Wednesday Weekly Wishlist: Comtesse de Noailles' Teal & Pearl Grey outfit

Since I'm in an 18th century mood, let's have an 18th century Wishlist entry: on today's menu, the Comtesse de Noailles' Teal & Pearl Grey outfit.

For the movie Marie Antoinette (2006), the concept was to keep the colours very light and fresh, almost candy like, for the younger generation of the Dauphin and Dauphine, and to reserve deep saturated colours for the older characters of King Louis XV's era.

The Comtesse de Noailles belonging to the latter group, she gets to wear this gorgeous deep teal blue, long sleeved, compère front Caraco jacket with gold lace accent paired with a pearl grey skirt.

Judy Davis as The Comtesse de Noailles, Marie Antoinette (2006)

Of course, she also wears a matching hat!

Judy Davis as The Comtesse de Noailles, Marie Antoinette (2006)

Luckily enough, teal blue satin is fairly easy to find (as opposed to a specific brocade for instance). Besides, I know that colour would look beautiful on me.

Sigh! I really have too many projects for just one lifetime!

Project: Sherbet Striped English Dress - skirt fabric and trims

Ok, so you know when I said I would not make a new skirt to go with my new 18th century dress? Apparently, I was lying to myself. You see, I’ve been thinking about it and the pink skirt from my Mint Green Caraco Jacket and Pink Skirt won’t do: I want to be able to wear pocket hoops as skirt support for this dress, but that skirt was hemmed to be worn without any form of support. So you see, I have to make a new one.

Okay, I can already hear those of you who’ll say I have a pink satin skirt (from my Buffy inspired 18th century Gown) that is hemmed to fit over pocket hoops, but to you I say: satin is not a “Summer’s day in the Country” type of fabric. I want to be able to walk outside in it and not worry about snags at the hem.

So… I went to Fabricville today, and I found this shocking pink woven linen blend which matches the pink stripe of my main dress fabric perfectly. And it was in the discount section, at a mere 4$ a metre.

Dress and skirt fabric for my Sherbet Striped English Dress

See how well it matches?

I also got some gros grain ribbon in light purple and green to make a ruffle around the neck, down the princess line of the bodice and on the edges of the dress’ skirt. I intend to place the small green trim on top of the wider purple one for added detail.

Finally, I went over to the Dollar Store and got a small straw hat.

8" Straw Hat

I’m going to tack three of the sides to make a small tricorne, add some trim and perch it on my head.

Yep! It’s all going to look awesome!

Movie Monday: La Cité

Look at what is coming out this week: a Québec made costume / war drama! La Cité (2010) is set in 1895, during the French occupation of Tunisia, and tells the story of French Doctor, Maxime Vincent, who, after spending eight years in Northern Africa, is ready to go home... until he is asked to cure a village who's inhabitants are suffering from a plague.

Gentlemen, if you are interested in late 19th century French Legionnaire costumes, you should definitely see that movie!

Claude Legault as Colonel Julien Mandel, La Cité (2010)

You could also look at what the locals wore (and still wear today in some parts of Northern Africa).

Jean-Marc Barr as Dr. Maxime Vincent, La Cité (2010)

Ah! A Kaftan is always so comfy!

Bunny me!

Happy Easter! Today is a day of bunnies, baby chicks, eggs, chocolate, and other more serious stuff, but it concerns book religions, so I’ll leave them to it while I stick to my specialty, costumes. To go with today’s theme, I went through some photo albums at my parents to bring you a Vintage Costumeholic Moment:

Gwenyver as a Bunny for Halloween

Yes, that is me, at age three, in the fluffy bunny costumes my mom had made me for Halloween. Don’t I look cute?

Now I’d love to tell you exactly which pattern she used to make it, but I truly don’t know (although knowing my mom's preferences, it was probably a Butterick). Besides, it is probably way out of print by now. If you would like to make your own, any bunny costume from the “Classic Halloween Costumes” section of commercial pattern books will do.

