Consuelo Duchess of Marlborough, née Vanderbilt

One of the last places my London program visited last spring was Blenheim Palace, the seat of the Duke of Marlborough. We had a tour and our guide told us about Consuelo Vanderbilt, wife of the 9th Duke. This portrait is in Blenheim and we were told it was commissioned as sort of bait for the aristocracy. She married the Duke when she was 18 and had two sons.


Isn't she gorgeous? I've been fascinated with her since I heard about her at Blenheim. Her mother arranged her marriage to the Duke, making her one of many (one source says 200) Anglo-American marriages during the Edwardian period that combined American money with English titles.


Winston Churchill's American mother was another such American heiress that married Consuelo's husband's uncle, making Churchill and Consuelo cousins by marriage. I LOVE this photo because it's so casual and I can't get enough of young Churchill, so great!

Consuelo and her husband didn't love each other, so after giving the duke an heir and a spare they separated in 1906 and were divorced in 1920. Her money helped restored Blenheim, and she dedicated herself to charitable work in London.

Awesome book you should read: High Society: Photographs 1897-1914 by Terence Pepper with 107 society photographs, including excellent captions.

Angel

I recently watched Angel on Netflix instant play starring Romola Garai and Michael Fassbender. I don't want to spend too much time on the film bc I didn't like it much. I can appreciate melodrama as a genre, but those who say that this movie is a melodrama satire don't explain away all the issues I had with this one. Basically Garai plays an obnoxious but gifted Edwardian writer who marries the love of her life (Fassbender) which leads to her ruin. I say Edwardian, but Angel's character's costumes are all over the place from the 1870s to never really much later than the turn of the century although the other character's fashions progress. I don't really take issue with this. As you can see above, my favorite dress, while out of period, is absolutely spectacular. If you watch the scenes with this dress, and then later with this red one you've pretty much seen what's worth seeing in the movie, unless you have a thing for self destructive behavior, or Michael Fassbender. Also, mild adult content. Also Sam Neill. Also, they should have died Garai's eyebrows darker, super annoying.

1958 McCall's: Not feelin' it

This is as far as I got on my dress in Nebraska. I also started putting the skirt lining together. I forgot about the need for an opening for the zipper and french seamed the skirt closed. I stopped after this discovery last night and woke up in the middle of the night to think about a solution (which is probably recutting it). I'm still excited for the dress, but am worried about the fit over the hips even though I spliced the pattern with my skirt sloper. I just have huge angular hips. I'm anticipating it being too small over the hips, aaaaaaaand it might only be a fast Sunday dress because the waist is my size when I wake up in the morning, not after any kind of meal.

So I got the bodice finished. I'm not happy with the yoke, and it's a lot fuller than the pattern makes it look, but here's hoping it works with the nipped in waist. The fabric frays like a mother and drives me nuts. I'm pretty over this dress right now which is super disappointing because I was so excited about it. BUT I don't believe in half finished projects cluttering up my life so I'll have it done before I go back to Cedar City, I promise! As for what to wear to church, I'll probs default to my 1940s summer dress with the incorrect shoulder alteration that chokes me but makes me look oh so slim and cute. Someday I will make a knockout perfect dress...someday.

1958 McCall's: Fabric and cutting

I'm in Nebraska and went fabric shopping for my dress almost first thing. The idea was to get a floral print that was very seasonal but could also be formal (if I ever get the chance to attend something semi-formal). I found a brilliant lilac and blue small floral at Joann in a poly (of course) that was a very light satin, but there wasn't enough. I went to Hancock's and Hobby Lobby but hated everything and was very upset. I went back to Joann the next day after calming down and got a very large print fuchsia and purple floral on a peach/ivory back. I've grown to really like it and am excited about it.



I cut the dress at the end of last week and began the bodice front. The material frays like crazy (since I'm doing seam finishes, not surging)and I was in no mood so I only got the front bodice done. Shame on me. Then, in the middle of the night some time after I realized that on my shoulder alteration I taped the yoke and the bodice together at the cut line, not the seam allowance. I don't think this should make a huge difference, at least in this case, but I'm still a little frustrated at myself for doing it wrong.



I will hopefully get more done today. I was going to work on it yesterday night for a long bit, but got a migraine, and while I do have a Rx now that knocks me out for an hour and it's gone I wasn't in the mood afterward.

New Project: 1958 McCall's

I trace a lot of the vintage patterns from the costume shop, and just finished making a 1940s summer dress at the beginning of May, but alas alack I have no pictures of the process or the product! I know, I am a bad blogger. But now I have a new pattern that I absolutely adore!



Introducing this McCall's 1958 dress with gathered front and back bodices into neck and waist yokes with an optional gathered front skirt. The dress also includs bodice and skirt stays, onto which the gathers are seamed. I'm blessed with having the measurements of a vintage size 12 in the bust and waist. As far as hips are concerned...let's just say it's best to go for full skirts, unless I want to alter.

But I alter anyway! I'm VERY tall AND lopsided (from years of holding babies on only one side) and so if I so choose I can alter my patterns for those variations. As it so happens I've spent the week altering the bodice of this pattern for my sloped left shoulder and square right shoulder, which alterations I'll blog you through when I have the time. I have also lengthened the bodice and plan on splicing my skirt sloper (including my high left hip) with the pattern.

I am leaving for Nebraska on Sunday and so will make the dress over the three weeks I am in Corn Husker land. The deadline I am giving myself is August 7th, my first Sunday back in Provo, when I will WOW my ward with my impeccable dress. Fabric is yet to be determined, but I'm thinking the pale blue fabric of Titania's cape from the Utah Shakespeare Festival or a flowy floral. Either way the fashion fabric will be rather chiffony so the dress will needs be lined, what joy.

