The Oregon Regency Society ~ Northwest Chapter

Some sparkly new events!

2012-01-15T17:48:00.000-08:00

Hello all. The first thing I'd like to do is talk about the 2012 retreat. Yes, it's on. This time it's a Summer retreat. What we've decided to do is to 1) alternate between summer and winter so we can both do outdoor activities, and cozy up by the fire, and 2) to alternate locations. 2013 will be hosted by the ORS Rogue-Valley Chapter.

But this year's retreat will be held at Tilikum Retreat Center again. And it will be held on August 24, 2012 to August 27, 2012. The theme for the masquerade is 'Myth and Mystery'. Pre-registration is now open. Click the link under the image to go there.

Pre-registration is now open.

Another delightful event we have coming up is "Topsails & Tea". The Grand Victorian Bed & Breakfast will be hosting a lovely tea. It also provides for possible lodging for those who made a long voyage to take to the sea. Tea is $15 per person and begins at 2PM.

After tea, we take a leisurely path to the port, where we will board either the Lady Washington or the Hawaiian Chieftain at 6 PM for a two-hour sail aboard a tall ship. These tickets are $25 a person and can be purchased using the button below. The Historical Seaport, home of the two tall ships, recommends that participants buy tickets for the evening sail as soon as possible, because the evening sails sell out very fast.

And our tried and true event comes into its 5th year. The Pittock Mansion picnic, a wonderful social event.

We have more events in store, we came up with a good, full year of dress-up opportunities and costume fun, and we will be adding them in as venues are confirmed and dates are locked down.

Check back! And as always, join our facebook page for the most up-to-date ramblings.

The ORS Facebook Group Page

Like our ORS page as well.

The Full ORS Retreat Photo Collection

2011-12-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

Photos in this movie by photographer Marcia Glover.

Megan Funk's Collection of Photos:

People

Outdoors

Winter Ball

Stephanie Robertson's Facebook Gallery (must be signed in and friended)

Click Here

Sara Palmer's Photos

Click Here

Amanda Gentry's Album

Click Here

Click Here for more information on the

2012 ORS Regency Retreat (August 24-27)

2012 - What's to come?

2011-12-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

Do not fret, Oregonians and neighbours, the ORS has organized its first leadership meeting in January so we can start to plan the coming year. We are going for broke this new year, and there's already a preliminary list of event ideas, including assemblies, balls and yes, another retreat, only this time in August!

We will frame out the events and have at least a few 'save-the-dates' to share with you, and the events roster for the year will go up shortly thereafter. But keep checking in after that, because there's always a chance new events have been added.

For those of you in the Medford region, there is a new chapter of the ORS for you there! It's called the Rogue Valley Chapter, and it's looking for new members! If you are an English Country Dancer, a Janeite or a costumer, and you're interested in participating in ORS events locally, visit the link provided and keep an eye out for updates. The Medford leadership will be joining us at our leadership summit in Sandy on January 14th. Have ideas you want to share with us? Join us on that day for tea. More information can be found on the event on Facebook. We will need to know how many to expect, so please RSVP on the Facebook group.

There is also some interest in the central valley area for starting up a chapter again in that area. It's not set in stone yet, but it's a possibility. We'll keep you all apprised as events develop. In the meantime, if you're interested in assisting with the efforts wherever you are, be sure to contact us and let us know.

Some teaser pictures from the retreat.

2011-12-05T18:35:00.001-08:00

I can state with alacrity that a lovely time was had by all! The food, the society, the ambience, it was all a resounding win, and the participants were all most lovely. Here are some teaser photos. We will be posting links to the variety of albums that were photographed during the event when they become available, and I will surely post those links here. In the meantime, here are some scenes from the Oregon Regency Society's 2011 Retreat.

Dressed for dinner.

Kay Demlow of Lavender's Green

The donations to the raffle were extraordinary!

Lovely room decor.

Mrs. Cunningham is radiant in red.

Author Mary Robinette Kowal did all her writing with
quill, ink and candle light.

Charlotte in turkey red, teaches her workshop.

Retreaters, some last-minute reminders from Charlotte:

2011-11-28T19:03:00.001-08:00

A reminder list for the retreat.

1. We’ve been informed this week that the retreat center no longer provides bath towels, so if you like to be able to dry off post shower (I sure do!), please bring your own. Also remember to bring your sheet set and blankets.

2. Teapots! If you have a set you’d like to bring, this would be a charming way to create the ambiance of the Regency

3. Raffle items. If you have anything to donate to the raffle, please bring it. Also, if you intend on purchasing tickets for the raffle, you should bring money. Cash or checks only please.

4. Snacks. We will have a communal snack area for in between meals, and are asking that people bring foodstuff to contribute, including beverages aside from coffee, tea and cocoa. Please remember that alcohol is not permitted on the grounds.

5. Boots in case there is mud. One can always bring and change back into your nice shoes upon arrival or return, should we go adventuring outdoors.

6. Room decorations are encouraged and the favorite will be awarded with a lovely prize. If you would like to use candles in your room or to walk around with, you should bring the appropriate candle holders and candles.

7. Any workshop requirements that you might need, including a sewing machine for those workshops which might require one.

8. Remember to change into your Regency wear upon arrival to your rooms; all other things can be accomplished post change.

9. Entertainment. For yourself such as embroidery or crafts, or to be shared, such as games, readings or your musical talents.

10. Also, we do have a few spots available should you know anyone who would like to go. Please let them know to contact us straightaway!

The 'Pemberley' Regency Shoe Available for Pre-Order!

2011-11-25T11:52:00.001-08:00

Heads-up, Regency enthusiasts! American Duchess has released another model of period shoe and this time it's Regency. A beautiful Regency slipper complete with the side seams. The shoe is from the early regency (1790-1810), with the pointed toe and a tiny, precious little heel. At pre-sale price, they're only $80 and they're made of dyable white leather. Regular price is $95.

Pre-order today so she can continue to sell these shoes in her boutique! Every lady who does Regency costuming needs a pair of these. :) Gentlemen, this is a lovely Christmas gift idea.

Order yours here:

'Pemberley' Regency Shoes

The Fabulous Fichu

2011-11-11T19:23:00.001-08:00

Miss Jane Porter apparently wore a Fichu.

The Fichu, the chemisette—false sleeves... these are little fripperies that can change the look of a gown dramatically. When you are into costuming, you can spend a lot of time sewing gowns and amassing a massive wardrobe of gowns simply because you want a variety of options. Sometimes having the right accessories can really change up looks that you already have.

The fichu comes in a variety of forms. Its purpose, as was the chemisette, was to fill in the neckline and to add a little je-ne-sais-quoi to your clothes.

Some pretty chemisettes.

A chemisette is a small 'dickie' of sorts; a sleeveless, or sometimes sleeved light-fabric blouselet that was put on before the gown as a neckline filler. Some were simple, some quite elaborate. A fichu serves a similar purpose, but is not an actual shirt. It's a piece of fabric wrapped around the neck and shoulders to cover and also highlight the decolletage of the wearer.

It is my experience, looking at the images of extant garments over the years, that items of Regency clothing, although similar in silhouette and style, were often constructed quite differently by different people. As people are today, they were also back in those days, imaginative, inventive and thrifty. They would use and reuse fabrics, and they would find ways to make their items particularly special. Since the only thing that was mass produced were the fabrics, there’s no end to the variations in construction.

The Fichu is a perfect example of how the simple act of filling a neckline became a sort of competition of creativity, starting with the thickly ruched necklines of the early Regency to the froo-froo ruffled collars of the late Regency. They are really indispensable necessities for any regency wardrobe, and lend a touch of authenticity that wearing just wearing a gown cannot achieve.

This is a different application of a fichu (left).
Tied 'round the neck, in front of the arms
and then around the waist. It is also a coloured fichu.

All you really need is your imagination, some very nice sheer fabrics and laces, and a couple of hours if your good in order to make some little accessories that will change your gown’s appearance completely.

Fichus were worn underneath the bodice and over the bodice. They varied in shape from a rectangle to a triangle. Some covered the exposed neckline, while others only served to dress the existing neckline. Some were long, others were just slips of laced netting. In portraits, you see a variety of opacities in fabric, from the sheerest of the sheer, as delicate as dragonfly wings, to only slightly transparent, densely woven laces and embroidered nets.

