Attaining that Edwardian Silhouette

It's been a while since my first post about the pretty pink Edwardian dress, but I've been making lots of progress on the project! I've been posting about it on my Instagram stories, so go take a look at my highlights if you missed them!) and taking lot's of pictures along the way, which I plan on using to make a couple of in-depth posts in the future.

Today, however, I want to show how I am attaining that ever so iconic Edwardian S-Bend silhouette, as well as a quick update on how the project as a whole is going.

The undergarments I'm using start with the corset. I made my corset from the Truly Victorian pattern a few years back. While it isn't particularly well made, it serves it's purpose.

Included with that pattern is a small bum roll and bust pads, which are all worn underneath the corset. Well, when looking at the silhouette, I decided it just wasn't s-curve-y enough. I'm pretty petite as it is, and I'm pretty much the opposite of curvy, so I need all the help I can get.

I was able to get a wonderful silhouette with adding one simple thing: a basic bustle/bum pad atop the corset.

The pattern was simply draped, and I made a quick tutorial which you can find on my YouTube channel.

Here's what the corset with all it's padding looks like from every angle. And below that is a before and after with the additional bumped underneath two petticoats. The difference is subtle, but I'm very happy with it. It still has a natural look to it even though it's definitely a very exaggerated silhouette.

After the undergarments were taken care of I was able to start on the actual dress! I started with the lining. I used the skirt pattern from Butterick B5970, which I also used for the main skirt but heavily modified. It's actually a great skirt pattern, so if you're looking for a classic Edwardian skirt pattern, this is a great option.

The pattern for my bodice is self made, mostly through draping, but I will talk more about that in a later post. For now, here's a peek into what the dress currently looks like.

Overall, I'm happy with how this is coming, even if my fabric wasn't quite what I'd hoped (but I guess that's what I get for ordering online from a fabric outlet). I have hit a bit of a block however with trim around the neckline. My original plan didn't work out the way I'd hopped, so I'm currently searching for inspiration.

In which I make something for my Everyday Closet | Reviewing Simplicity's New Look 6560

I took a change of pace to create something for my everyday closet, and I'm soooo glad I did! I found this cotton shirting on clearance at JoAnn Fabrics and absolutely loved it! It's solid black with little gold birds, and I've been loving all things gold these last few years, so I knew it was perfect.

Since I wasn't necessarily planning on making something modern, I took a look through the patterns that were on sale that day and found a super simple, but super cute wrap shirt. New Look Pattern 6560 for $2.99.

I ended up going with view C. For sizing, I'm always between 2-3 different sizes with these commercial patterns, but I went with my bust size, which was the smaller of the options, knowing that there would already be some give because of the style, plus these patterns always have (usually too much) ease already worked in. It turned out perfect, and I don't regret a thing!

The pattern came together easily and quickly, despite the fact that I was still fighting a nasty sinus infection when I started it. I had been laying around for the previous two days and needed something to do, so I told myself I could just cut out the pattern pieces. Well, as most projects do, I got caught up and had most of the blouse done within a couple of hours.

Overall I really liked this pattern. It was simple to cut and I only referenced the instructions lightly, as I usually do with commercial patterns since they usually hurt my brain more than prove helpful.

With that in mind, I did make a few small changes. The main one being that I under stitched the front facing. If the instructions said to do this, I completely missed it, but I felt like that was necessary to keep the front nice and flat.

The other thing I did was create two crocheted belt loops and added a snap at the top of the neck to hold everything in place. I didn't like the belt just hanging loose, and I wanted a little more security to hold the neckline closed.

My sister, Sereina Elwert, who's a wizard with a camera, happened to be in town shortly after I finished the blouse, so we were able to go out and get some cute photos. As well as some... interesting ones. It's never a photoshoot without at least one derpy photo and a photobomb, right?

In conclusion, I really liked this pattern and would definitely recommend! I could also see myself making a few more blouses out of it, probably in some linen or seersucker for summer.

Funny story: when I was buying my supplies for this project, I somehow misread the pattern and bought an extra yard of fabric (and it was 60" wide no less!) and was able to get a full circle skirt out of it! When worn together it looks like a cute dress while still being versatile. Unfortunately we didn't get around to getting pictures of the skirt, so that will have to wait until another time.

Dreamy Edwardian Dresses | Project Inspiration

I've started a new project, and while I'm in the beginning stages of draping/drafting up patterns (AKA the visually boring stuff), I thought I'd share some pretty inspiration for the project.

