theladyrebecca | (no subject)

I had just enough time to fit my mockup yesterday between work and heading to the movie theatre. It was waaay too big. I didn't realize how much smaller my bust measurement was in my Regency corset, and so I had cut it to my uncorseted and Victorian corset bust size (which is basically the same), but which is about 2 sizes too large for the Regency measurement. So anyway, I think I wound up taking in the bodice by about 5" or so, mostly under the arms, though I also took a pinch out of the back/side-back curved seam. I also took out about .75" of the shoulder width, since it would have put the armseye seam way too far out.

It's possible that I may be able to use the mockup pieces as the lining, but I have a feeling I might have to recut. Oh well. I have about 2.5-3 hours for sewing this evening, so I'm hoping to get all the bodice pieces cut out and maybe sewn together. I think I would like to pipe the side-back seams, so that may delay me a little, but first I have to figure out whether or not I actually have enough fabric for as much piping as I would prefer (side-back seams, neckline, sleeve bands, sleeve ribbon things, belt).

Speaking of the belt, this pattern calls for a separate belt. But I feel like I've seen Regency dresses more commonly with a band between the bodice and skirt, as opposed to a separate belt. Is this true?

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By 1830s, there were belts. Is it later Regency or 1820s? At some point, there must have been transition fashions.

I think it's supposed to be 1810s-1820, but I don't have the pattern envelope in front of me right now, so I can't remember.

What's the pattern? I'd say in a general way that bodice directly attached to skirt is more common in the 1810s, and you get waistbands as the waist moves downwards. IIRC the earliest belt I know is on the pink and white ball gown in RWD, which I think is ca. 1822.

I agree that a separate belt is a typical 1820s and onward feature. (As opposed to waist ties, which are a different thing.)

So would you say that a waistband would make sense for this era, or no band or belt at all?

"Era" is a really broad term, so yes for all of that for Regency. ;) Are you going for a more specific range of years? I find that for Regency fashion, 5 years is a more reasonable chunk of time for grouping together shared characteristics.

I think the pattern is supposed to be 1810s-20. Did they do waistbands by the end of that? A waistband seems like it makes more sense to me for that era than a separate belt does...

Very narrow waistbands and possibly belts (or maybe waistbands with decorations on the center front) start to turn up in JDM from 1818, and wider waistbands in 1819 along with lower waists. La Belle Assemblée follows roughly the same pattern. But Ackermann's starts showing very narrow waistbands from late 1819, with more sizeable ones popping up in late 1820 and becoming common in 1821. So by the very end of that decade, yes to waistbands.