A lovely post about fichus with some lovely extant examples.

The trick is to decide what looks you want for yourself, and then using the very basic shapes to construct those desired items.

For chemisettes; there are a few patterns available where you can construct the basic garment, and then build upon it in lace and ruffles and such.

Sense & Sensibility (Regency Underthings Pattern includes 2 styles of chemisette)
Rocking Horse Farm Early 19th Century Gown (includes a chemisette)

Regency Neck Ruffs were often added on over chemisettes. Here are some tips on how to make a neck ruff:

Historical Reproductions' Neck Ruff Tutorial

Elizabethans were not the only ones who thought lace-ruffs
were the pinnacle of fashion.

Neck ruffs got more elaborate
as the late Regency wore on.
fashions were getting frillier and frillier.

As for the Fichu, it does not necessarily require a pattern to make one. You can build them right on your dress-form or you can just use general measurements and cut them from there. Depending on how much you want full you want your ruching around your neckline, you can adjust the width of the fabric accordingly. Your key measurement points are your shoulder width, and the distance between the back of your regency waistline and the front. If you’re going to wear it on the outside of your gown, then you can make the ‘lapettes’ as long as you want them to be. I’ve seen lots of images of older women with fichus on their shoulders with panels that hang down the front the full length of their dress. It’s very pretty.

I'm slightly crazy about the hat,
I must say.

Here are a few styles of Fichu I’ve seen in either fashion plates, costume mining in adaptations or portraits. These drawings are open for interpretation, because again, these were made individually and to a person’s tastes. You can add and subtract from the basic shape to your heart’s delight. Each image has a number. Below all the examples is a key with the very basic shaping of the chemisette drawn out on it. Keep in mind, I measured these based on my body--there is NO substitute for your OWN measurements. If you don't have a dress-form, then measure it on yourself. And measure twice, cut ONCE. If you make something too short, you can always add lace edging, or ruffles--it's not a science, it's all about creativity. If you use the foundation shapes and measurements, they sky is the limit in what you can do from there.

The simplest form of fichu. A rectangle,
ruched and then tucked.

Another rectangle, with a cut for the neck.

The tuckable triangle.

The triangle worn on the top of the gown.

With long 'lapettes' in front. I've seen these
made to the length of the dress.

This can be made, and set with drawstrings
to set the shape and gathering.

Recommended fabrics for Fichu

(as a strong recommendation I suggest you try to stick to silk and cotton products) :

Cotton or silk netting.
Voile.
Batiste
Organdy (although it can be crunchy and stiff but it works wonders for ruffled collars)
Silk or cotton gauze
Cotton Lawn

(please pardon my hasty, and quite awful drawings!)

A night at the opera.

2011-11-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

This evening at the opera organized by Miss Stephanie Robertson was a triumph. A small group of us ladies attended the Portland Opera’s production of The Marriage of Figaro.

The set was a star on its own, a delicate dance of perspective, light and colour that transported the audience into this delightful comedy. The artistry and taste was flawless in the design of the stage, and the light cast in from the windows painted a golden hue onto the actors as they plied their artistry.

The cast was tremendous, the principals true stars. The handsome David Pittsinger swaggered across the stage in his flowing frock coat, the very essence of the Count Almaviva, pursuing the elegant Susanna (Miss Jennifer Aylmer) whose clear, bell of a voice trilled out over the audience in song. The sly Figaro, played by Daniel Mobbs, handsome in side-curls and a striped waistcoat, was performed with expertise by the actor, and the voices of all were resplendent. Jennifer Holloway’s portrayal of the mischievous Cherubino was comic genius.

The orchestra was so unbelievably good and on-point, so beautifully intertwined with the singers on stage. The musicians were conducted to perfection by Ari Pelto.

There was not enough time to sit and absorb all the wonderful details hidden throughout the production; from the beautiful costumes to the talent and humour of these wonderful actors and operatic artists. The ten of us were delighted by the performance. It has been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a good opera, and the Portland Opera did not disappoint.

There are still performances available for those who have not seen this wonderful production. There will be shows on November 10 and November 12 at the Keller Auditorium. The Keller Auditorium was a generous and kind host to our group, and welcomed us kindly. We hope to return to see more beautiful performances soon with other members of the ORS.

We took few photos, but once we do gather the one or two of them together, I will place them on this post.

Achieving a proper fit with Regency stays.

2011-10-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

There’s been a spate ofdiscussion flying about the ORS for a little while now. Mostly it’s adiscussion on how a set of Regency stays ought to fit, and how does onecompensate for special issues, like more endowed ladies, or wide hips, etc.

The first misconception by anyonewho’s accustomed to making corsets from other periods is that Regency staysshould be shaped and fitted like a corset. Of course they should fit you,and of course they should rest along your curves, but a Regency corset hasreally nothing at all to do at all with shaping a woman’s body. It’s one of theonly style of corset in the long line of historical undergarments that is notat all designed to change the shape of a woman’s body. A woman’s ‘natural form’was the aim (except with a little levitation). It is designed to hugthe natural shape of her chest and torso. The Regency corset should wraptightly around the torso, it should be stiffened with some boning or cording tokeep it from crinkling up on you, and have good shoulder straps.

I say this often in posts about corsetry. The boning in your corset has absolutelyzilch to do with shaping or lifting. The only purpose of any type of boning orcording is to keep the fabric of your stays or corset taught. Otherwise, without the boning, your fabricwould fold and crinkle up on itself when you move around. What gives you shape, and what createssupport is the *cut* of your corset. So it’s important to make that distinctionand not rely too much on boning to get you the results you want. It’s asupporting role, not the star. The pattern and cut is the star.

Hopefully my drawings don't look too terrible. :)

In all truth, the Regencycorset is designed purely for lift. That’s why there are so many styles ofRegency corset (see an overview of the styles of Regency stays and underpinnings here)—because shape from the empire-waistline down, is largelyirrelevant. Some women prefer long stays because they have a bit of a bellythey want to control, and granted, if you have rather large breasts, you’rebetter off with a longer set of stays and a busk to divide and keep the centertop of your stays against your chest. Stays range from being no more thanseven or eight inches long (almost to the traditional bra-dimensions withshorter straps) to hip-length. As long as your stays are doing what they weredesigned to do, it doesn't matter how much length is added, how much boning youstuff into the channels , how much cording or whatever else.

The NUMBER ONE thing you haveto know and remind yourself when making your stays is that the empire waistlineis KEY. You mess with that, you will have problems. Your garments aredesigned to fit around this elevated waistline which runs directly under thebase of your bust, and if you are not getting the proper lift, or your gussetsare too low, your gown’s cut and placing will suffer.

There are three key points ona Regency set of stays that you must always address when constructing from apattern or drafting your own; 1) a clear waistline, with the breastssecurely held aloft above it. 2) Well measured shoulder straps. The length ofyour straps will determine where your waistline falls, remember that. If yourstraps are too long, your stays will drop down below the chest-line and messwith the fit of your gown. 3) The gussets—which are pretty important and shouldbe designed to cup and hold the lower hemisphere of your breasts.

Gussets are key. Somepeople believe that with larger breasts, you should lengthen your gussets, whichmeans, deepen the cups, and place your breasts closer to where they naturallyrest, right in the middle of your waistline. Gussets can be somewhatlengthened if you do it intelligently, and you cut an arc in the cup before youcut the slits in for the gussets. The trick really is to WIDEN your cupsif you want to accommodate larger cup sizes. You should be building sideways,not up or down. You are broadening the platter in which your bust shouldlay, instead of deepening it.

There are a couple of ways ofgiving that top binding of your cups the strength to cup the bosom. You caninstall a drawstring along the front of your stays to bring the edges of your‘platter’ in, or you can bind it tightly so that it pulls the fabric in byitself. I’ve also seen some designs where the creator made cutouts for eachbreast rather than gusset slits, and then make gathered/ruched half-cups to fitinto them wherein their bosom can nestle.

Now many women are concernedabout ‘spillage’. The rule of thumb is this, your gusset cups should notcover much more than the lower half/hemisphere of your breasts. The nippleshould be just barely covered by the edge of your binding, or evenhalf-covered. The top half of your breasts should be pillowed in thecups. What keeps them from falling out is the neckline of yourshift. The shift is an essential partner in the team that is your Regencyunderpinnings, and it acts like the top half of your bra. You reallyshould not wear one without the other.