The project is an early Edwardian era lawn dress. I found a great deal on a pretty pink lawn, which is being shipped and will hopefully arrive soon. I made an S-bend corset last year, and this era of fashion has always been a dream era of mine. It's so soft and feminine and I'm so excited (and maybe just a little nervous) to be diving into it!


This first dress is the main inspiration for my project and what I'm basing my dress off of for the most part (though I'm not trying to duplicate it exactly).

This dress is part of The Met's collection. The gown was designed by Jacques Doucet and is made of cotton and silk.

Below is part of the description from their website:

"Possibly worn by one of New York's finest, Caroline Schermerhorn Astor Wilson, this afternoon dress is a perfect example of couture during this period. The sheer pink fabric, accented with lace and black and pink ribbon trim, is a dress to be displayed at garden parties and the races. Doucet added interest to his work with his use of unusual trims, illustrating his inventiveness and artistic taste."

Dress c. 1903 via the Met

I came across this image of the dress and a portrait that is, at the very least, very similar to the gown. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any information on the painting.

If you look closely it doesn't actually appear to be the same dress. The ruffles around the bottom half of the skirt are striaght, where as on the dress it's almost a scallop edge. And the front bodice appears slightly different. It could be that the artist interpreted the dress differently, or it's a completely different dress. Still, I thought it was interesting and wanted to include the comparison.

Since I'm draping my own pattern this gown has been extremely helpful for me to see the lines of the bodice and to get an idea of how it closes. 

Dress c. 1900-1914 via The Museum at FIT

Dress c. 1900-1914 via The Museum at FIT

And a few dreamy Edwardian fashion plates for inspiration, because they're just so pretty.

Want some more pretty Edwardian inspiration? Check out my Pinterest Board!

Continuity Photos | What they are and why you need them

Continuity photo's are taken of an actor (or actress) once they are in their final costume, hair, and makeup to maintain continuity throughout a shoot. They are taken to document each individual look to maintain consistency since sometimes shooting a single scene will take place over several days. Depending on the shoot it could be days, weeks, or even months if you have to come back to a scene for pickup shots or re-shoots.

Usually I prefer actors to go through hair and makeup before getting into their full costume (though like everything, it depends on the shoot and what the specific costume needs are). I'm typically the last person working directly with the actor before shooting a scene, so once they are screen ready I'll ask them to step aside and snap a quick photo.

You can use your phone or an actual camera, but you want to be able to access the photo's immediately. If you're working with a team it's easiest to take a few minutes to get the photo's printed at the end of the day and put them in your Wardrobe Bible for the shoot. That way everyone has easy access to them along with the rest of the wardrobe notes.

On most of the shoots I've worked on I'm the only one running wardrobe and since they've been smaller shoots I've keep them in a dedicated album on my phone instead of getting them printed.

One of the continuity shots from "Broken" (2019)

The purpose of these photo's is to create a consistent look throughout the film. Because films are rarely shot in chronological order, it's common to shoot part of one script day in the morning, then a bunch of other scenes, and maybe later that same day or several days later, come back to that first script day where the actors should be in the same outfit.

These photo's provide a reference for how everything was worn, exactly how the hair and makeup looked, as well as show how certain pieces were worn. For example if a collar was flipped up or laid flat, pants were tucked into the shoes or left over top.

Regency Taffeta | A Completed Costume

This was a fun project that came to be through the mighty powers of procrastination. During Summer last year I had the fun task of making several costumes for Endgame (LCC 2018), and while I should have been working on mockups, I was instead starting an entirely new project. A Regency era dress.

I had all the materials on hand, and I needed to work with something prettier than bleached muslin. So creating an entire dress is exactly what you should do when you have pressing deadlines, right? Right.

The dress itself came together in about two days, and that includes hand stitched details on the seams to make it look as if it were sewn by hand when it was, in fact, not. Well, except for the hand stitched details.

The beading, however, took much longer.

I don't have an exact, or even an approximate, number for just how long the beading took since I didn't work on it consistently over the several months of making this dress.

Anyhow, once the dress was finished I pulled together a photoshoot with some very talented friends and this is the result. I'm quite happy with both the dress and the lovely photos.

Photos by Morgan Elise Photography

Model - Lizzy Poling

Dress by Tiana Blanchard

Wardrobe Dept. Breakdown Pt. 1 | Wardrobe Overview & The Costume Designer

One of the most difficult parts about costuming a short film is probably that I'm usually the only person in the wardrobe department. It hasn't been until recently that I've actually started working with more than just myself when pulling together costumes. It's been great working with someone else, but its raised several questions about what the various rolls in the wardrobe department are.

Even with a small team of two there need to be clearly defined jobs, even though you're still splitting the jobs of a dozen people between two.

