimportantpartofsocietyinwhichtheywereprimarilyusedfordaytimesocialcalls(Colman,1972).

Theprocessforcreatingthedaydressfirststartedwithdevelopinganembroideringdesign.Ibeganbyresearchingdifferentembroideringbooks,includingNichols(1974)andHouck(1978).Thesegreatre-sourcesprovidedwonderfulinsightintowhatagoodembroideringdesignshouldlooklike.Afterfindingasuitabledesignforthedress,Imodifiedtheembroi-deringdesigninorderthatitcouldfittheparticularareasonthebodicethatIwishedtoembroider.ThenIselectedacranberrywoolcrepefabriconwhichtoembroiderthedesign.AftertracingthebodicepatternshapesonthefabricIhadtotransfertheembroideringdesignontothefabricaswell.OncefinishedtracingIstretchedthefabricwiththedesignontoaframe.The embroidering designwas accomplishedusingcottonfloss;Iusedfourdifferentkindsofstitches:split,satin,stem,andfrenchknot.

1880s Day Dressama seniorTheatremajor at theUniversity ofKentucky.MyprimaryfocusinmymajorisCos-tumeTechnology.Iplantocontinuemystudiesin

CostumeTechnologyatgraduateschooloncefinishedwithmyundergraduatedegree.ThroughoutmytimeintheTheatredepartmentIhavehadtheopportunitytobetaughtbyRobertHaven,theCostumeTechnicianintheTheatreDepartment,someveryusefulembellish-ingskillsthatarebecomingadyingartforcostumers.Thesetechniquesincludehandembroiderywithsilkand

cottonflossandtambourbeading.IamcurrentlylearningmoreadvancedcostumeconstructiontechniquesfromNelsonFields,theCostumeDesignerintheTheatreDepartment.

Faculty Mentor: Professor Robert Haven, Theatre DepartmentThisembroideryandcostumeconstructionprojectgrewexponentiallyoveramatterofdays,whenCoreyaskedforsomepracticeembroideryprojectstodooverthewinterbreak.Iknewshewascapableofundertakingsuchanadvancedprojectthatwasfilledwiththechallengeofcomplexpatternmatching,symmetricaldraping,andperiodembellishment.Creatingthisdressbyitselfwasclosertoagraduatelevelactivity,addingalayerofhandworkedembroiderysetitapartfromthenorm.

Inadditiontotheactualconstructionoftheproject,Coreyinvestigatedthehistoryofclothingatthattime.Thecombinationofboththeresearchand the fabricationof the garment provided aunified experience andunderstandingofthetimeperiodandhowclothingreflectedtheeverydayculture.Thesimplestofdetails,suchascordingthebottomhem,becomeimportantwhenonerealizesthatinthe1880sfewstreetswerepavedandthiscordprovidedprotectionfromthedirtandwear.

Corey’sconstructionskillsandattentiontodetailareunsurpassed,asisevidencedinthecarefulmatchingofthedamaskfabricacrossverydifficultpatternshapesonthebodice.Herembroideryskillsareequallypolishedandonesthatwillserveherbothprofessionallyaswellasputherinaprimepositiontoattracttheattentionofmajorgraduateprogramsincostumetechnology.Shehasakeeneyeforgooddesign,highlydevelopedsewingskills,andapassionforthework,awinningcombinationintheprofessionalcostumeindustry.

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FortheconstructionofthebodiceIhadtolayoutthepatternontofashionfabric,trying to make the most of the damaskfabric.Iflatlinedthepatternpiecesforthebodice.Ithenappliedtheembroideringtotheareasonthebodiceandhandfinishedthem.Oncefinished,Ibeganassemblingthebodiceandlaidthepatternoutfortheskirt.Becauseofhavingalimitedamountoffabric,Ihadtomakethemostefficientuseofthebrocade,soIusedastraighttobiastechniquefortheunderskirt.ForthehemoftheskirtIusedcording;doingthishelpsprotecttheunderskirtanditalsogivesmorebodytothedress.

Theoverdrapeofthedressisdoneinadeepgreenwoolcrepe.Idrapedapieceofmuslin over theunderskirt andbeganpinning each drape Imade. Then I tookthemuslinoffbutstillpinnedfromwhereIhaddrapeditandtracedthepatternofthedrapingonto fashionpaper. From there Iplacedthepatternontothewoolcrepeandbeganmarkingwithpinswherethedrapesshouldbe.Iplacedthefabricbackontothemanikinandre-drapedwheretheoriginalfoldswere.

Embroideringandotherformsofhandstitches(tambourbeadingandJapanesesilkembroidering)areanendangeredart.Ihavebeenfortunateenoughtolearnalotaboutthesehandstitching skills fromProfessorRobertHaven. He iscontinuing to teachmemoreadvancetechniquesinthistypeofart,whichwillhelpwhenthereisneedtoembellishcostumesandtomakethemmoreauthentictoaparticulartimeperiod.Beingabletogainthisskillwillassistinkeepingtheartalive.Alsothesehandstitcheswillprovidemyportfoliowithavarietyofskillsthatwillhelpinfuturecareeropportunitiesinfilm,television,historicalreproduction,andtheatre.

Works Cited:Arnold, Janet. Patterns of fashion:

Englishwomen’s dresses & their construction.(Newedition,reprinted.)London:MacmillanLondon;NewYork:DramaBook,1984.

Cassin-Scott,Jack.Costume and Fashion in Colour, 1760-1920.London:BlandfordPress,1971.

Coleman,ElizabethA. Changing Fashions 1800-1970. NewYork: SandersPrintingCorporation,1972.

Houck,Carter.White Work: Techniques and 188 Designs.NewYork:DoverPublications,1978.

Nichols,Marion(Editor).Designs and Patterns For Embroiderers and Craftspeople: 512 Motifs from the Wm. Briggs and Company Ltd. “Album of Transfer Patterns.”NewYork:DoverPublications,1974.

Corey Gregory and the finished Day Dress

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Embroidery detail

Front view

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Cuff detail

Right side view

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Bodice detail

Rear View

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Rear detail

Figure 1. North Atlantic Conveyor BeltBased on: North Atlantic Conveyor Belt. Chart. BBC News Website. Environmental Correspondent Richard Black. 30 Nov. 2005. 08 Nov. 2007. <http://www.thewe.cc/weplanet/news/people/abrupt_climate_change_event.htm>

Figure 1 illustrates the flow of the North Atlantic Conveyor Belt. The red arrow indicates warm water that is carried by the Gulf Stream from the equator. The yellow arrows designate the water in the process of cooling; some of the warmth of this water is be-ing transferred to the air around Western Europe. The sinking regions are areas where water becomes too dense to stay in surface currents. The blue pathway represents cold water that is moving in the direction of the equator.

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