However you make your stays, if you keep in mind the above key points.

Cut your gussets or cups to cup the lower half of your breasts, beginning above the empire waistline.
Your straps should be short and should hold your stays in place Protect the high-regency waistline
Use the shift’s drawstring neckline to retain the upper half of your breasts.
Use a busked corset if your breasts require dividing, or they are large enough to push the whole construct forward with just boning.

An Evening of Dancing

2011-10-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

Last night, Mrs. Charlotte Cunningham, Mr. and Mrs. Demlow and I, Mrs. Nora Azevedo made our appearance at the Friday night dance held weekly by the Portland Country Dancing Community.

Mrs. Demlow is a already a member of the PCDC and this time she came in costume, and looked LOVELY. Mrs. Cunningham also looked lovely, having converted a dress she was not 100% happy with into a lovely new ensemble that was excellent!

We met two new members, Chad and Caley, and I have to say that makes me exceedingly happy to see new faces at events, even if technically it wasn't "our" event.

We danced more than just Regency dance, and there were equal men to women. In fact, we had partners for all the dances, learned some new dance sequences and felt the exertion of a full ballroom.

All the ladies and gentlemen that we met were accommodating and genteel. The Gentlemen properly asked for a dance and the ladies were wonderful and helpful when we didn't know the dance steps.

This was so sucessful, that while we may not always go in costume, we will definitively continue to attend Friday night dances.

We hope to see more of the membership there.

Thank you

Mrs. Nora Azevedo

Riding Sidesaddle; a very horsey post!

2011-09-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

Revised/modified on 11/15/11 (new photo, new links)

A sidesaddle from the Regency period.
The horns are in the 'bullhorn' configuration,
where the right thigh would rest. There is
no leaping horn. The seat is "Sweepy"
The stirrup is a 'slipper stirrup'
And far from safe.

I’ve rekindled my interest in riding aside these past few years, naturally. Depending on the level of interest, I'm thinking it would be fun to create a 'ORS Equestrian' division, and hold field days and costume-classes and more. But that's in the future. But my interest in returning to 'riding aside' has come closer to fruition. Recently I was able to make a fortunate trade; my beautiful Courbette dressage saddle for a 30-year-old sidesaddle (possibly 40). Yes, it might seem something that is not a fair trade, but understanding how rare new (and well made) sidesaddles are in general, if you can find a good vintage saddle that fits your horse, you’ve done well.

Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a listing of sidesaddle sellers both domestic and foreign, with a details, pricing comparisons and recommendations. These saddles are made for modern horses. I have also provided a number of other sidesaddle-related links at the bottom of the page.

Anatomy of the modern sidesaddle:

The near-side top

The near side under the flap.

The off-side.

The near side is where the legs are placed. This is on the left side/mounting side of the horse. The off side is the right side of the horse. These photos are courtesy of the International Sidesaddle Organization. This diagram is of a typical style, but styles do vary.

Off-side saddles do exist, meaning that there are sidesaddles where your legs would be on the right side of the horse rather than the near-side or mounting side, which is traditional. Some custom saddlers do make these off-side saddles. Tattersall's for instance has one featured on her website. Scroll down to the link list for details.

There are generally two kinds of sidesaddle seats; a "Sweepy" sidesaddle, where the seat looks much like a traditional English saddle, with the dipped center and higher cantle (or back); and the flat sidesaddle, as pictured above, with a seat that is pretty much a flat surface. Some of these have symmetrical seats, and others have seats that are J shaped to conform to the asymmetrical position of the rider's derriere. Most modern riders will recommend the flat seat over the sweepy seat because the sweepy seat tends to feel 'uphill' and gives the rider the sense of sliding backwards, and having to lean forward too much.

Position on a flat sidesaddle.

The saddle I have has a flat symmetrical seat, and a wide tree. Wide trees are hard to find in vintage saddles; considering that most of the older saddles are designed for non-modern horses, which were shaped differently than today’s horses--meaning they had narrower and taller withers. It is unfortunately not wide enough for my rather portly draught horse in spite of its unusual width. Saddle trees, for those of you who don’t know, are the frames on which saddles are built. There are wooden trees, steel trees and all manner of other materials, including fiberglass. They are built to conform to the shape of a horse’s back and withers so that the weight of the saddle is directed to the sides of the saddle, leaving a channel down the center to protect the spine.

An example of a sidesaddle tree (courtesy of Zaldi saddles)
You can see the fixed horn, the two adjustment-holes for the leaping horn,
and the breakway stirrup bar assembly (the brass). This is rigid, strong
construction meant to carry the stresses of a sidesaddle rider.

An ill-fitting tree can cause discomfort and injury to a horse’s spine, withers and more. Sidesaddles on the most part have unusual construction because the rider sits asymmetrically and requires more support on one side. In modern sidesaddles, there are a series of measures that are taken in the design to insure that the saddle doesn’t rotate/twist under the weight of the rider, that it doesn’t create pressures on the horse that might create discomfort or even cause injuries, and to prevent the saddle from slipping and rolling under. When the weight is concentrated on one side, a saddle needs to be an extraordinarily good fit on the horse to prevent injury, slippage, rolling or twisting. Flocking (stuffing) underneath the saddle needs to be done carefully to conform to a horse’s shape. Bad flocking or insufficient flocking can naturally also be a problem. With sidesaddles, having a proper fit is especially important.

So when trying to pursue becoming a sidesaddle rider, ladies need to keep in mind that fit and safety should be the two most important considerations when shopping for a sidesaddle. It is more important than authenticity, I’m afraid. So if you are a die-hard reenactor, I’m afraid it would not be advisable to have a saddle made to emulate the Regency period sidesaddle unless it had modern measures built in to compensate for the Regency design's flaws. In fact, any saddle style prior to the Victorian sidesaddle would not be safe for you or for your horse. Even antique late Victorian saddles, if you can find them, must fit your horse well enough as to prevent any issues, and may require modification. Most saddles available today that are antique or vintage hail from the 1920s & 1930s. Very few older than that exist today, and if they do, they are not the safest saddles to have, except when kept for display.

This little period-cartoon demostrates (in a subtle, vulgar way) that in the Regency period,

the idea of ladies riding astride was considered improper.

For the reenactor, it really isn't advisable try for accuracy. The Regency and Georgian sidesaddle was not a safe saddle by any means. For one, it lacked a leaping horn, which provides a greater measure of security for the rider. The near flap is also very large and could inhibit contact with the horse. This article from Regency Redingote describes the pitfalls of regency saddles most aptly. Modern saddles also have breakaway systems for, if in the eventuality of a fall, that your foot is released from the stirrup. At the time, the balance girth also did not exist, which is one of the methods that helps keep the saddle secure and prevent it from twisting/rotating and putting undue strain on your horse’s body.

For the historically inclined, you might enjoy this little link: Project Gutenberg's The Young Lady's Equestrian Manual. This online publication has a lovely array of images and tips for the 18th and 19th century rider. Keep an eye out for the images of the bullhorn sidesaddle, which is shown quite frequently. This is a wonderful resource for anyone researching period sidesaddle riding. You can download a .pdf version of this book here.

Accessories: The Groom's Stirrup.
It happened sometimes that a lady's horse had to be ridden by a groom; perhaps the lady was too tired to ride back, and took a coach, or whatnot. Attached to the saddle would be a small pouch that would carry a stirrup with a special stirrup leather that attached to the off-side billet of the sidesaddle so the groom could sit it astride and ride the lady's horse. However I cannot imagine it was in any way a tolerable ride. Anyone who has ridden sidesaddle knows that sitting astride on a sidesaddle is less than comfortable. But the groom's comfort probably wasn't the most important thing; as long as the horse was taken care of.

Riding Sidesaddle in 1799.

Accessories: The Sandwich Case
For the lady who might get peckish on the hunt; this accessory is probably more modern than the Regency period, but it's a much-desired accessory for any aside rider. A little leather case attaches to your off-side D-rings. It contains a little metal tin to keep a sandwich, and a glass flask for some refreshment.

What sort of saddle would suit me?