I've been researching the hierarchy of the Wardrobe Department and creating a master handbook, which I'd like to share through a series of blog posts.

Keep in mind, that my research is specific to film and may vary in theatre and from each production. Every team is going to be slightly different depending on the individuals, the type of project, and how full of a team there is.

Overview

The Costume Department is responsible for the design, fitting, hire, purchase, manufacture, continuity, and care of all costume items for films. The term 'costume' refers to the clothes that the actors wear, which vary from production to production, ranging from contemporary urban fashion to period ball gowns, and everything in between.

The Costume Department is also responsible for jewelry, footwear, corsetry, hosiery, millinery and sometimes wig work.

Wardrobe is integral in defining the overall 'look' of the film. It provides the audience with information about the period, culture and society the actors inhabit and, on a more subtle level, the underlying themes of the film itself.

Work in the Costume Department is divided between two 'wardrobes': the 'making wardrobe', which incorporates the design, acquisition and creation of costume during pre-production; and the 'running wardrobe', which takes care of the organization, maintenance and continuity of costumes during the film shoot.

The costume designer is the head of the department, and works closely with the Production Designer and Director to ensure that costumes blend into the overall production design. The Costume Designer oversees a team that usually includes a Costume Design Assistant, Costume Supervisor, Costume Assistants and Costume Dailies. On larger productions, the Costume Designer may employ a team of skilled technicians in a costume workshop, which could include cutters, makers, finishers, dyers and milliners. There may also be a Wardrobe Supervisor to oversee the running wardrobe.

Job responsibilities for personnel in the Costume Department vary enormously from production to production, depending on the requirements of the costume designer. As a result, the boundaries between job roles are blurred, particularly in the case of Costume Design Assistants, Costume Supervisors and Wardrobe Supervisors.

During the shoot costume personnel ensure that costumes are available when required, assist performers with dressing, oversee costume continuity, and maintain and service costumes when not in use. After the shoot costume personnel ensure that costumes are safely stored, packed and returned to the relevant sources, or sold.

Costume Designer

Costume Designers start working on films at the beginning of pre-production. They are in charge of designing, creating, acquiring and hiring all costumes for actors and extras. This must be done within strict budgets and tight schedules.

The Costume Designers work is integral to defining the overall look of the film, and their role requires a great deal of expertise. Their creative work ranges from designing original costumes, to overseeing the purchase and adaptation of ready made outfits. As heads of the costume department, Costume Designers are responsible for staffing, and for managing a team of skilled personnel. Costume Designers also supervise practical issues, such as departmental budgets and schedules, the organization of running wardrobes, and costume continuity.

Responsibilities:

During pre-production, Costume Designers break down scripts scene by scene, in order to work out how many characters are involved, and what costumes are required. They then begin the more task of developing costume plots for each character. These plots ensure that colors and styles do not mimic each other in the same scene, and highlight the characters' emotional journeys by varying the intensity and depth of colors.

Costume Designers must carry out research in to the costume styles, designs and construction methods which are appropriate for the productions' time period, using a number of resources. They may also discuss costume and character ideas with performers. They deliver initial ideas to directors about the overall costume vision, character plots and original costume designs, using sketches and fabric samples. They also discuss color palettes with the Director of Photography and the Production Designer to create a cohesive look.

Throughout the production process, Costume Designers ensure that accurate financial records are kept, and that weekly expenditure reports are produced. They prepare overall production schedules, as well as directing the day to day breakdowns of responsibilities. Costume Designers select and hire suppliers and costume makers, negotiating terms with them, and communicating design requirements. They make sure that fittings for actors and extras are arranged. They supervise fabric research and purchase, and ensure that garments are completed to deadlines.

Depending on the numbers of costumes to be created, and the scale of budgets, Costume Designers may decide to create a dedicated costume workshop. They should be on set whenever a new costume is worn for the first time, to make sure that performers are comfortable, to explain special features, and to oversee any alterations. Once filming is completed, Costume Designers are responsible for the return of hired outfits, and the sale or disposal of any remaining costumes.

Costume Designers must be highly organized, with good presentation skills and the confidence to manage and motivate their teams effectively. They should be able to work under pressure, to meet external and departmental deadlines, and must have stamina and be adaptable to changes. They need to be able to listen to the ideas and concerns of others, while at the same time trusting their own opinions and instincts. They work closely with actors in a physical sense, and must therefore be tactful and able to put people at their ease.