Butterick 3238

Enjoy the family dinner, but be careful not to exaggerate on desert or you won’t fit in your costumes anymore (I speak from experience).

Ombre dye

Do you remember during the Winter Olympics how I mentioned Ombre dyed dresses? Well, the other day, I was home sick and I watched Martha Stewart: she happened to make an Ombre Dyed scarf the craft of the day.

Ombre Scarf, The Martha Stewart Show, March 2010

This is the technique she used:

Tools and Materials

• 2 1/4 yards cotton gauze or cotton cheesecloth
• Washer and dryer
• Scissors
• Large (gallon or more) plastic bucket
• Soda ash dye fixative
• Glass jar
• Procion MX powdered cold-water dye
• Warm water
• Measuring cups and spoons
• 4-ounce or larger plastic squirt bottle
• Masking tape
• 2 13-gallon white plastic garbage bags
• Latex or plastic gloves
• Permanent marker
• Ruler
• Electric fan (optional)
• Mild laundry detergent
• Sewing machine
• Coordinating thread
• Iron

Scarf How-To

1. Pre-wash cotton and dry on high heat; it will likely shrink to about 2 yards long. Snip a small slit in the center of one of the short sides of the cotton; grasp fabric on each side of the slit, and rip down the length to create two long scarves.
2. Prepare dye solutions: In a large plastic bucket, mix 8 tablespoons soda ash dye fixative into one gallon of warm water. In a glass jar, mix 3 teaspoons powdered dye with 1/2 cup warm water.
3. Soak undyed cotton scarves in soda ash solution for 30 minutes or more.
4. While cotton is soaking, decant dye into a 4-ounce or larger plastic squirt bottle. Mark the top of the dye level on the outside of the bottle with a strip of masking tape; place another strip of tape approximately halfway between the first piece and the bottom of the bottle.
5. Cut two 13-gallon white garbage bags along the seams, and spread out on a flat surface, overlapping the long ends by about 1 foot to create a clean, waterproof work area.
6. Wearing gloves, thoroughly wring out soaked cotton and spread out on garbage bags, folded in half so that the short edges are matched together.
7. With a permanent marker, make a mark on the garbage bag about every 6 inches, from the edges of the scarf to the fold.
8. Begin dyeing at the edges of the scarf, squirting the dye in a zigzag motion along the first 6 inches, until the dye has reached the halfway point you have marked. With gloved hands, spread and blend dye to cover the first six inches.
9. Refill dye bottle to top mark with water.
10. Dye the second 6 inches in a zigzag motion as before, using the dye down to the halfway point and blending into the first six inches with gloved fingers. Refill the dye bottle to the top mark with water. Repeat this process, using half the dye and refilling with water, for each of the remaining sections. Blend all sections into each other with gloved hands and fingers.
11. Allow dyed scarf to sit on garbage bags until about halfway dry (a fan can be used to speed this along). Fold garbage bags and scarf in half lengthwise, and then roll up scarf within garbage bags. Place rolled scarf somewhere warm -- near (not on) a radiator or in a sunny window -- for 12 to 24 hours.
12. Unroll scarf and remove from garbage bags. Rinse excess dye from scarf, starting with hot water and slowly transitioning to cold, until water runs clear.
13. Machine-wash scarf in hot water with a mild detergent; dry on high heat.
14. Hem scarf with a baby hem:
    Turn and press a 1/2-inch hem all around scarf. Machine-stitch around scarf, very close to fold of hem. Carefully trim excess fabric, right up to stitching.
    Turn edges again, this time creating about an 1/8-inch hem. With hem side up, sew all around edges again, following and stitching over the earlier stitch line.
15. Press scarf with a warm iron. Alternatively, create a crinkled look by spraying scarf with water, folding in half and twisting from both ends, and allowing scarf to dry while twisted. Untwist scarf and shake out.

(Source: Ombre Scarf, The Martha Stewart Show, March 2010)

Of course, there are other Ombre dying techniques out there: one is to use a spray bottle (any old household version will do, as long as it is clean).

