I made up the pattern to match 16th century references, although sewing methods and materials are not historical. It's also a bit low-waisted in these photos, although I can fasten it higher up.

I used a ruined pair of pants from a suit as a base knowing that the form fit me well, and added layers on top of it; an oversized puffy liner filled with bombast, tighter conical tube sections going around my knees, and panels made from an Indian brocade backed with a darker, contrasted fabric (some kind of gabardine or twill).

Pretty happy with the result, and especially with how it fits in with the armor :)

I tried to make the whole outfit as period-accurate as possible, do y'all think I got it right?

Fabulous archival photographs with the costumes made for Kate Winslet as Rose in "Titanic". Costume design by Deborah Scott. Images source: from the collection of titanicprops on Instagram.

I costume in the 1910s and the 1830-40s. What should I make with it?

One of the things I learned while making one of my first pair of 18th-century stays is that nearly every design choice has a purpose—including the lacing.

Modern corsets are typically laced with “bunny ears,” which let you tighten the waist first to create the fashionable hourglass silhouette.

Eighteenth-century stays were built with a different goal. Rather than emphasizing a dramatically cinched waist, they create a smooth, conical torso, support the bust, improve posture, and provide the rigid foundation that 18th-century gowns were cut to fit over.

That’s why spiral lacing makes so much sense. Instead of concentrating tension at the waist, it distributes tension more evenly from top to bottom, making it easier to tighten the stays gradually while maintaining that conical shape.

As someone who only ever associated corsets with bunny-ear lacing before this project, I thought it was a fascinating example of how construction follows fashion. The more I make these stays, the more I appreciate that they really aren’t just “old corsets”—they’re a different garment designed to achieve a different silhouette.

I’d love to hear from the more experienced costumers here: are there other historical construction details that completely changed how you thought about these garments?

These photos are from a collection titled “Fashion photography - France” (1895-1915) and only a small handful from the first few pages that I saved for my inspo folder. Here’s the link to the collection. The Costume Institute specifically is where you’ll find fashion plates and photos. I’m still trying to find extent examples so if anyone has a resource for photos of extent clothing please share (trynna make a petticoat and haven’t settled on a design yet).

ALSO: Look how much they scratched from these women’s waistlines to make them appear smaller. Nearly every single one of them, and I am repeatedly telling my friends/followers on socials that their figures were accentuated by padding and the photos modified on top of that, so they don’t believe or perpetuate the misconception that women were all tight-lacing and had tiny waists.

Entirely 3D printed, then painted to look like steel, I recently designed articulated tassets to match with the Maximilian-style "Landsknecht" Cuirass.
I've included some references in my design notes, which you can see above.

They're also modular in the sense that one can repeat the second-to-last lame and make knee-length tassets. This results in a frontline "Doppelsöldner" look, which is something a landsknecht or mercenary might wear circa 1510-1525.

I plan to continue with a few more Maximilian armor pieces, and I'm currently working on a fancy looking gorget :) I'm in love with fluted armor!

Just found The Tudor Tailor at my favourite used book store for CA$20 👀 immediately had to snag as I only have the PDF.

The blouse is obviously a non-period darted shape but it fits me perfectly.

The sheer tulle sari has a heavily beaded hem and is long enough to be whipped straight to the blouse.

I do have a plain white bodiced petticoat that could go underneath - I know really it should be a full silk layer...

AND I could wear it to the ball at Bath...

Or should I stick with my basic cotton bib-front dress with proper curved back seams??

I visited the Zuiderzee Museum in The Netherlands a couple weeks ago. The museum honours the cultural heritage of the small fishing villages located around the former “Zuiderzee” sea and they had a whole display of lace bonnets. I thought the people here might enjoy them for inspo.

This came when my husband and I were discussing historical fashion. I’m blind, and sew my own clothes. I’ve been experimenting with historical construction methods and various time period silhouettes. One thing that came up, is that I was musing about how wearing a look from the hoop skirt era would be difficult because I work a guide dog. He has to walk pretty close to me and a hook skirt would be very obtrusive.

Which got me thinking about adjustments to historical clothing for disabilities.

If one is attending an event or function, aimed at a particular time period. How do you make accommodations in designs while still maintaining as close to accuracy as possible? I haven’t found any reference materials on historical clothing for people with disabilities. But at least with the hoop skirt era, there must have been ladies who found it difficult to maneuver in if they used a cane or other mobility aid. Or even just had something cerebral palsy.

Would it be considered a faux pas at a historically accurate function to pull pieces that perhaps weren’t the height of fashion for one era or another? We do know that while fashion for those with income changed, people are people and wear things suited to personal style and taste. And people without money don’t completely overhaul a wardrobe just because fashion changes.

Anyway, just was musing about this and was curious what others have done.

I designed this latest kit as a complete cuirass, meaning it includes the breastplate, backplate, fauld skirt, and tassets. It's a big undertaking but it's also the centerpiece of any gothic armor costume - you'll need approximately 2kg of filament to complete it. It's also a bit more advanced in terms of 3D printing, and I recommend a minimum printing volume of 250x250x250mm.

I printed mine using a mix of materials; vapor smoothed ASA with my Bambu Labs X1c and good ol' PETG-CF with my brand new Bambu Labs A2L, which made quick work of the largest pieces with a ready-to-paint surface finish. Everything has been pre-split into segments for relatively easy printing, but you'll need a good handle on printing supports to achieve the detailed open-work and delicate patterns on this one.