There are a variety of sidesaddles styles and shapes, but if you’re planning to ride in Regency or Georgian habits, your best bet is to stick with a nice simple English sidesaddle, and try to steer away from flowery, leathery western sidesaddles if you can. Although some seats and horns were decorated on period sidesaddles, the flaps were usually quite plain (unless it was a Spanish saddle). Western sidesaddles have more leather, and are usually tooled all over. If you are shopping for a saddle, the first thing you need to do is to figure out what size tree is best suited for your horse (and what size seat is best suited for you). Marti Friddle, a sidesaddle expert, Vice President of the American Sidesaddle Association and owner of Hundred Oaks, Inc. has a guide on how to properly determine your horse’s tree size and your own seat-size requirements. Once you have this information, you can use that to pin down the saddle you need.

Most experts will prod riders towards saddles with asymmetrical, flat seats. The ‘J’-shape saddles insure that your hips are in the right position and also insures that your legs are in a comfortable position. One sidesaddle expert I spoke to said you could always tell the sidesaddle riders in sweepy, symmetrical, uphill seats at events, because they were always the ones who immediately slid their right leg back over to sit astride with a great big sigh of relief when they were finished with their class. Earlier models and sweepy seats often sit ‘uphill’ and the position of the pommel is such that some riders’ feet tend to poke out from the side of the horse instead of resting comfortably against the horse’s shoulder. The legs have a wider separation because the leaping horn is set lower from the fixed horn than they are on other saddle models. On these saddles, your knee is higher up on the pommel, and your calf rests closer to the horse's neck than its shoulder. You have to lean forward all the time in order to obtain the proper position. This makes your riding position uncomfortable and straining, and a well-designed sidesaddle will not do that. Uphill saddles are a bane to the lower back.

Sidesaddle position (from Wikipedia)

Marti Friddle from Hundred Oaks, Inc., has been not only riding sidesaddle for over 35 years, but also has been involved in the manufacture and sale of sidesaddles for many years. She is reluctant to push buyers to purchasing vintage saddles mostly because again, they’re just not designed for modern horses. Her experience with owning a variety of these antique saddles is that they are not that comfortable for her or her horse, they require tremendous adjustment in many cases, and they are not very pleasing to ride in. She also says that one should not dismiss some of the new, modern Asian imports outright either--there are decent ones among the chaff. She says that many people on a restricted budget (sidesaddles, like most other saddles are not cheap, even used), can buy the less expensive Asian models and then have them fixed for much less than buying a domestic custom saddle or a European import.

In the top image, you see the Regency/Georgian sidesaddle has
has a slipper-stirrup. Here is a detail of an extant one from
The Sidesaddle Museum.

There are very few manufacturers of new sidesaddles today—however there are some brands of saddle that would work very well for a Regency reenactor.

Some things you should keep in mind if you are riding for reenactment, is that most of the features that make your saddle incorrect and modern will invariably be hidden underneath the volume of your skirts. The balance girth on the off side of your saddle, where the small portion of your tack is visible at all, is the only thing that would be out of place, however it is really a necessary evil if you want a comfortable ride for you and for your horse. I haven't heard many good stories of people riding without a balance girth, and I've heard stories of people feeling 'twisted' because they didn't tighten the balance girth enough. Imagine having the two panels on each side of your spine twisting and causing pressure... Poor horse.

Also, there is very little evidence that sidesaddles of the Regency and Georgian period were ever made black leather. Brown or Havana would be your best colour choice. The reason why I say this is that some of the modern saddlers still making sidesaddles are producing some models in black leather. That might be appropriate for someone riding in modern habits doing dressage, but for historic reenactment, it is not appropriate. Having tooled, coloured leathers or suede on the seat and horns is fine, but the flaps and leathers should be brown.

Shopping for sidesaddles on the vintage market? Marti Friddle has written an informative article to help identify what period the saddle was made, and what manufacturer might have produced it. You can use this article to best match the saddle to your horse and your riding needs. This is an excellent and informative article.

Riding habits, boots and more:
I also posted a comprehensive post on Regency period riding habits sometime back so you can learn more about the style of the period, and what women wore when riding aside. It not only offers a number of pattern references, but also shows how you can make a habit from standard spencer and gown patterns, as well as fabricate your own costume items. It discusses footwear and what is the best thing to wear beneath your habit skirts. I will make a post in the future about hats.

LINKS

Some modern English sidesaddle sellers:

Hundred Oaks, Inc. (US)
Offering several styles of English sidesaddle of exceptional quality, Hundred Oaks, Inc has spanking new beautiful sidesaddles that range from $975 - $2,600 depending on the brand (Elan, Steele and others), style and individual features. These are mostly FLAT sidesaddles. After trying my newly acquired sidesaddle on my horse, I discovered it wasn’t a perfect fit. So, I sold it (it sold immediately and for more than what what I was going to sell my Dressage saddle for) and will be buying a Hundred Oaks, Inc Elan saddle. They have a layaway program, by the way. Six months to pay them off. Just saying! She asks that you use her fitting method to insure that the saddle you are getting is going to fit your horse well. It would be bad to gamble with that kind of money. The Elan is an Asian import, but the quality is far greater than any of the below 'not recommended brands'. The manufacture and development of this saddle has been tightly controlled by the importer.

Tattersall’s English Sidesaddles (Canada)
I am posting them because they have J-shaped deep seats and the workmanship looks pretty good. They’re custom made, FLAT sidesaddles so they’re probably more desirable than an import for instance--but these are not cheap. They are the high-end of sidesaddles. The basic English style saddle is $2,600. The saddle comes iwth a balance strap, over girth and stirrup leather. You can choose the colour of the skirting as well as the upholstery leather used on the seat and pommels. The latter can be suede or leather. The padded safe is $100.00. She also makes a three-fold sidesaddle girth for $100.00 (which is reasonable).

Zaldi Sidesaddles Via EquusDomus (Europe and the US)
These Spanish-made saddles look very nice. They are currently for sale in Europe, but the American Equus Domus page may not show them, but they do export them. The customer service is based out of Miami, and they are fantastic. The shipping, is about $230 according to Victor, the export manager for Equus Domus. They are priced as following; $2550 (the Amazona Lady-England); to $2120(The Amazona-Caza) and the tiny one on the bottom the is about $556 (The Amazona-Lady). The Caza and Lady England look both to be J shaped, with a nice breakaway system on the stirrup. By the picture of the tree, they look solidly made and I've heard only raves about these saddles among the sidesaddle community.

Jean Lemaire (France)
These saddles are custom made to order. I'm still not sure about whether he can pull off exports or not, or what the cost would be, and measuring might prove to be difficult since he makes every saddle to order and are made to measure. I am told the photographs do not do his saddles justice. He apparently makes all manner of artisan saddles, including Western saddles. There is no mention of cost on the page, but they're not going to be cheap by any means. They're beautiful saddles nonetheless.

Sellier Phoenix (France)

The standard saddle on the page is listed (St. Orens) at about $1870. The next one (St. Angely) $1963. The St. Marie is about $2900. Mind you, these prices reflect a 19.6% Value Added Tax, which Americans would not be obligated to pay. The prices vary from there, depending on the model and whether you want tooling/quilting on it. So they're competitive with domestic sellers.This French saddler exports, They are again, absolutely stunning sidesaddles and might be worth the extra money to ship. The saddler estimates that to ship to the US, the cost would range from about $200 to $325. Seems reasonable enough to me for a custom, beautiful saddle.

Sidesaddle.com (US)
You can obtain newly custom-built or restore an existing saddle. Can't find a tree to fit your horse? They have someone who will carve a custom one for you. No pricing is listed on the website, but that can be quickly solved with a well-placed phonecall.

EQUXTRA (UK)
The Manorgrove saddle has received much acclaim. The saddle sells on ebay stores for about $2600. It's a handsome model. These are custom made saddles. No idea about shipping, but I'm sure an inquiry directly to the store would get you what you need.

Lillian Chaudhary (US)

Builds and restores sidesaddles, both English and Western. Has tremendous knowledge of riding aside, and can help you identify any saddles you might find along the way and help you determine if it's worth buying and restoring. She comes extremely highly recommended in the sidesaddle community. Use her email to contact her, in spite of her website being slightly outdated, she is still active and happy to respond to queries.

Laura Dempsey (UK)
Another custom saddler with a lovely product. Contact for pricing. Laura will also reconstruct saddles from the tree-up.