Another is to use two dye baths simultaneously, soaking each end of your fabric in one.

I can't wait to try these techniques (although I'm sure my Sweetheart can - he's never thrilled with my dyeing experiences). Imagine the beautiful fairy dresses I could make!

Chocolate Fashion Show

As we all know, the French know and love chocolate. (Incidentally, I am of French descend and I love chocolate.) As we also know, Paris is an important Fashion Capital.

That is way every October, the Salon du Chocolat, an event mixing both these passions is organized: the Défilé Tendances Chocolat. Renowned designers pair up with important Chocolat houses to create edible, wearable art. These creations are presented in a Fashion show where they are worn by French Stars; all proceeds from this show goes to a children’s charity.

Julie Ferrier at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat

Anne Richard at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat

Faustine Bollaert at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat

Daphné Bürki at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat wearing a chocolate studded dress, designed by Marithé & François Girbaud and made with the help of French chocolate maker La Pralus

Virginie De Clausade at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat

Dominique Magloire at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat

Daniela Lumbroso at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat in a Turandot-inspired creation made by chocolatiers Philippe Pascoet et Christophe Guillarme

Lara Fabian at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat

Corinne Touzet at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat sporting a chocolate creation designed by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada with a handbag from chocolatier La Maison Bonnat

Coralie Clément at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat

Marie Fugain at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat

Carole Brana at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat

Laetitia Rey at the 2009 Défilé Tendances Chocolat showing off a chocolate outfit designed by Eva Rachline and made with the help of French chocolate maker Magnum

Interesting designs! Not something you can wear in the summer heat, but hey, you can't always get everything in life!

Hmm... Now I'm hungry!

Interview with a Costumer: Nancy-Raven

Do you by any chance remember the contest I announced on January 1st? You were supposed to tell me what I should make with a gorgeous piece of silk I found for a bargain. No? I’m not surprised, I only got one answer. I expected more from you my readers, but since I posted it during a post-project archive update (I bet you are used to those by now!), I guess you just missed it, so I forgive you.

As I said, I only got one answer and it was from my best friend, the well known (on this blog anyways) Nancy-Raven. I didn’t end up making what she had suggested (mostly because she said a baby dress and there is no way I’m putting silk on a drooling baby, but also because I got into another project), but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t get her prize, to be featured here on the very first “Interview with a Costumer” post.

I have to say, I’m glad she’s the one to be my guinea pig for this; always best to test on your friends before trying things like that with complete strangers!

Nancy-Raven wearing her "Fenice" gown, August 2004

Name and/or Alias: Nancy-Raven Hellfire
Website: ravencostume.blogspot.com
Where in the world are you? Québec, Canada

How long have you been into costuming?

It depends whether you count from the time I started to be interested in costumes or from when I began making my own, but I’d say roughly 8 to 10 years.

Gwenyver in her "Arwen's Dying Gown" and Nancy-Raven in her "Eowyn's Shield Maiden" costume, August 2004

How did you come about Costuming?

By my Best Friend [your host] who convinced me it was better to make them yourself, not only because you save money, but also because you get so many more possibilities when you can choose everything yourself (fabric, trim, style, etc.)

Note: At the time, Nancy-Raven wore Modern Medieval clothing from the local stores almost exclusively outside of work. A laced bodice was easily 70$ and I couldn’t believe she spent so much money on such a small item of clothing. As with other things, I bugged her often that she should make her own. And today she does, although she wears jeans and t-shirts as street clothes now.

What was the first costume you made?

The first costume I made was a light blue and pink georgette kimono for a Halloween Party. I didn’t sew it* but I choose the fabric and I helped cut it. That project was a turning point for me; it was after that that I seriously got into costuming.

*I did.

Nancy-Raven in her Blue and Pink Kimono Costume

What Costuming Events / Conventions do you usually attend in a year?

It can vary from one year to the next, because there are sometimes new events and there are others I simply don’t go to every year, but generally, there is the Fête de la Nouvelle-France, Otakuthon, the Fête Médiévale de Saint-Colomban, my Halloween Party and on rare occasions, some SCA events.

