A Fractured Fairytale

Finally in the mid 1790s riding habit series we have the habit jacket. Read more...

Continuing with the construction posts for my 1795 riding habit, next we have the "riding hankerchief" and "waistcoat of yellow silk", both of which are worn over the bodiced habit skirt. Read more...

In my previous post, I shared the inspiration for my recent mid 1790s riding habit. Now, in the next few posts, I’m going to break down the outfit from the inside out, starting with the habit skirt. Read more...

I love riding habits. Even in fashion eras I don’t particularly like (I’m looking at you 1860s), I can usually find a habit I would want to wear. Something about the clean, tailored lines really appeals to me, plus collars and lapels are one of my favorite things to drape and sew. One of my most recent projects was a mid-1790s habit, something I’ve wanted to make for years. I have a lot to share about the construction of this outfit, so I’m going to break it down into multiple posts, starting with the inspiration and finished look.
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I’m no stranger to altering my costumes. Often after a first wearing there are fitting tweaks I want to make, but I’ve also retrimmed gowns, or completely remade them in the past, or even cut up old dresses to reuse the fabric for an entirely different project. However, with this project I tried something I’ve been thinking about for years. I updated an existing 18^th century gown to reflect the new fashionable 1790s silhouette, copying specific alterations I’ve seen on extant gowns. In this case, I took my mid-1780s blue stripe gown which no longer fit, and altered it to a 1790–4 shape. Read more...