Costume Designers need good descriptive abilities, and they must be able to break down scripts in terms of costume plots, and have knowledge of story structure and character arcs. They must understand the research process, and know how to source information. They need creative flair, a strong sense of color and design and the ability to draw. They should be confident in their knowledge of period costume, jewelry, corsetry, hosiery, millinery, footwear, costume accessories, etc. They must be experts on fabric qualities, clothing cuts, fits and techniques, pattern making and sewing. Creatively, they should know how to dress to particular faces or physiques to create characters.

Overall Costume Designers need a wide ranging cultural knowledge base, not only in terms of fashion, but also art and literature, film, and textiles. Costume Designers should be familiar with the requirements of all relevant health and safety legislation and procedures.

Part 2 will cover the Costume Coordinator and Key Set Costumer.

All about Breakdown Plots and Costume Continuity

In my last post I talked a little about about the challenges that come with costuming a contemporary film, the biggest being keeping continuity. There's more to costuming a film of any size than just picking out clothes.  Since films are not shot in chronological story order it's easy to get confused, which is why you need to properly document everything.

The process of breaking down costumes and plotting them takes several steps, but today I'm going to be focusing on after you know what everyone is wearing and documenting it all, scene by scene. This is called a Breakdown Plot or Costume Plot.

Below is a screenshot of the form I created and use. Since this document is specifically for shooting, I won't fill it out until after I get a copy of the strip-board from the Assistant Director, and I will fill it out in the order that we will be shooting, creating a separate page for each shooting day.

Because this might be a little confusing without anything filled out, I've created a mock breakdown to help explain it all.

At the top is the production title, then below it is the characters name and at the other end of the same row is the actors name.

Now, onto the next row. "Scene" is pretty simple and self explanatory. The next is "Day", which is the story day. I'll indicate whether it's day or night next to it with D or N. That isn't as necessary, but it helps me keep everything straight in my mind.

The next column over is the "Scene Information". The top row will be the location heading, and below can also be a short description of what happens in the scene. Below all that, in bold, is the costume information.

This is where you want to put a simple description of what the character is wearing in that scene. If a character wears the same base throughout, you only need to put accessory details here. The base costume information will be noted in the Long Description.

When you are noting the accessories, be sure to write out the details. Below you'll notice when the jacket is worn I made a note whether the hood was up or down. The goal of these notes should be that anyone can come on and understand them and keep everything looking the same. This is especially important on larger projects when you may not be returning to shoot the rest of a scene for several days/weeks/months.

Next over is the "Long Description", which I already started to talk about. This is where you put all the details. List out every piece and describe it. You don't want to leave it at Red Blouse, because there may be two or three or more red blouses, so make sure you note the specifics (and also label you wardrobe pieces before getting to set).

Once my Breakdown Plots are done, they get printed and put into my Wardrobe Bible, which stays by my side on set. When I get to set I'll take a look to see what pieces need to be ready first, and get to work unpacking and prepping.

There are several different ways to document costumes before and during shooting, and breakdown plots are so important for staying organized.

On Set - Short Film Shoot

Last month I was on a fun shoot, and I wanted to write a little bit about it.

A friend of mine was pulling together a short film and asked if I would be interested in doing the costumes. Of course I said yes.

I can't say much about what the film is about, but it's a contemporary drama. We shot over the course of three days, but there was about three and a half weeks of pre-production that we crammed in before. The project is currently in the editing stage and will hopefully be released this summer.

Most people would think costuming a contemporary would be easy, but this was actually one of the most difficult projects I've costumed. Because of the way films are shot, there were around 10 costume changes per actor each day. And keeping track of costume continuity when there are that many changes is not a simple thing.

The other challenge in contemporary design is that everything is very subtle. When working on a period piece, or something more extravagant, it's easier to build someones character into their clothing. But when using "normal clothes", the character that is shown through their clothes is much more subtle.

I want to share more of the technical side of costuming for this project, but I'll save that for another post. For now, enjoy a few shots I snagged on set. I'll be sure to share the official BTS shots (and videos!) when they're released.

In which I learn to Floss...

... My corset, anyways.

A few months ago I started up a dance night with a group of friends, and several of them have been trying to convince me that I need to learn to floss, which I steadfastly refuse to do. Then last week I wasn't feeling well, and instead of laying around doing nothing I decided to take that time to finally floss my corset.

When I finished, I shared pictures online toting that I had learned to "floss". Anyways, I thought it was pretty funny. But here's the end result.

This is my 1880's corset made from the Truly Victorian pattern. It's the most comfortable, though not the most technically well made, corset I've made yet. And now now it's the prettiest corset I've made.

