Elizabeth Swann Project:  Peach Gown Progress!

Hello again, friends! 

Welp, this is an incredibly weird feeling. Back when I started the Elizabeth Swann Project in early March 2020, I never thought I’d actually finish my insane goal of making all the pretty dresses in the first movie - but it’s done. And it’s a very surreal feeling staring at my wardrobe hoard. 

Well, not DONE, per se. Strictly speaking, there should be a golden taffeta petticoat with a quilted hem to match this gown. But the brocade petticoat from the gold gown looked really good with this when making the over-gown - to the point I decided to re-use it  - and it looks pretty nice as an ensemble!

Here we have the bodice half-way done, over my stays. One of the things that meant this was an easier job than the gold or plum gown was the trim - super simple level of trimming here - minimal braid around the waistline, neckline and sleeve edges. No frills or ruchings or pleated trim. the 18-20 decorative buttons were time-consuming but not terrible to sew.

The straw hat was another re-do. I simply retrimmed an old plain straw hat I had from my re-enacting days with some spare lace and re-arranged the artificial flowers. I’m still waiting on the ribbon for the ties.

Beneath the Surface:The Foundations

lurks a wonderful, ridonkulous piece of late 18th century foundation wear - the 1780s split rump. I’ve had my eye on this insane piece of underwear for a while now, because it gives the wonderful rounded curve of the overgown when you put on your petticoats. Here’s a fuzzy picture of mine.

I bought mine, very reasonably, from a wonderful UK Etsy seller called Perfect Little Parcel. Any UK-based historical costumers should definitely check her out - she makes really nice foundation garments! 

I mean, look at it here in the  American Duchess Dressmaking book:

I hesitate to use the words ‘dummy thicc’ , but - this is 18th century ass celebration at its finest, and it just gives a GREAT silhouette once all the petticoats and gown is over it. 

The Shoes

I was tempted to order the American Duchess Ivory Kensingtons, but my UK supplier doesn’t stock them right now - and post Brexit ordering direct got a LOT more complicated. So, I improvised with some modern suede 18th century-(ish) shaped shoes, some glue and some rayon binding in approximately the right colour. They still need either buckles or a nice rosette, I think - especially on that right shoe where the ends of the binding show. But they’re comfy and they have the right look.

I’m honestly a little bit sad to finish up the project, it was so enjoyable! I learned a lot, and it’s kept me going through the lockdown blues. Having something to plan and research and work on has been really fun, even when I’ve cut things out wrong or driven pins into my fingers by accident. I now have a hell of a dress-up wardrobe to make use of.

Just the Victorian UFOs (Unfinished Projects)  to work on now, I guess... and only 2 of them to go.

Many thanks for enjoying the Elizabeth Swann journey with me, everyone! As soon as the sun re-appears I’ll try for a photoshoot of me actually in the costume.

Sew-Isolation: The Elizabeth Swann Peach Gown Plans

Pic-heavy post below the cut

And... I can hardly believe it, my friends, but here it is! I’m moving on to planning the final Elizabeth Swann gown from Curse of the Black Pearl!

I have to say, I never thought I’d reach this point. I thought lockdown would be over way before I had a chance to actually finish anything. 

But, for better or for worse, here I am! And plonking all my research photos here for future reference.

This gown was actually auctioned on a Propstore website a while back, so there’s plenty of photos. 

The gown itself is a simple robe anglaise with fine lace ruffles at the hemline and sleeves, and some burgundy braid detail at the waist, neckline and cuffs. Despite the 25 tiny little wooden buttons down the front, those are for show - there’s no buttonholes, and I’m pretty sure I’ve caught sight of our old friend “hidden snap closures” in a couple of screenshots.

There also appears to be a quilted serpentine pattern on both the overgown...

Well, it only took two months after finishing, but I finally got together enough gumption to do a quick photo session with me actually WEARING the costume, as opposed to arranging it artistically on the dummy. And I have to say, I’m super pleased with how it turned out! The wig was a hesitant first cosplay wig but, but it was easy to style and close enough to my own hair colour - whilst being a nice nod to Keira Knightley’s hair in the film. Also wig glue =magic, people! had a try with that, and it’s so good!!!I didn’t have to worry about losing bobby pins or it falling off my head if I moved. I foresee more use for it in a more historical context... But, in the mean time, I can now dress appropriately should I be abducted by skeletal pirate horrors of nature. Drink up me hearties, yo ho! ☠️☠️☠️

Elizabeth Swann Plum Gown Completed

Just a quick preview for everyone - as soon as the classic ‘British November weather’ of torrential rain and eternal darkness clears up enough I plan to try and squeeze a photoshoot in somewhere! But the plum gown is now finished, and I’m so, SO happy with how it turned out! 