Hilason (US)
For the budget-conscious person, or someone who doesn’t want to go all-in until they’re really sure about riding aside, this saddle sells for about $500 (on eBay, sometimes less), this is a pretty reasonable price for this imported saddle. The Hilason is considered a "Sweepy" saddle, so it will sit differently with a slightly uphill position, and your right leg might not be quite as comfortable as it would be in a flat sidesaddle. I do not highly recommend it as I would the above saddles, but I want to make a fair list and let consumers choose for themselves. These saddles are not perfect by any means, but a few tweaks from someone who knows sidesaddles and it could probably work for you. It’s an affordable option, it’s new and it has all of the safety features on it that one requires, and would make a good starter-saddle. It is the best of the two of the budget models.

Derby Originals/Silver Fox/Silver Cup (US)
This is not a recommended model, but it's only fair to put it up here anyway. This is also a "sweepy" sidesaddle. Derby is no longer manufacturing them, but there are a few floating around at different sellers and on ebay and such. At the provided link, their current inventory is: 4 of the 21" medium tree in black, 1 each of the 21" wide tree saddles, in black and brown. That's it. I will say though, in studying the image, that the leaping horn is set quite low from the pommel, and it looks like a symmetrical seat saddle. I can't imagine the quality of this saddle is going to compare to the Tattersall's or Hundred Oaks saddle by any means. The manufacturer would not tell me where they were made, he said "overseas" and when I asked where, in Asia? He replied 'Something like that." That kind of ambiguity worries me. I've also been told that saddles branded "Silver Fox" and "Silver Cup" are Derby saddles in disguise. I was warned to 'learn to recognize them!' by an experienced sidesaddle rider. The Silver Fox is available in a flat J-seat with a suede seat. They can be found on eBay and other such places.

* A comprehensive PDF list of saddlers, manufacturers, exporters, artisans and retailers can be downloaded HERE.

Do you know of other sidesaddle sources that you think should be included on this list? Then comment here anytime with the saddler's name and website, and I will add it on. Thanks!

Lots of links on sidesaddle riding:

Old Sturbridge Village extant saddle (estimated c. 1790-1810)

A study of very early sidesaddles and an actual medieval sidesaddle project
Wikipedia (of course)
Georgia Ladies Aside – another article on sidesaddle history with some nice photos .
Hoosier Ladies Aside – History and information
And finally, this delightful page that has illustrations of sidesaddles through time (it may take a while to load, have patience, it’s worth it.

If you are a member of the Oregon Regency Society (or wish to be) and you are an equestrian interested in pursuing riding aside, or period costume in saddle, be sure to email us at orregency@msn.com to let us know. :)

The Regency retreat is almost full!

2011-08-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

It's only the end of August and the Oregon Regency Society's first Regency Retreat is pretty much sold out! Imagine that! Our organizers have put together a nice, varied schedule of workshops and we are all looking forward to all the Regency fun!

There's a lot of sewing in store for those who've signed up for these four days. They'll need at least three or four daywear ensembles, some pieces that can be modified for evening, warm outerwear, a ballgown, stockings, shoes and more.

The recommended basic trousseau for the event is as follows:

- 1 nice ball gown
- 2 evening ensembles
- 3 day gown ensembles
- An apron for messy workshops.
- Night clothes (there will be an award for best night-dress!)
- Slippers for indoor wear (regency, yes, but also night slippers)
- A comfortable pair of outdoor boots to go with your daywear
- A spencer, cloak or redingote
- A bonnet (or you can make one during the workshop)

Some of the participants are already hard at work sewing away. Some will arrive 'in trunks'. Everyone is very excited! We will surely post lots of pictures of the event (we will have photographers on site).

Event details: click here

Although there are only a few spots remaining, it can't hurt to contact us if you want to sign up for the waiting list. There could be a cancellation between now and December. But do not despair! If you don't get in this time, it's okay. This will surely not be the last of the ORS retreats. :)

The 4th Annual Pittock Mansion Picnic

2011-08-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

What a turnout we had on Sunday, it was so delightful! We partook in a delicious meal and enjoyed tasty refreshments; and we played a hearty game of Blind-Man's-Bluff on the verdant lawns of the fine Portland estate. We enjoyed society of the very highest quality, basked under the shining sun and took shade under our favourite trees on 'the point' overlooking the city. Here are some moments captured from Sunday. Enjoy!

Some of the strolling ladies take respite in the shade for a moment.

Mary is the Blind Man

Miss Tessa

Alizabeth takes in the view. Where are her shoes?

Nora stealthily moves out of Mary's path.

Stephanie's elegant train

Le Bon Ton at cards.

Mrs. Johanesen (AKA the Duchess of Beaufort) displays
her shining new shoes.

Mrs. Johanesen at Blind-man's bluff.

Alecea is quite the proper young lady. :)

A stunning turnout!

Some lovely chit-chat.

The spread.

An act of prestidigitation.

Miss Stephanie and the two young ladies.

Happy summer all!

“Strawberries, and only strawberries, could now be thought or spoken of”

2011-07-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

"You had better explore to Donwell," replied Mr. Knightley. "That may be done without horses. Come, and eat my strawberries. They are ripening fast."

And so we did, this Sunday last, gather a lovely party to explore the nearby strawberry fields and excellent shade trees for picnicking. We spread out upon the lawn and utilized the provided tables while basking in the glory of a truly fine Portland day. Strangely enough, no images were captured of us actually picking strawberries.

On 15 June we were delighted to go in support of one of our members as she read a few chapters from her book ‘Shades of Milk and Honey’. Ms. Robinette Kowal entertained an audience mixed of some of our local time traveling Regency folk, and those of a more modern persuasion. All in all, a lovely evening.

And way back on 20 May, a couple of us travelled to Astoria, OR, where the town was beginning the celebration of its bicentennial. We sailed the high seas (otherwise known as the bay and river area) on The Lady Washington, in a replica ship appropriate to 1811, while being regaled with nautical stories and songs and awed by the nimble dance of the crew as they dashed about manning such a vessel. If you have the chance, I highly recommend setting sail with this crew who, along with The Hawaiian Chieftain, sail up and down the West Coast.

And so, dear friends, I close with a desire for your good health and to see you all soon as we continue our travels together in a quest for a touch of Regency.

Humbly Yours,

Charlotte

Costume for a Regency child.

2011-06-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

How can you not love the family chaos going on in this portrait?

One of my favourite things is to see period family portraits. And not just formal sitting portraits, but ones where there are people unposed, doing ordinary things, the room in disarray or chaotic, children are running about. It’s so intimate to see a glimpse of Regency family life, and even better, to see the things children wore.

The Regency child on the most part (at least from toddlerhood on) was generally dressed in a miniature version of the adult. They were expected to behave like adults in many ways, so it’s not much of a stretch that they would be outfitted like one. In babyhood boys and girls were dressed similarly in little regency frocks. Girls would graduate into their little high-waisted gowns and the boys got their skeleton suits sometime during toddlerhood.

A few garments have survived the tests of time, and are now on display in a variety of museums around the world. Using those garments as examples, a number of people have been able to draft patterns from them or create new ones based on the extant garments.

One of my favourite sets of children’s extant garments (with a pattern made from the garment itself) are the girl’s and boy’s outfits at the Danish Museum collection ‘Tidens Tøj'.

‘Tidens Tøj' girl's gown.

‘Tidens Tøj' boy's skeleton suit.

Some wonderful, enterprising person drafted patterns from a number of the pieces and posted them on the website. One of the RSA Forum’s Danish members was kind enough to translate them. The translated patterns can be found here:

http://regencysa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=kids&action=display&thread=473

View the original museum’s pages for:

The skeleton suit:

http://tidenstoej.natmus.dk/periode1/dragt.asp?ID=74

The adorable tiny gown:

http://tidenstoej.natmus.dk/periode1/dragt.asp?ID=83

With the little regency gowns, there are lots of options, just as many as there are with adult gowns, style wise, and now there are several patterns to choose from.

Some of the most popularly available patterns for girls are through Sense & Sensibility:

This website sells a wonderful array of period goods, and their regency selection is absolutely wonderful because it includes patterns that are not readily sold in the US. There are several children’s options on this site (the adult options also offer patterns I’ve never seen sold in the US). They include more than one little girl’s dresses but also includes patterns for boys’ wear (skeleton suits & such).

http://www.neheleniapatterns.com/english/englishsite.html

(click on the Regency button on the left and scroll down on the right).