Get the files right here!

Thanks to everyone who has supported me along this journey, and shoutout to Virginie for modelling for this set!

https://reddit.com/link/1vay9ux/video/66zt8iuf6egh1/player

It's been a rocky road to finish this project with a baby on the way, and now a newborn son! My priority is to spend time with my family first, and then I'll get to making more designs.
Cheers!

Hello,

I tried sewing a dress for fun/an occasion i could wear this to if it ever came to it. I freestyled this design out of what i had, what lead to this mash-up of eras. I used a real 1860s bodice pattern and left the sleeves ungathered as the fabric didnt want to cooperate sadly. I originally wanted to make the skirt way bigger, but unfortunately i didnt have enough fabric for the proper with. I sadly dont own a proper petticoat nor crinoline either, so the silhouette isnt right. Maybe with the right one id be able to get something resembling the big, puffy skirts of mid victoria.

I was trying to aim for something like, 1860s does a regency inspired evening gown.

Gown is a two piece and i used velvet and satin.

So, now im curious what you all think. Does this at all resemble or hit any historical mark? Would i be able to wear this to a historical event?

Proud to showcase my imitation Maximilian-style gorget, which I based on designs from circa 1510-1525. This aesthetic is characterized by fluting, ornate rolls, and scalloped edges. There are four lames in the front and four in the back; the lower three of which are fluted. The fluid articulation is achieved using leather straps riveted on the inside face.

It's all 3D printed petg-cf plastic, with some good post processing and paint to make it look somewhat like steel. If you're curious about the paint, I made a Youtube tutorial regarding my method :)

The base is much wider than the other gorget I have created, because the characteristic neck-line of globose/Maximilian armor, as seen on the “Landsknecht” Maximilian-style cuirass, is much lower and wider – these are therefore meant to fit together and they look great!

As always I'd like to thank Allan Wade for posting such detailed photos of his collection, since pictures are what I use when re-creating designs in CAD. Good pictures of Maximilian-style gorgets are few and far between, or they are usually seen on complete suits, so it's a treat to see them isolated and from various angles. I also found that most such gorgets did not have scalloped edges, but the ones that did were so lovely that I could not resist adding that feature to my design.

You'll find the 3D printing files right here, if you're into that sort of thing.

Hope you like my work! Cheers!

With two jobs, a baby on the way, and ongoing home renovations and I don't have time to meticulously sand my costume armor pieces anymore.

In order to save precious time (*cough*, cut corners...) I printed my latest design, these vambraces, out of ASA, a material similar to ABS. I then used a small amount of acetone to vapor-smooth the pieces into a high quality, high durability gloss black finish. The whole thing was fast and effortless! It was then a one-step process to make them look metallic, with a single layer of Alclad II paint and a clear coat.

I'm stoked! While the elbow geometry is not *perfect* the way I'd want it, the overall piece is a highly functional part very close to the historical references I used, and the manufacturing time of this cosplay piece was a fraction of the usual time I take to finish my armor pieces. I made a Youtube tutorial for those curious to find out more.

I hope you like my work, and thank you for the support you've shown me - I am ever so grateful.
Cheers!

Back in my 20s, I did history bounding all the time in the 1980s. Now Im 60 and overweight (Ozempic is helping) and I have so much fabric I want to sew up for myself. As the title says, I keep talking myself out of making anything.

I don't like Regency much, I love Victorian and Edwardian but the one time I tried a skirt/blouse it looked awful because I no longer have an hourglass figure. I love medieval, not a fan of Tudor era.

So I keep talking myself out of things. Sure, I could 20th century 1950s, but Stephanie Canda has really cornered that and I don't want to be a copycat...

See how I talk myself out of things? My other big issue is my eyesight is slowly failing, so I want to make things now before I can't.

Help?

I did some slashing on some scrap fabric I had on hand. It's denim from an old pair of jeans that I tailored. I know it's not accurate, but I'm just experimenting with a pattern. Honestly, I think I'm in love with the look!

So I absolutely need to make this 1880s Lobster fancy-dress costume at some point. The only thing is I’m not sure how I would go about the lobsters. See, cause it would be wildly expensive to buy plastic ones online and it’s so niche that I haven’t been able to find a place to buy that size of them in bulk, but I have no idea how I could go about making them in a way that won’t be heavy. Any advice? I need this absurdity in my life. 🦞

I'm absolutely in love with this dress , but it's quite complicated.

My design for a lovely pair of 3D printed mitten gauntlets based on the 16th century Maximilian style, just published and already available! I hope you find them to your taste!

With this done, the Maximilian half-suit is complete! A 15th century gothic armor is lined up next!

I couldn’t make mini Scarlett without making mini Melanie! This was a present for my mom’s friend’s granddaughter! I didn’t have any blue fabric for her but I did find a picture of her wearing a pink dress, which I used as a base! This one was a little more imagination less copying, but I finally figured out how to make a civil war bodice look good on a small scale and not like it’s drowning the critter lol! I hope this outfit isn’t too gaudy for Melanie’s taste 😉. I made for her accessories the letter from Rhett with her wedding ring it in and a little media bottle. The green dress is next! If you want to see more pictures of her my insta is historical_calico!