I know a lot of folks around here also venture into other time periods, so pardon my OT-edness for a moment...
I've been working on getting together a very basic late Victorian/early Edwardian outfit together for some events with my faire and without, but I'm running into some roadblocks with making one. I'm just going for the plain long skirt and lgiht blouse look and possibly a cloak to go with it. Anyone have any vendors they can recommend? I've found some good appropriate blouses really inexpensively at secondhand stores and now that Christmas decorations are coming about again, I'm back on the lookout for a tree skirt to repurpose into a cloak, but I'm having trouble finding a suitable floor-length skirt within my price range (under $50 preferably).
Any vendor recommendations or other ideas? The skirts I'm finding on renaissance garb sites just don't seem to fit the bill and most of the other vendors I've found are $$$$.
These are in your price range.
http://www.riverjunction.com/catalog/ldresses/Askirt.html
As a possible option, some "Old West" clothing is equitable to Victorian, and more readily available.
oooh. I "do" 1750's -1850's. some of my clothing may work. let me look in my buckets and see. I can think of one skirt right now. I may have a second one around here. I have cotton, or linen. I think I have a fancy teal (bottom half of a fancy gown) in the storage room.
I should clarify. this would be lower to middle class victorian. nothing fancy like ball-gowns, or "rockefeller"-richness-looking.
all my prices are below $25.00. I'm here in southeast Michigan. I do mail order.
--Shannon. priv. msg me here. or at yahoo.
http://community.webshots.com/user/shadowcat546
I know that pattern-wise - truly Victorian is an excellent resource. Clothing-wise I would have to do some digging since it reads as though you want the style, but not the historical accuracy. (could be wrong on that)
Here are a couple of resources I have found for the Victorian/Dicken's Festival that we hold in Port Jefferson every year.
http://www.recollections.biz/
http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/gentlemans.php?from=topnav&__utma=1.1955545730.1253838541.1253838541.1253838541.1&__utmb=1.4.10.1253838541&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1253838541.1.1.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=victorian%20clothing&__utmv=-&__utmk=234935041
http://www.victoriantradingco.com/
Hope these help!!
Thanks for the recommendations! I do want H/A, but I have a much wider range to play with than for our actual renaissance faire. I have a Gibson Girl-esque look in the works right now. I think I may have found a pattern that works (Butterick 5265, to be exact), but I'll keep those sites in mind in case that falls through.
I know it's been recommended already, but let me throw my vote in for trulyvictoriandotcom. Her patterns are based on extant patterns and are printed on good paper, not tissue. I've made 3 of the walking skirts & they sew up like a dream. If you face the hem as in the instructions, it makes the most gorgeous ripples. I've also done up one of her ripple jackets & all I can say is wow.
She also covers the many styles of Victorian from bustles to Belle Epoque, including undergaments. & she ships right away so you can have your pattern really soon.
i love edwardian/victorian clothing! in fact, im getting in to making stuff myself.
here are some websites that i love drooling over-although its somewhat of a steampunk vibe-which relates to edwardian/victorian stuff:
http://www.clockworkcouture.com/ (http://www.clockworkcouture.com/)
http://www.steampunkemporium.com/steam.php (http://www.steampunkemporium.com/steam.php)
http://www.buysteampunk.com/steampunk_clothing.php (http://www.buysteampunk.com/steampunk_clothing.php)
The recent 1890's Edwardian Gored skirt I made for myself went very easy that was from Laughing Moon Mercantile. AS with amy Edwardian Skirt, the pieces are big.
(http://www.lafnmoon.com/images/skirtf.jpg) (http://www.lafnmoon.com/images/skirtb.jpg)
The Bodice I made was the pattern from http://trulyvictorian.com/catalog/catalog1.html (http://trulyvictorian.com/catalog/catalog1.html)
(http://trulyvictorian.com/catalog/490.jpg) Pattern TV490 1892 Ball Gown Bodice. I too like the Truly Victorian patterns. I find them very easy to work with and well worth the price.
This is the website of a friend of mine that I enjoy visiting with every year at CONVergence. Heather Luca designs and makes some of the most beautiful Victorian Corsets and has a line of Steam Punk Clothing. I saw her line close up and personal. She is an emmense talent in a growing genre of clothing.
http://www.scoundrelleskeep.com/collection.html (http://www.scoundrelleskeep.com/collection.html)
I do a lot of steampunk and ditto the Truly Victorian recommendation. I'd also look at some of the pattern books out there. There a ton of rather cheap ($10~$15) book that have drawings of period patterns in them. Most skirt patterns aren't that hard to enlarge.
I recommend Recollections online. They made a late victorian jacket and long skirt for me. I've received alot of compliments when wearing it. I'd buy from them again.
Gina