Ok, finishing this gown took longer than I thought, and posting even more delayed than that... but it's done, so it deserves a post.
A little backstory on this dress, as it kinda happened as a result of another project/challenge that's in the works... A while ago (June), I'd posted about the
upcoming projects I wanted to do... On that list, at the very bottom, is a "Mirkwood elf gown" in - you called it - green. Lo and behold, more recently, an HSF challenge was announced for a Masquerade costume. And an idea was born... I decided that the Masquerade costume would be the elf gown, but have some historical origins (1920s or '30s, due to the fabrics).
Since the whole thing would be a bit much to make in two weeks, I decided to split it into two projects: the underdress (which could be historically accurate to an era) and the overdress (which could be pure fantasy with historical references/techniques such as an en fourreau back, and some sewn down pleats like the dresses from The Hobbit).
So, I needed to find an appropriately historical gown to make (in green) for the undergown. Initially, I thought this would have to be a '20s gown (or a purely medieval gown) due to the typical "elven" silhouette of long lines and draping from the shoulders, which I wasn't too happy about since '20s doesn't work well for me and I have plenty of medieval stuff already. But... watching
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey again, I paid special attention to the elves' gowns to see what the undergowns looked like, and had a pleasant surprise. My original recollections were mistaken - the undergowns (
female elven musicians, in that Rivendell dinner scene) were closer to the '30s in their silhouette/gown draping than medieval (barring the overrobes). And if there's one "modern" historical era that I like the clothes for (and that the clothes actually look good on me for), it's the '30s. So, now I just had to find an appropriate designer whose necklines and drapings were sufficiently "LOTR"/"fantasy"/"medieval"-ish that could pull off being the undergown for a (completely fabricated, since I haven't seen any previews of elven finery for H2) Hobbit-era elven gown from Mirkwood (assuming they all don't dress in leather and fighting gear all the time).
And in my searches, I stumbled across Madeleine Vionnet, one of the designers known for bias-cut, bias-draping, and the more simple, elegant styles (with a mix/match of grecian and A-line silhouettes). So, found two dresses that I'll be combining together into one: a
1936 gown that will be the chiffon overdress, and a
1936-38 gown that will be the model for the underdress (slight modification to the neckline of the bodice).
I also found (on sale/clearance) a taffeta curtain of just the right shade of green to match the metallic leaf fabric for the Mirkwood dress. The only issue: it was sewn into one of those valences that were all folds, so I had to take all of the stitches out. Thankfully, it was all one sheet of fabric (instead of a bunch of strips, which would have stopped this project cold), and was a good size, too. I also had some sage green chiffon in my stash that was originally intended for a reproduction Arwen coronation gown (yes, I was that LOTR-crazy at one point) but thankfully never got around to using. So, that'll be the overdress for this and sewn in the style of the peach chiffon 1936 gown, while the underdress will be a halter top and bodice shape like the white-black 1936-38 gown but not covered with chiffon (and with a slightly different neckline due to how the fabric gathers). I also happened to have in my stash this gorgeously heavy satin ribbon that was (I kid you not) the EXACT shade of pale green as the taffeta curtain. I seriously could not have found the same shade had I gone out and searched for it, or dyed it myself.
So, here is the final product: (taffeta pinned / taffeta sewn )
Just the facts!
Challenge: #21 - Color Challenge Green - 1936-38 evening gown, à la Madeleine Vionnet
Fabric: green taffeta valence curtain from Wal-mart red-tag clearance section (2yd by 2yd); sage green chiffon (stash) - 2yd of 54" fabric
Pattern: none; draped based on photos of extant gowns (linked above), with a few modifications for fit
Year: 1936-38
Notions: sage green polyester thread (from stash); 3yd satin ribbon (for taffeta dress sash, chiffon dress halter strap and edge binding on sides/back, and chiffon dress belt); silver florists' wire artistically twirled for the belt "buckle" of the chiffon overdress.
How historically accurate is it: hand-sewn (not that accurate for the '30s), polyester taffeta (pushing it), chiffon (ok, that works); based on a plausible combination of two actual dresses (could pull it off). Overall, accurate enough to pass muster.
Hours to complete: All told: 11-12 hours spaced over multiple weeks:
... the taffeta underdress took about 1.5 hours to drape/pin/sew, once the fabric was no longer a curtain (that prep work took another hour and a half), so total 3 hours;
... the taffeta bodice took about 3 hours (mostly draping and pinning to get it to fit right);
... the chiffon overdress took 5 hours (hemming chiffon, that is frustration), and then I hemmed the rectangle left over for a "wrap" like the matching one in the photo.
... the satin ribbon was too wide for both the tie at the neck and to edge the chiffon, so I cut it in half (width) and hemmed an entire side of it (for the tie) and sewed it onto the chiffon (as a border), which took a couple hours.
First worn: for these photos
Total cost: $10 for the curtain. The rest came from my stash, thus "free" for this project. But, in actuality... the chiffon was probably $3/yard (red-tag at Joann's years ago), and the thread was probably $3; the ribbon was a 3yd spool for about $3 (clearance); so, $12. Not bad.
And the making of...
