1. "January: Firsts & Lasts – Create either the first item in a new ensemble, or one last piece to put the final fillip on an outfit."
Luckily for me I'm in the midst of an undergarment blitz, hence the planned 2nd evening 1870s chemise and second regency chemise fit perfectly into this.
2. "May: Literature – The written word has commemorated and immortalised fashions for centuries, from the ‘gleaming’ clothes that Trojans wore before the war, to Desdemona’s handkerchief, ‘spotted with strawberries’, to Meg in Belle Moffat’s borrowed ballgown, and Anne’s longed for puffed sleeves. In this challenge make something inspired by literature: whether you recreate a garment or accessory mentioned in a book, poem or play, or dress your favourite historical literary character as you imagine them."
My plans for a regency Spencer would fit greatly into a Jane Austen setting.
3. "June: Metallics – make something in silver, gold, bronze, and copper, whether it be an actual metal, cloth of gold or silver, or lamé"
This was a strange one. For some reason I started thinking about the mesh caul pattern I have buried away in the growing pile of unused patterns. It's been there for years, I can't even remember how long, it might be one of the first costuming patterns I got. Weirdly over Christmas and New Year I started thinking about the pattern and had the sudden urge to start work on it and ordered the necessary supplies, which I'm currently waiting to arrive. The pattern calls for gold braid, so hopefully this fits into this challenge?
4. "July: Fashion Plate – Make an outfit inspired by a fashion plate, whether it is a direct replica, or a more toned down version that fits the resources and lifestyle of the character you are portraying. If you want to stick to a period prior to the 17th century advent of fashion plates, either re-interpret a Victorian ‘historical’ fashion illustration as period accurate, or use an image from your period that depicts and idealised and aspirational fashion."
To be honest for both victorian ball gowns I made I was heavily inspired by fashion plates, more so this time than the 1860s one where I used an extant example. There are so many fashion plates filled with things I want to make, so this challenge is a perfect excuse.
5. "September: Seen Onscreen – Be inspired by period fashions as shown onscreen (film or TV), and recreate your favourite historical costume as a historically accurate period piece."
As costumers we always watch period dramas and films and become irritated by lack of historical accuracy. This challenge offers such a wide breadth of options it'll be interesting to see if one comes to mind. Perhaps a Burgundian for the White Queen (where the infamous zips were pointed out by the hawk-eyes viewer), or Braveheart (sorry Hollywood, polyester crushed velvet didn't exist in the 13th century). My first thought was, of course, to Reign, but I'd rather avoid having to make appropriate undergarments that will include stays. We'll have to see...
6. "October: Out of Your Comfort Zone – Create a garment from a time period you haven’t done before, or that uses a new skill or technique that you’ve never tried before."
This would probably involve either the 11/12th century project I've been postponing for a few years now, or maybe something different. Considering everything I've made is either Victorian or Regency there's a lot of scope to slip out of my comfort zone.
If I get all of these done I'll consider myself winning at 2017. However, I'll be happy with completing one or two considering this is my first try.
All posts will be of required format;
The Challenge:
Material:
Pattern:
Year:
Notions:
How historically accurate is it?
Hours to complete:
First worn:
Total cost:
I'm looking forward to see what comes from this as I've heard about it for at least 2 years now, and it'll be interesting to see what others make for them as well.