Where do you get your inspiration?

There is of course television and movies, but also Janet Arnold’s Books. I think in general what inspires me is not so much the costume itself, but the period to which it belongs, as well as the story that goes with it. And of course, there is music: I never sew without listening to some music.

Really? What music do you listen to?

It depends on my mood and the time of day; at night, the music I listen to has to make me feel energetic, not sleepy. There are many Medieval and Renaissance music albums in my music collection as well as a few Celtic ones. Currently I mostly listen to the soundtracks of the TV series True Blood (2008). True Blood: Music From The HBO Original Series, on which you can find the song of the opening credits, Bad Things as well as, True Blood Volume 2 which I recently purchased and I listen to in loop. I don’t have access to my computer or Tele in my sewing room and I need some sort of background noise. Sometimes, the music I listen to inspires and motivates me too.

Burnt Orange Medieval-Fantasy gown and pelisse inspired by The Mists of Avalon (2001), by Nancy-Raven

Where do you shop for Material? (including fabric, accessories, rings for mail, thermo-plastic, etc.)

For fabrics, I go to Fabricville or Club Tissus.
For celtic accessories, I love The Crafty Celt.
For music and other general accessories, I recommend The Tudor Shoppe.
And for books, none other than Amazon.ca.

What type of costumes do you specialize in? (ex.: Anime/Manga, Movie, Historical, Dance, Ethnic, Goth, etc.)

I’d say generally historical and fantasy, but neither type more than the other

What is your favourite Movie, costume wise? Have you made anything from that Movie?

I’d be lying if I said there was one in particular. I really love Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (1997) with Sophie Marceau and The Duchess (2008), but I haven’t yet made a costume from either period, mostly because I would want it to be perfect and that would mean making all the underwear, corset, skirt support and petticoats as well.

Nancy-Raven as a 1920's Flapper, Halloween 2008

What is your Favourite Era, Costume Wise?

There isn’t one in particular; it would be too difficult to choose. Still, I do have a certain preference for the Middle Ages, as well as Tudor style, Elizabethan and Victorian periods. Currently, I am especially focused on the 1920’s and the French designer Madeleine Vionnet.

Which one of your creations are you most proud of?

I’d say none :I am eternally unsatisfied and I always see something that needs to be fixed or remade on anything I make. Therefore, there isn’t a creation I can actually say I am prouder of than the rest.

What are you currently working on?

Many different projects; I have a hard time working on only one at a time. I just follow my moods. My main focus for the coming weeks will be simple evening gowns, skirts with matching tops, all meant for going out and some to wear on my next trip.

(The lucky girl is hoping to visit New Orleans in the fall for The Grand Masquerade: A Gala World of Darkness Convention – I’m a little jealous... But I know she’ll bring me back a souvenir.)

Nancy-Raven as an Anglo-Norman at the Fête Médiévale de Saint-Colomban 2009

What is your dream costume?

A Victorian Ball Gown.

What is your dream costuming event?

A Victorian ball such as the one presented in Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (1997) or The Young Victoria (2009).

Re-creations or Original designs?

A little of both.

Historical or Fantasy?

More historical.

Hand Sewing or Sewing Machine?

Sewing Machine

Fabric or solid materials ?

Fabric, definitely.

Nancy-Raven and Gwenyver as Scots, Fête Médiévale de Saint-Colomban 2007

Anything else you would like to share?

I think all you need to be a good costumer is a time and practice. I can only hope that with both I will one day reach a point where I am satisfied with myself. Costuming is a way to get into a character’s skin; it is a moment of pure magick and dream. To be a costumer is to create those dreams and that magick.

I also intend, with my dear friend Gwenyver, to set up a costumers group encompassing all styles of costumes, a little like a costumer’s guild, and organize themed events for members. It’s another way to get an excuse to make costumes, while at the same time sharing your passion with like minded individuals.*

*We're working on it!

Thank you Nancy-Raven for being my first subject for this interview. Comments? Questions? Who's next?