Plus, my American Duchess Kensington shoes look great with it. Considering sewing on some red binding round the edges at some point to get them more like the original film-worn shoes, but that’s more ‘optional for the obsessive little details.’ 

Just one more gown to go, and then the Elizabeth Swann Project will be complete. I’m wondering whether I want to make myself suffer  should add to my workload by including the Elizabeth Swann wedding gown from Dead Man’s Chest. It’s a heart-stoppingly lovely gown...

Sew-Isolation: The Elizabeth Swann Plum Gown

Hello again, Tumblr mateys! Well, as working from home stretches on here for the foreseeable in my corner of the globe, I stand a good chance of actually finishing  the Elizabeth Swann Costume Project, something I never thought I’d say! Just one more gown after this one is finished and then I’m done!

 This particular gown is a favourite of mine, though. Otherwise known as the “red/plum gown” in costuming circles (or the “purple-y piratey gown” if you’re me...) it’s the silk gown Barbossa gives Elizabeth to wear before  the whole Curse backstory is revealed. This is because its colour is really hard to pin down - in some lights it looks purple, and has a vaguely Goth pirate chic feel to it, but in others, it looks burgundy/deep red (and ALSO  vaguely Goth pirate chic)

This is both a blessing and a curse for costumers - because on one hand, WHAT THE HECK IS THE REAL COLOUR? How can anyone possibly be screen accurate?

On the other hand, it does give you a choice. you can pick either purple or red fabric to make the gown,  depending on which you think is nicer/suits you and neither option is strictly incorrect. I’ve seen gorgeous cosplay recreations in both colours, and they’re always stunning. 

As you can see above, I went with burgundy. 

Because this is a lovely piece of finery, no matter the colour. Silk! Gold trim! Frogging and buttons and lacings, oh my!

You can tell the designer Penny Rose had a lot of fun contrasting Keira’s slim figure with the big sleeves and bustled skirts - and I’m not going to lie, making my own version has been a lot of fun, too - if way more labour intensive than the gold gown, as it’s taken up way more trimming.

First off, we have the shift:

I had real trouble finding a nice embroidered cream linen - and in the end, after fruitless combing of online fabric shops for something similar, I had to settle on beige. I’m planning to try bleaching it at some point in the future, but for now? the colour’s reasonably close, and I’m pretty happy with it! (This has since had hand sewn eyelets added to it rather than pins - I’m just lazy about photographing until I’m done on a project)

 I made this using a medieval shift pattern, because the A-line construction of Elizabeth’s shift is definitely closer to that than any extant 18th Century shift I’ve seen! It’s been designed to look figure hugging and flattering, rather than the angular sack look of actual period examples. I used the now out-of-print Mc-Calls 4490, simply shortening the sleeves of View C and moving the back-lacing to the front.

It’s a great pattern if you’re looking to recreate the rum shift, but it eats up about 7 metres of fabric with the flared hem something fierce!

The red gown itself is a Frankenstein. I’ve been planning this particular cosplay since about 2006, and back then I slavishly followed the Movie Costumers Guide. The lady who ran it actually recreated this costume and offered a step by step hack on how she did hers - so I took advantage of that and followed her advice on how to alter the Butterick 3640 pattern and make it look more like the movie costume!

The full puffed sleeves were another frankenstein I pulled from my good old friend the out-of-print Simplicity 3677 ‘pirate wench’  pattern. I used it to make the full sleeves for my Elizabeth Swann nightgown, and I knew they’d stand out beautifully with the stiff taffeta fabric I had in mind...

PUFF SLEEVES -so crisp and pretty! 

You can’t really see, but there’s about three different types of black lace trim on the under bodice, to give it the rich look you can see so well in the movie...

Add to that all the gold trim and frogging decoration and gilt buttons and this is a pretty trim-heavy piece!