I plan on constructing this dress using all my fashion techniques and am very excited to have the time to do it! Huzzah! Stay posted!

Jane Eyre

Some avid Shakespeare attendees I have found develop an abhorrence for Hamlet. Everyone does Hamlet and it's a very long and arduous play. I knew a woman who refused to see the David Tennant Hamlet at the RCS because she was so over Hamlet. I couldn't imagine this! Every Hamlet is new! and David Tennant! Although Hamlet is not my favorite, so I might have skipped it as well had I not been such a Tennant fan, but we're not going to talk about Shakespeare. We're going to talk about Bronte!

With the recent movie Jane Eyre being the 4th in fifteen years I think that some of us have become a little weary of this particular piece, but not me! It was hard for me to imagine a better telling than the most recent BBC production starring Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens. At four hours it included everything I loved and gave a new life to the story.

When I heard about the new version I was skeptical at first. The Jane, played by Mia Wasikowska, did not thrill me as she was nothing special in Alice in Wonderland. Rochester looked hunky, but I was concerned that he was barely ten years older than Jane, not close to twenty. The costumes of course (by Oscar winning designer Michael O'Connor) were going to be a win, but even after watching clips online I was unsure about casting and was interested to know how this version could be different or noteworthy among the so many others.

In truth you can't really change Jane Eyre up too much. This version did change the order of things a bit, but that was perhaps the most novel thing about the actual story line, but that was the best part! This version went back to some of the essentials in the book that I feel have been missing from other versions, while updating it enough to make it palatable for the audience. Case in point: the after the wedding scene.

In the Timothy Dalton version this scene is followed faithfully with Rochester going NUTS and throwing the biggest tantrum ever, as the literary Rochester does.
In the Toby Stephens version this scene is split up into memories of Rochester in Jane's room in less than vertical positions.
In the newest version the essence of the book, Jane and Rochester's absolute defeat, is portrayed beautifully, violently on Rochester's side, but without turning the audience off to him. It was just absolutely breathtaking.

Other scenes of note are of course after the fire, when Rochester falls off his horse, and the proposal. The very former was again, breathtaking.

Wasikowska's performance was better than I'd ever hoped. Again, the script returned to the book in such a way that the real, feisty but careful Jane was revealed. I was so pleasantly surprised by her performance. Michael Fassbender was fantastic, and attractive in such a peculiar way that while not being ugly enough for Rochester (no man yet cast has been) had a strange look about him that wasn't entirely knock you over attractive. His portrayal of Rochester I feel was new enough and lovable.

Other performances of note were Dame Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax and a never looking better Jamie Bell as St. John (whom, opposite of Rochester, has never been cast handsome enough).

The costumes were perfect to distraction. The accuracy in the women's wear was exhaustive, even down to the little known flap on the front of Jane's chemise to prevent any chance that her corset might be seen. The material choices in the menswear were especially interesting as Rochester's evening ensemble seemed to be some sort of polished cotton. In general Rochester was costumed impeccably, if not mildly stylized and slender. Set in the 40s when the book was written Rochester had a fly front pair of pants, something I'll have to research. I don't doubt O'Connor found research for this. Down to the collars and bustles (not to be confused with the 1870s usage) the costumes were spectacular.

As was the hair and make up. Oh man, so great, and pristine.

New Wedding Dress Designs

As you may or may not know, I love to design wedding dresses. My dresses are different because my religion adheres to certain modesty standards that heavily influence what women wear. The common dresses Mormon women wear all have princess seams, cap sleeves and square necklines. I abhor these dresses and try to design different, yet classic dresses that aren't the same top with different bottoms. It's my goal that my designs never make it necessary for women to fiddle, pin or tug at their dress to make it modest enough. Some day I hope to have my own boutique in London, but for now my designs are only on paper.

I love to design wedding dresses because I love the influence what you wear has on how you feel and think about yourself. I think that this is no more prevalent than on a woman's wedding day when she's the center of attention. I'll never forget when one of my actresses told me she'd never felt prettier than when she was all done up in the (black) wedding dress I'd designed for the play she was starring in.

And so, without further ado, some new designs. Many of these designs are very much inspired, if not copied from vintage patterns of the 50s and 60s, either altered for color, length or modesty. Others are also entirely of my own design. You only get 5 of my favorite for now. Check out my facebook page for the rest.



This dress is a 50s pattern that I made full length in white with a slightly higher neckline.



A friend has been wanting me to design a dress for her for a while. she said she loves lace and beading, so here it what she gets. This is a vintage pattern, early 60s I think, with added embellishments. What I love about vintage dresses is that they have long sleeves! Too many Mormon brides freeze at winter weddings, or cover up their dresses with giant fur capes. This dress however, could also be short sleeved.


I've always loved Grace Kelly. I didn't have her in mind when I designed this dress using only the major silhouette as inspiration, but it's undoubtedly Grace Kelly-esque.



This design is entirely my own. It has a moire top with bias chiffon trim at the neck. The waist band is out of bugle beads and the skirt is a plain fabric. This if for a classic, but unique bride.



This is another design that's all my own and one of my favorites. There is a severe lack of simpler, sleeker skirts in Mormon wedding-dom so this and the previous dress are an answer to that. This dress reminds me of the 40s and would ideally be in some sort of spotted silk.

PS. All my designs would have pockets!!!