Sunday, October 11, 2009

1795-1820 Pelisse



The other night I learned that I would be able to attend an evening event at a museum near home this Friday. I had begun drafting a pattern for a c.1795-1820 Pelisse from Janet Arnold's 'Patterns of Fashion' Vol. 2 over a year ago, so I pulled that out, finished it up, and now I'm in the process of cutting out several silk Pelisse jackets to sew. One to wear, and one to sell. One is a beautiful coral colored taffeta with windowpane plaid design, another is a white silk with delicate pearl beadwork.

It's so rewarding to be able to use a pattern based directly from an original. The design lines of historical clothing are always so beautiful.

3 comments:

  1. I love this robe! I always thought that this style was an over robe, and Pelisses were more jackets were attached skirts? Am I wrong?

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  2. Very pretty. I have the same question as Aloha? I'm excited to see what you come up with.

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  3. I'm not sure which is the most appropriate term for this style of garment. Janet Arnold calls it an Open Robe. I've gotten used to calling it a Pelisse after originally intending to make it for warmer weather outerwear as seen in the movie Sense and Sensibility. I do remember it being called an Open Robe when we learned about it in Costume History class in college, so that term is probably more appropriate.

    I finished the two Open Robes. One coral colored, the other the pearl beaded white silk. I just didn't get a chance to photograph them yet! I'm excited to make more, they went together rather quickly after the pattern was completed!

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