Here we have a look at the in-progress black underskirt - I opted to use an embroidered black broderie anglaise. I think the original is silk of some kind, but I’d spent most of my budget on the faux burgundy silk by that point. I still need to finish this before the gown’s anywhere near done!

Thought I’d share my current progress point though, as a mini-apology for the lack of fic/ posts in general. The acres of burgundy faux silk have been attached to the bodice, along with some gorgeous point lace ruffles I’ve been saving for just this project! Just the black underskirt to finish and a little trim on the overskirt, and then I’m ready to pull back my skirts and be menaced by undead pirates!!

Ctrl + Z: Bodice Modification!

hey again guys, and welcome to another edition of ‘M-P fidgets with her gown and doesn’t make much notable progress’ in Sew-Isolation!

Sooo...remember my previous post gushing about how wonderful and period-accurate pleated robings are?

Oops.

You may notice a slight change in the bodice area.

Well, 1740s robings are still awesome, don’t get me wrong. But as I was working out trim placement, I realised the problem - the type of trim used on Elizabeth’s gold gown really doesn’t work on robings. It makes the gown look bulky and cluttered. What the trimming really suits is that simple bodice line.And I LOVE the trim on Elizabeth’s gown. It’s one of the main things I’ve been dying to recreate - so, given the choice between robings and trim I hacked off the extra pleats and re-shaped the bodice for a more streamlined fit. As I’m not planning to wear this continuously for 20 years (unless quarantine goes particularly weird), I didn’t need the pleats.

(possible future M-P? Who knows!)

I’m pretty satisfied with how it’s going so far, including the back. Pleats need a little adjusting now the skirt is sewn, but apart from that I’m happy.

But I couldn’t resist posting about my experiments with the trim. The original is a gorgeous very subtle ribbon trim, that at one point was available at M&J Trim back in 2006...

I wanted something similar, but god, I couldn’t find anything even remotely like it, no matter where I looked - and we’re talking worldwide online trimming stores, people.

In the end, I had to make my own - with isn’t exactly the same, but suits my gown and the colour scheme very well. I bought a jumbo bag of those mini little satin bows in the right shade of beige, bought myself some jute trim, and began the long, painstaking task of sewing on ribbons and making my own length of trimming for the neckline and skirt edges.

It’s not proved a bad experiment, although I had to trim down the satin ribbon a little, and those babies are going to fray. I shall have to keep my eye out for some beige rococo trim at some point in the future...

Till next time, folks! There might even be sleeves!

Unadulterated Robing - Gold Gown Progress

Greetings, everyone! Alas, this isn’t the Gold Gown Finale - if I waited until I’d finished it to post pictures, you might think I’d died in an exhausted puddle of fabric somewhere. But the main body of the gown is slowly but surely getting there - once this baby is sewn, its just the sleeves and a bit of trimming, and the Gold Gown is finished!

I’m using the Nehelenia Patterns Open Robe for making this, rather than the Simplicity costume pattern:

Let me start my announcing both my appreciation and my frustrations with 18th century pleating. It is time-consuming and tiring to do, but I can totally see WHY they did it, in an age before disposable fashion when you want to make your clothes last - and by last I’m easily talking 20-30 years for a formal gown you don’t wear very often. There’s plenty of documented examples of daughters and granddaughters altering silk gowns to accommodate the new fashions. Pleating lets you do that and affords you extra material for a bunch of things!

Say your size fluctuates quite a bit (In the 18th century, this would be mostly on account of frequent pregnancy) You need to be able to adjust your clothing rather than spend vital money on new things that will only be worn for a short time.  

The 1700s solution is to have that extra fabric pleated down so you can simply unpick and adjust your gown to fit you, should your body change - which is a really great idea! 

You’ll notice here that Elizabeth doesn’t have pleated robings on her gown (the folded parts at the front) and that’s because it’s a movie costume - made to measure, perfect fit for a period of however long shooting takes.

But if you’re looking at this through a historical background eye, as well? 

Weatherby Swann’s ordered this fashionable gown from London. Even if he sent Elizabeth’s measurements to a London dressmaker, there’d be bound to be a few fitting issues when it arrived, because human bodies be like that. No way would he buy such an expensive dress without there being some leeway on the fitting side. 

 I’ve opted to include the robings on my version of the gold gown. Because I’m a history nerd. And also, if we’re talking perspectives, the Georgians damn well knew what they were doing with gowns and stomachers in flattering your body shape. the triangular shape and the fall of the skirt over the hoops tricks the eye into thinking you have a small, Keira-Knightley sized waist, even if you’re decidedly not Keira Knightley sized!