The Skeleton suit was the mainstay for many years during Georgian, Regency and even into the Victorian era for the little boys. I guess boys need romper wear no matter what age they grow up in. I personally think skeleton suits are ADORABLE. They were appropriate until about 10 or 12 (this is my estimation looking at portraits) and then the boys were put into littler versions of their father’s clothing. The trousers were either long to the ankle, or breech-length, just at the knees or slightly below them.

Here is a picture of an RSA member’s child in his little skeleton suit made by his father. The proud dad’s photo essay on making this item can be viewed here:

http://regencysa.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=kids&action=display&thread=473

This is an interesting link of other children’s garments, including caps and bonnets.

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/collections/online/Results.cfm?ParentID=376555

This is a wonderful sample of a young man’s clothing in the early regency that I found on DeviantArt.

Here are lots of images for inspiration:

(photo link provided by: http://kleidungum1800.blogspot.com/)

One of the most famous period images of a young regency girl is 'Pinkie'.

Another portrait has been paired with it--the portrait of Blue Boy.

If you'll notice, the boy’s clothing fashions are more antiquated than the girl’s and there’s a good reason for that. Here’s an interesting history written about these portraits. The girl in the portrait was only 11 years old.

http://insidepublications.org/blogs/writinglife/2010/03/03/pinkie-and-blue/

The Oregon Regency Society's First Regency Retreat

2011-05-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, you heard it, we're having our retreat! It's SO exciting to watch it come together and to start finalizing workshops and the registration packet. I put a preliminary notice on Facebook the day before yesterday and we already have a bit of interest. Stephanie Robertson has been the primary driving force behind this event, and has helped us acquire a venue to hold it for a price that makes it affordable for everyone. For less than $200, participants get nine meals, three nights lodging, a compendium of workshops and they get to play dress-up all the while! How can you beat that?

We are happy to welcome not only Oregonians and local folks, but also people from out of state as well. We are willing to help with airport transportation and assisting in making sure you have the stuff you need for a comfortable stay. All you have to do is contact us.

For a preview of what's in store for the retreat, click here. We will be adding more details as we finish wrapping up the odds and ends. Some things may be subject to change; to minor menu changes to some workshop modifications. In spite of that, we foresee a wonderful event with lots of great workshops to hone your skills in sewing, dancing, millinery, even baking!

Click through and check it out. There are *ONLY* 30 available spots, so if you want to participate, you should contact the ORS for a registration packet.

http://orregency.org/events.htm#retreat

Update of events

2011-05-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

Due to some issues out of the ORS control, we don't have any events set in stone and have not been able to update the ORS events list on the ORS site.

Here is a list of upcoming events and event ideas we have been planning.

May 20th-Astoria bicentennial celebration. Charlotte Cunningham and Nora Azevedo will be attending the opening of the Celebration at the Museum and later on the Lady Washington. If anyone would like to go with us, we are available for carpool.

Astoria Events page

June 26th-Picnic and Delaford--Strawberry picking and frolicking of a genteel nature. More information will be forthcoming

August 7th- Le Bon Ton is having an archery event as well as some other things which may be of interest to us

Le BonTon of Oregon

July 30th-Not Just a Memory Horse race
July 31st-Picnic at Pittock Mansion!
This is a double header for all of you Ladies and Gentlemen who travel any sort of distance to our events.

August 13th-tentative date for the summer ball. We have thought of an Out Door Park event with a live orchestra to keep down costs and get more public exposure.

October SAVE THE DATE for the 2nd Annual Fall Assembly. More on that once we have a secure date, time and location.

December 1st through 4th-Regency Retreat...most fantastic and will have more information soon

This is what we have so far as plans for a fantastic summer of events.
Other ideas have been put forth such as Tea at the Lavender Tea room in Sherwood, Summer Picnic or Ball, Picnic at Multnomah Falls, Trip to the Shakespeare Festival.

Feedback is most appreciated as to ideas, dates, places etc.

Lets make this the best Summer Yet!

Undressing the Regency Lady

2011-03-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

A Regency lady might have worn very light fabrics (old-fashioned muslin was more like voile or batiste is today) but she did wear a few layers to compensate. It was said that a regency lady’s gown should be of such light fabric, she should be able to fold it up and have it fit into her reticule. It is no surprise that in wintertime, the mode of the period caused many a Regency lady to succumb to pneumonia.

Because of their penchant for light, airy fabrics, they had to make up for the opacity needed to make them presentable (except for those shocking merveilleuses; ladies known to wear very little beneath their very sheer gowns; thin muslin shift at best) with the undergarments.

Les incroyables et les merveilleuses
This period image is of an outlandish early-regency dandy offering money for ‘services’, mistaking this merveilleuse for a prostitute. She wards off his payment (with crossed fingers); she is dressed in the most daring of period fashions. Oh those French! Shocking!

Here is another images that shows less of transparent fabrics and more of the widening of the neckline. The stays were meant to present the lady’s assets on the proverbial platter. The gowns in this image surely support this idea to its best adavtage.

Of course, on the most part ladies wore decent clothing. And here is a breakdown of what you might see if you stripped away the muslin gown.

The Shift:
This shift is the simplest of garments. It also acts as a dress-shield, keeping (on the most part) you from sweating on your outer layers. Shifts are about knee length to mid-calf-length.

Patterns:
http://www.kannikskorner.com/patwomen2.htm (Woman’s Shift 1790-1820)

http://sensibility.com/patterns/regency-underthings-pattern/ (Sense & Sensibility Regency Underthings Pattern)

The trickiest part of this garment is the gusseted sleeve. This youtube tutorial explains it wonderfully. This is a great garment for beginners to try.

The neck should be adjustable with a drawstring.

You see, the shift acts like the top half of the 'bra'. The regency stays will lift and cup the lady's assets, but the stays are shallow and they risk spillage if they are not contained. The shift's drawstring neck should gather an inch or two above the edge of the gussetted cups on the stays and rein-in those wild bosoms. The shift is very important and when dressing, one must spend some time making proper adjustments so that they are doing their job and not so tight that they risk closing in the neckline so much that they peep out from under the gown. See below.

Stockings:
Patterns:http://www.kannikskorner.com/patwomen2.htm (Scroll down to Stockings, Pockets and Mitts)

Source for finished stockings; JAS Townsend.

Pantalettes
Pattern:
http://www.mantua-maker.com/catalog.html (Scroll down to Regency section)

Quoted from Dawn Luckham of the RSA board:

"When pantaloons or pantalettes first began to be worn by adult women they were worn long enough to be seen. That was the whole point.

C. Willett Cunnington writes in the “History of Underclothes” that they commonly extended down the leg to just below the calf, where rows of tucks and lace and pretty detail would be applied.

Also from “History of Underclothes”: “From Lady Stanley’s letter of 1817 – ‘We were insulted by the presence of (Lady) Charlotte (Lindsay) in a green silk Spencer, green silk boots, and trowsers to the ankle much below the petticoat.’”

As I mentioned before, pantalettes were generally just a couple of tubes of fine fabric (not usually wide legged – just straight tubes) fastened about the waist with a ribbon. They were not without their problems:
And this funny little story written by a young lady comes from 1820.

“ They are the ugliest things I ever saw: I will never put them on again. I dragged my dress in the dirt for fear someone might spy them. My first dimity pair with real Swiss lace is quite useless to me for I lost one leg and did not deem it proper to pick it up, and so walked off leaving it in the street behind me, and the lace had cost six shillings a yard. I saw that mean Mrs. Spring wearing it last week as a tucker….I hope there will be a short wearing of these horrid pantalets, they are too trying. Of course I must wear them for I cannot hold up my dress and show my stockings. No one does.”

A footnote to this story indicates it comes from Mrs. Earle: 'Two Centuries of Costume in America'."

Read more: http://regencysa.proboards.com/

These are an interesting set of garments, and I personally am not brave enough to go commando by any means, so I tend to make myself full bloomers rather than these interesting garments. However, there are die-hards out there who are determined to be accurate (in spite of the prospect of a chilly bottom). They do make for a nice aesthetic, when a lady lifts up her layers of petticoats to reveal the cuffs of a nice pair of corded pantalettes. Very cute.

The Stays:
Once the lady has her undergarments on, she’ll put on her stays. Now I’ve depicted a set of full stays with a busk, but there were many styles and varieties of stays during that period, ranging from the tiny short stays to the one pictured above. Here is a detailed post on the regency stays and corsets that could help you decide which set is best suited for you. It also includes pattern links.