For anyone who doesn't know, flossing is used to hold the bones in place from moving around in the boning channels. Plus it's an extra way to add some decoration to your corset. I played around with a few different styles with the help of some tutorials I found on Pinterest. There's a surprising amount on flossing info out there.

Making Eliza's Dress from Hamilton

As promised in my last post, today's post is all about the making of Eliza. For Halloween this year I decided to go as Eliza Schuyler from Hamilton. This was a really fun costume to make and wear, and it's become my favorite cosplay I've made.

During the making process I failed at taking progress pictures like I usually try to do, so this post will have a lot of written information instead of visual. However I did post a fair amount on my Instagram stories. They're featured on my profile if you want to check them out. I'll be using a few of them in today's post to help explain my process.

The Bodice
The pattern was self drafted, using a combination of draping and drafting techniques. The bodice was fairly easy to figure out since it's a pretty accurate 18th century shape, although the back has princess seams which are definitely a modern cut. But overall it stays pretty true to the 1770's.

The trick to the bodice was all in the structure. I used a medium weight canvas and muslin for the lining and structure layer. I boned the princess seams and the center back silk layer for the faux lacing (more on that soon), and the front had straight up and down boning.

It actually took a lot less boning than I was originally expecting. The only thing I would do differently here is use a heavier weight canvas and move the center front boning a little closer together and further down the point at the front. Otherwise I'm very happy with how smooth the bodice turned out.

The back of the bodice has a long row of faux lacing. If you look closely at the stage costumes, you'll notice that the back has what appears to be lacing, but underneath is actually a zipper. I contemplated just putting a zipper in the back since with my long hair no one would even see the back, but I opted for accuracy and hand sewed almost 30 eyelets.

The lining and the top fabric are stitched together everywhere except for the center back, where they're left separate. I folded the edge of the silk under to create a boning channel and put a separating zipper in the lining.

The front of the bodice has a row of buttons, again they don't function. I covered the buttons myself with a kit, which was actually really fun! I stitched button holes but didn't cut them open, and I stitched the buttons on top.

The neckline has a small lace stitched around the neckline, and there's a wider lace in the sleeves. It's all just basted in, so it's easy to remove if it ever needs to be replaced.

The Sleeves

The sleeves were another challenge. I wanted to make sure I could move and replicate the famous "work" pose. In my first mockup attempt I made a normal sleeve and could barely bring my arm up level with my chest, let alone straight up.

So after a lot of research and a couple of trials, I finally found something that worked. I found a great article, which you can read here, on how to shape a sleeve for maximum movement. It took a few attempts, but eventually I got the pattern figured out and it fit beautifully!

The Skirt
The skirt was the most difficult thing to figure out even though it's relatively simple. When I started planning I had no idea how much fabric I would need. The 18th century skirts I've made in the past only used a few yards of material, but it was clear that there was a lot more fabric in the stage skirts when they twirl.

After asking around on some Facebook groups, I realized that the minimum circumference I would need is 5 yards. And after making this, I would use 8-10 yards if I ever remake this dress.

The trick in getting the right look is all in the pleating. I'll do my best to explain, but it's one of those things that's hard to tell instead of show. The pleats have to really small but have a lot of overlap (or underlap?) You only want to see maybe 1/2 an inch, but the pleat should be 2-3 inches deep. But you want to make the first few, in the front, more shallow, to keep the front flat.

Again, this is an area I would do differently should I ever make this dress again. I didn't make my pleats small enough or overlap enough (this is where the extra fabric was needed), particularly on the back. I didn't keep the pleats small enough in the front, so there's more material and it lays differently than the original dress. It's a little detail that most people probably don't even notice, but it stands out a lot to me.

There was no real shape to the skirt, it was just one big rectangular piece. Because my fabric was 60" wide, I cut the hem down to floor length before I started pleating. Once I had the pleats pinned over my bum pad and petticoat, I used a skirt leveling technique I learned from the book Period Costume for the Stage and Screen. After that I used a 1 inch hem allowance and hand stitched it.

Basically you tie a piece of string (I used elastic. I'm still not sure if that was a good idea or not) about the waist where the waistband will be. Then you raise the skirt, in this case just the front, until the hem is even, and you cut the excess above the string/elastic and voila! You have an even, straight hem.

When working with a straight edge for a hem, you never want to trim the bottom. You want to level it from the top and cut that part instead of the hem. I speak from experience.

The Accessories

The accessories for this costume were really minimal, and I didn't even get the right colors. XD I already had a pair of black Kensington's from American Duchess, so I wore those. And because it was Halloween, I wore my favorite stockings. I wore these with the last couple of historical Halloween costumes, so it's becoming a tradition.