Shown above, beginning to take shape... still sans sleeves, but that will follow later. Just roughly pinned skirt pleats, but it has that lovely 18th century silhouette already...

Which brings me to the delightful pleated back!  

I really LOVED doing this, weird as it is given my complaints about pleating above. Because when you get the fiddliness of a pleated English gown back right, it just looks so neat and tidy! I mean, have you seen the beauty of the pleat on the orginal gown?

*chef kiss* Artistry, right there.

Now, my version is nowhere near as pretty or as perfect - I’m a hobbyist who just trundles along in her own sewing groove. But I was so, so happy at the way the pleats lined up on this. Best bit of hand-sewing I’ve ever done, and I love the way the seams curve down the back and flare out again. Can’t wait to make more progress on it!

That’s all for now - hopefully I’ll be able to post the REAL finished gown next time once I sort the sleeve and skirt pleats!

MP Goes All Crafty: “Stomaching” the “Petticoat”

Hello again, guys! Just thought I’d post my latest progress, now we’ve moved beyond underwear and on to actual articles of dress you can wear on the OUTSIDE.

This is where it begins to get exciting (at least for this daft POTC-loving costume nerd.) Finally, things that actually show! 

Elizabeth’s actual in-movie stomacher is masterpiece of embroidery and cut-out work. I knew my embroidery skills were nowhere close to getting such a rich look. 

(Actual costume close-up - dang, look at that stuff! Pearl beading, appliques, knotwork, whitework... GAAAAH. So pretty! So un-achievable with my wobbly embroidery skills!)

Well, an old theatrical costumer trick I picked up on is “If you can’t make it, fake it.”

And whilst it’s not identical, I managed to find a nice rich gold/cream brocade online that still gives that “rich” feeling:

This was perfect, because it was a reversible brocade - and I bought enough that the underside could be the decorative central panel for my petticoat. It’s similar but not exactly the same - just like the petticoat on the original - And it made up pretty nicely:

As you can see with my mannequin, the stomacher has more gold in it, while the petticoat has a pale ivory tone, which is just the look I was going for!

I also did another cheat on the petticoat - but this is a seamstress’ cheat, and one the Georgian dressmakers absolutely took advantage of. Don’t have enough expensive fabric for a full petticoat? Eke it out with a cheaper alternative, and only make a panel for the part that will show! The Simplicity 4092 pattern utilises this really well - although I opted for the more period option of pleating the skirt to the waistband rather than gathering. Economy and bling in one package - its the 18th century way.

Next up will be the gown itself, which I am REALLY stoked for. I found a perfect damask fabric for it ...

And being the nerd I am, I just had to get it out and drape it to see how it looks, so here’s a little sneak preview...

(excuse the crappy photo quality, it was a very sunny day!) 

Next time: the Gold Gown Grand Finale!

Hello again, people! Today on ‘Sew Isolation’, I’d like to present my version of Elizabeth Swann’s undergarments.

Firstly, the Shift:

I managed to make this up basically in an afternoon (mostly because I’ve made a lot of 18th century style chemises in my time, so this is a pattern I know and love!) I used the shift from the Simplicity 8162 ‘Outlander’ undergarments pattern by American Duchess: 

This is a little shorter than the original - but I was okay with that. I didn’t use the frill, and I used ribbon inset lace as a pretty option to the under-bust and waist casings -which turned out great as a sewing hack! It was easy to slot ribbon through to pull in the chemise!

I also used a fuller sleeve pattern, but added casings at the elbow - as I want to wear this under a gown at some point! When actually trying on, I was surprised at how good the fit was - and the lightness of the fabric means it will be very cool and comfortable as an under-layer in warm weather.

The Modesty Jumps:

Okay, so I didn’t have to make these, really - I’m not planning on dramatically dropping off any cliff-top fortresses in my 18th century finery. But I am a nerd, and a completist nerd at that, so I quickly knocked up a ‘Not-Historical at all’ bodice. (Yes, I am that nerdy.)

(Please ignore the crappy too-short lacing by the way - that’s just there for the in-progress photo. I have proper cord I intend to use for this and my half-way finished stays!)