Update: 8/26/2011: Here is a lovely little video stolen from 'Undressing the Historical Lady, performed by Miss Maggie Waterman. This is a perfect demonstration of what regency undergarments look like in person. You can learn more about Miss Waterman by clicking here: Undressing the Historical Lady. (Note, Miss Waterman's shift appears sleeveless, which is perfectly correct).

The Bodiced Petticoat

Though rarer than just plain stays, there was such thing as a petticoat undergown that had some boning in it that would provide support in place of a set of stays. This works best for ladies that are a B-cup or lower. I think with a C-cup or more, you should probably think about getting a set of stays. However, bodiced petticoats also served another purpose when not boned. They also could serve as a means to smooth out all the lumps and bumps of your undergarments and stays. There are lots of ways to make one of these. The Ravenrook’s Mode Bagatelle pattern provides a pattern for it—however you can easily take the pattern of your gown bodice and modify it to create a bodiced petticoat. Widen the neckline, of course, and make it sleeveless, add some soft (minmal) boning for structure, and you’re good to go.

Instructions on how to make a bodiced petticoat from a gown pattern.

Pattern:
http://www.ravenrook.com/clothier/bagatelle/regency.jsp (Mode Bagatelle)

I’ve also seen people add a skirt to their short stays to create a bodiced petticoat.

Check out Katherine’s bodiced petticoat, shift and pantalettes here:
http://www.koshka-the-cat.com/regency_underthings.html

The high-waisted simple petticoat:

In the movie below you see Katherine wearing this. It is a regency skirt on a waistband with two arm straps.

The pattern for which you can either take from a commercial pattern or you can 'McGuyver' one using some creative thinking.

You can follow the basic directions for a round-gown (see my personal post on Regency Drop-front/bib-front gowns) and sew it onto a waist-band you’ve sized to your empire waist. Add straps and voila. It will add volume and shape to your gowns, in addition to some lovely layers. I suggest 3.5 - 4 yards of fabric if not less. It should come to the line just above your ankles.

Dressing:
Katherine, costuming maven extraordinaire has made a delightful movie of how to put on a drop-front gown. What makes this video relevant here is that you can see her in her regency undergarments, including the high-waisted petticoat.

There you have it. Your regency underthings explained (for ladies, of course). Next post by me will be the men’s underthings explained. :)

Be not alarmed!

2011-03-18T11:49:00.001-07:00

The Oregon Regency Society web page is undergoing a server migration--so the website (and the RSA Regency Society of America website) will be out of commission for a day or two while the new folks who will be updating it get their ducks in a row. You can email the ORS at orregency@msn.com with queries, and it will be answered.

The ORS is also going through a leadership transition. I will be stepping down as President so I can get my insane life back together, and Thea Peck of ORS Central Valley Chapter will be taking my place. The ORS Northwest Chapter now has 5 chapter leaders; Stephanie Robertson, Charlotte Cunningham, Nora Azevedo, Guy Holady and myself in a limited capacity. I have decided now I want to just show up and have fun, and try to find my sewing love again! :)

Either way, we are here, despite the ORS web page being down, and we will be up and running business as usual very soon. Thanks!

Stephanie Johanesen

UPDATE - Due to a series of professional differences, the above described situation did not resolve itself as we had hoped. Because of uncommunicated intentions coming to light before the transition, the ORS has been restructured to move forward without a seated President. The organization is now structured to be run by the chapter leaders as a collective. The ORS is a volunteer-run, not for profit organization and will continue to remain so.

Also as a result of the differences between the chapters, the current leadership of the Oregon Regency Society made the difficult decision to withdraw support for the leadership of the ORS Central Valley Chapter. As a result this ORS chapter was dissolved. We apologize sincerely to the Eugene-area ORS members for this inconvenience, however we hope to re-establish a chapter in that region as soon as new, fair and dedicated leadership steps forward, willing to do the hard work necessary with the right, selfless motivations--without generating unnecessary negativity towards other leaders. This group's leadership has decided that they must all seek equal footing if they are going to work together.

The ORS is and always has been an organization of volunteers. The people who have dedicated great quantities of their personal time to build the group, organize the broad array of events, negotiate deals for venues, market the group, interact with members and listen to the needs of the membership are the very foundation of what this group stands for. None of us are doing this for the sake of personal gain (except for the fun of dressing up, of course), a hope for a career, or a means to elevate ourselves above others. It isn't about how much enjoyment we derive from our events, it's about how much enjoyment the membership derives from the events. We, as leaders, understand that being a leader means working, taking lumps, putting out fires and doing sometimes less than fun things for the sake of making brilliant fun events. So in essence, it's not about us. And we have resolved that this will always be part of the mission as we move forward from now on.

As a result of all this, my participating in leadership in a 'limited capacity' has been postponed; I am much engaged as I always have been in making sure we have lots of events going on for our NW Chapter members, and also striving to find leadership to expand our chapters around the state. However now, I share equal grounds with a tremendous group of leaders who put in the time and effort needed to keep this group growing. And I foresee many lovely things happening.

As we enter our fifth full year of operation we are looking forward to all the new and lovely things our leadership will bring, and we welcome the ideas, suggestions and assistance of any members who wish to take part in the leadership role. Let us know. :)

Stephanie Johanesen - January 2012.

How sweet!

2011-03-08T17:18:00.001-08:00

The ORS's bonnet tutorials are much-viewed, and I discovered this little gem on YouTube this weekend, a young lady who is delightfully thrilled by her bonnet that she made using our tutorial. She's adorable, so I must feature her.

A Regency Retreat

2011-03-03T16:59:00.000-08:00

Yes it may finally happen! We have found a location that will let us rent their space for a very fine price. The event will be held over a weekend in December. That gives us all plenty of time to plan and save money. Three nights with two full days of workshops and sewing time! Sounds fantastic! The price will include lodging, six meals prepared by the retreat center, two high teas by our chef, and some workshop fees. Certain workshops may cost an additional fee or materials.

There are three sets of dates available and we would like to take a poll of what you think would work best for you.

December 1st-4th
December 8th-11th
December 15th- 18th

Are there any workshops you would really love to see at the retreat? We are very excited and would love some feedback from you!

Longing for Summer and all its diversions

2011-02-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

Good Day Ladies and Gentleman,

While it is dreary and snowy, many a daydream has centered on the wonders and comforts of a warm summer's day. Others find the careful planning of the summer season to be a fine consolation to being kept in. What keeps me in high spirits is the careful planning and dreaming of a summer wardrobe and the accessories to accompany it.

I have acquired over the holiday season a book that has become a great deal of joy to me as well as information. I received "English Fashions of the Nineteenth Century" by C. Willett Cunningham (no relation to our own Mrs. Cunningham).

While this particular volume has many different styles and over 1000 illustrations of various fashions. The first chapter in particular is of interest to people enamored of the regency and federalist era.

Here are a few peeks at the fashion plates from this wonderful book:

I hope that these are inspiration for hats and fashions for the delights of picnics, promenades, carriage rides and any number of pleasurable country diversions.

Your Humble Servant,
Mrs. N. Azevedo

Save Public Broadcasting!

2011-02-16T12:14:00.000-08:00

We rely on public broadcasting for the period pieces we love the most! If we allow our government to slash public broadcasting, it will severely limit or completely wipe out any of the things we've come to count on. Call your government representatives today and raise hell!

Extraordinary photos from the Duchess's Feast.

2011-01-30T20:03:00.000-08:00

Photographer: Michael Linn; see originals on his flickr page: CLICK HERE.

Shadow puppet show performed by Mary Kowal; author of Shades of Milk and Honey.

The Duchess of Beaufort's Midwinter Feast

2010-12-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

Last year's Feast of the Twelfth Night was a revelation. This year, the chef is making an expanded menu and we are able to squeeze in a few more seats. The venue is changed as well. Our organizer has picked a lovely farm in Dayton called Red Ridge Farm; which is a winery, Olive orchard and herb farm. It's a beautiful setting and the venue itself is a lovely space with a nice stone-mantel fireplace. We are very excited.