I made it from the out of print Simplicity 3677 ‘pirate wench’ pattern:

(side note: anyone wanting to do a Redd the Pirate cosplay from the actual Disney ride, this would be a GREAT starter pattern)

This was put together quickly out of some plain linen. What boning it has is reed boning, and the eyelets are handbound, so it has... some historic points about it I guess? (not really) It’s a fun costume, so I’m not being too pedantic about it.

Hello again, everyone! This time on ‘Sew-Isolation’, I present to you my research on Elizabeth Swann’s undergarments! (Which sounds weirder than I thought it would, if I’m honest)

I do really love studying the items they used in “Curse of The Black Pearl” though, because they’re fantastically well-made - and quirky, in that ‘history edging on fun fantasy’ way!

Let’s take, for a moment, Elizabeth’s shift:

It’s beautiful, and I love it. The dotted Swiss voile is a great choice for a lady in a tropical climate, and the delicate patterning shows how high-status Elizabeth is in the Port Royal set. But, historically? Those extra gathered casings around the bust line and waist really confuse me.

Typically, a shift is a loose A-line garment pulled in by the boned stays/corset you wear. I’ve looked at a LOT of extant 18th century shifts in my time doing research and re-enactment, and they generally look like this:

This one is an existing 18th century shift from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

So what gives?

The only time I’ve ever seen delicate little ties and channels like that are much, much later on in the 18th century (we’re vaguely in the 1720s-40s with Elizabeth, but don’t quote me on that. The POTC historical timeline is a ball of tangled string) on a chemise a la reine gown:

They were very fashionable and popular in the 1780s, but they’re nearly half a century too late for Elizabeth Swann to be wearing! And not underneath another gown! However, the ‘chemise’ gown was named for its resemblance to a shift/underwear, so it’s entirely possible there were shifts like this out there that haven’t survived - it’s just a quirky little choice that makes the fashion historian in me go ‘?’, and my inner costume designer go ‘yay!’ for how great it looks onscreen.

The Modesty Jumps:

There may be no logic in everyday practicality for this to be lurking beneath Elizabeth’s hated corset, but there’s a very good onscreen reason! You’ll notice the above white chemise fabric is pretty sheer, even when dry. Add the fact that Elizabeth’s just been rescued from the sea and is dripping wet, as well as having her corset removed - and there’s a darn good reason for having something opaque there to preserve Miss Swann’s modesty whilst being threatened by piratical rogues!

It’s also a nice take on an actual historical garment worn in the period, known as ‘jumps’.

This is something you might wear instead of (or over, not beneath) a corset around the home - a sleeveless quilted waistcoat or lightly boned bodice. In colder climates it’s for extra warmth, but that’s obviously not a consideration in Port Royal.

My personal movie headcanon that attempts to make some sense of all this? Elizabeth has been just casually wearing jumps beneath her dresses up until her well-meaning father gave her the fashionable fully boned stays. The combination of the heat and an extra layer she shouldn’t be wearing ACTUALLY made her faint. NOT the damn corset. (Tightlacing is 200 years later, people, ignore the screenwriters)

Research here, my own reproduction attempts will be posted later. Enjoy my research ramblings, people!

This time on “Sew Isolation with M-P, it’s an 18th century accessory every fashionable lady needs to shelter her skin from the sun - an 18th century bergere hat, or “shepherdess” hat. I based my copy of the delightful gauzy thing worn by Elizabeth Swann with her gold gown...

Elizabeth Swann’s white bergere hat from the costume auction.

unfortunately my millinery skills aren’t quite up to embroidering gauze and stretching it over millinery wire.

Luckily, I had an existing spare straw bergere hat on stand-by that needed doing up - and I had a piece of embroidered white silk I’d originally saved for a stomacher, But was the perfect size for covering a hat!

Some pleating and trimming later, I’d covered my hat! Pictured here fully trimmed up with lace ties and embroidered net puffs around the crown, as well a little lace trim near the brim...

Well, one way or another the world seems to be having a “historical moment” - so what better time to stay indoors and work on my 18th century wardrobe in what I like to call “sew-isolation”.

I’ve all but finished the Elizabeth Swann dressing gown, although I can’t make up my mind whether to add a ribbon tie or not (excuse the wonky bow pinned on below) Yay or nay, people? Does it work, or does it spoil the line of the dressing robe? I still haven’t decided...