The menu last year featured the following dishes:

First Course

Lobster Bisque topped with a Tarragon and Lobster Chantilly

Deviled Eggs with Fresh Ground Pepper and Dill

Creamed Leek Pie

Lavender Blueberry Trifle

Roasted Leg of Lamb

Boiled Potatoes tossed in Butter and Fresh Dill

Steamed Mussels

Strawberry and Chocolate Trifle

Second Course

Meringues filled with Strawberry Mousse

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Vol-au-vents

Glazed Ham

Honey Mustard Carrots

Roasted Asparagus

Glazed Pear and Rosemary Cake

Prawns

Fresh Fruit Tarts

Third Course

Lemon Ice

Cheese, fruit, and Nut Board

Cornish Game Hens

Shredded Sweet Potato Pie

Glazed Lemon and Anise Cake

Crème Caramel

This year, there will be MORE dishes and we will also be featuring wines from area wineries, including Red Ridge's products. This event can be an opportunity to make a weekend of exploring the wine-country here in the Willamette Valley. There are lots of really great lodging options in the area.

~~
The Event's 'Write-Up':

An exclusive event, the Duchess’s Midwinter Feast is an extravagant and decadent evening of riches. Join the Duchess for a succession of sumptuous dishes created by the Duchess’s chef; and sip an array of wines made from the fruit of local vines. Indulge in an evening of society, pleasant diversions and perhaps even partake in a lovely dance.

The Menu will be expansive; larger than last year’s fine dinner. A larger selection of locally made wines will be provided as well. Set in a vineyard, herb farm and olive orchard, we dine by candle and firelight.

This event calls for Formal Regency Costume only – no daywear, please. Your dress should be appropriate for sharing a dining table with aristocracy.

There are only twenty-eight total spaces available.

Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.oregonregencysociety.com/events.htm#feast

Miss Charlotte's Shoe Tutorial

2010-08-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

Greetings readers! Today we are going to follow a lovely tutorial created by ORS member and ORS leader Charlotte. She made her own regency slippers recently, and did a bang-up-job of it, so I've decided to unapologetically plaigiarize her work over here on the ORS blog so we can share this wonderful, and entirely manageable project.

Finding appropriate flats for regency costume is always a challenge. I've been prone to using soft dance shoes, khussa shoes and flats I find commercially. Regency dance-slippers should be flat and comfortable, with some measure of softness, and it's hard to find that at a store--except perhaps a pair of ballet flats, however they take it a step further by reducing the sole to nothing, and being ultra flexible. But starting with a basic pattern, and using some really minor modifications, Charlotte shows us that it's easy to make your own customized pair of regency shoes where you can go as simple or as elaborate as you like.

She begins with a pattern:

"This is a good basic pattern to start with." Charlotte writes.

"My second alteration involved removing the tongue and squaring off the toe, to match the length of the sole."

"My first alteration involved squaring off the toe and widening it a bit. I also lenghtened the tab for the ribbon casing."

Charlotte chose to use a soft, synthetic leather; however your options are unlimited when it comes to this project. You can use extant shoes as inspiration. Here are some links gathered by some RSA members:

Purple late regency - http://tinyurl.com/28udb7

Pink Kid Leather - http://tinyurl.com/2zx5ex

Leather - http://tinyurl.com/2gxgv6

1870-1810 Satin - http://tinyurl.com/3bsetz

Chartreuse Green Satin Half Boot 1818 - http://tinyurl.com/35rm95

Leather 1830s http://tinyurl.com/2ou3ue

Here is another collection.

On with the tutorial. ..

"Cut 2 lining and 2 facing for the sole and the top. Cut 4 lining of the tab. Use a 1/4 inch seam for all stitches."

"Right side together, sew the ends of the top of the shoe together, for each lining and facing piece."

"Right sides together, sew both tabs. Leave a space open for casing, as shown. Turn right side out."

"This particular lining was fraying pretty badly so I hand stitched the edges of the casing to keep this in check."

"Stitch a line above and below the casing to allow for a clear channel."

"On right side of lining, stitch the tab to the bottom at the back seam. Make sure the tab does not extend above the top of the lining, or it will show outside of the finished shoe."

"Right sides together, and matching the back seam, stitch around the upper edge"

"Clip the curve at throat of shoe."

"Turn lining to inside. Pin carefully so that the lining is secured to the inside and then edge stitch the upper opening to secure the lining."

"Another view of the edge stitching."

"Stitch the outer edge of the lining and facing of the upper part of the shoe."

"Add another stitch on the outside around the heel. I extended mine from about the middle of the shoe back around to the other side."

"Clip the curve of the toe."

"Trim purchased inserts to fit with a comfortable seam allowance."

"Stitch lining to facing, sandwiching the cushion between."

"Finished view of the soles stitched together."

"Right sides together, stitch sole to upper. Take care to match the toes and heels together and ease the sides to match. The heel is the tightest part to stitch, and I recommend a second seam there. I also recommend following the seam of the upper part of the shoe, to avoid showing that seam when turned right side out."

"Just a view of this as I stitch."

"Trim the toe."

"Turn right side out, check the seams and you're done!"

"A view of the ribbon in the casing."

The creator models her handiwork. Very nice!

They were so fun to make, she made two. :)

Thank you Miss Charlotte for this wonderful tutorial! Imagine what you can do? You can change your toe shape, add embellishments, long flowing ribbons, the options are limitless! I hope this tutorial will inspire you to try for yourself.

Concurrent Picnics and Austen Fight Club!

2010-07-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

The ORS Annual Picnic at Pittock was so fun this year!

The fabulous Portland Landmark overlooks the valley and the city of portland. This french-chateau style building was built a hundred years later than our desired period, but nevertheless, it's a lovely site for our picnic that feels very appropriate.

ORS Founder Stephanie in her troublesome gown and a borrowed hat (which she almost stole because she loved it so much).

A Seurat painting in the making?

Ensconced in the shade of the European Beech, we feast.

And some more romantic things happen as well. ;). The always beautiful and elegant Lady of Portland House offers her dashing husband a sumptuous stemmed cherry. (photos stolen from Aaron Marks, Stephanie Robertson and Charlotte Cunningham's facebook albums!)

Some not-so period texting.

Chef Steph R's beautiful array of delicious treats.

Charlotte, Nora and Stephanie R.

Le Bon Ton create a beautiful tableau.

Such a lovely day. :::sigh:::

Links to photo albums:
Stephanie R's Album
Aaron Marks' Album
Charlotte Cunningham's Album

And just for some more fun....

Whenever I stumble on a relevant link or movie that I know will make a Janeite or Regency fan laugh or smile, I am compelled to post it. So I end this post with this little thing that's gone viral...

ORS Central Valley also hosted a picnic on Sunday. Details will be posted on the ORS Central blog soon!

Some Regency fun :0)

2010-07-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

Sex and the Austen Girl

Episode 1:

Episode 2:

Episode 3:

Episode 4:

Episode 5:

Episode 6:

Episode 7:

Episode 8:

Teaser:

Main Page:
http://www.babelgum.com/sexandtheaustengirl

An Overview of Regency Stays/Corsets

2010-06-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

I know, it’s very soon to post a new topic, but I was sketching today, and found myself doing a little study of Regency stays--thinking about perhaps making myself a new set just for riding. So this is my new post. ;)

I gave away my customized transitional stays (click here to see photo journal of the project) to my dear friend because frankly, it fits her better. So did my 2008 Winter Ballgown… that brat.

I digress… So I started thinking about making a new set, and started looking at patterns, and I realized I hadn't done a good comprehensive post about Regency corsetry at all, and it was due time.

The Regency stay is unique in historical corsetry because it is one of the very few periods where the corset was designed for something other than shaping the torso/waist. The Regency corset was a lifting device; and it was designed to present a lady’s assets on a proverbial platter. The gown was supposed to fall in a long, columnar line below the empire waistline.

In my few years of pursuing projects in the period costume, I've learned a lot about making Regency pieces, so please read these tips if you haven't done any corsetry yet:

An important truth you must know in corset and stay-making… boning is not meant to hold you. All boning is meant to do is to keep the fabric of the garment taut and to prevent it folding or wrinkling. The *cut* of the corset is where the shape comes from…. And in the case of the regency corset, the gusseting is key. Gussets are not fun to do, but they are crucial in shaping your ‘platter’ to suit your assets, and in setting the long stays on your hips so that the rest of the taught fabric will continue to hold you while you go about your day.

How to sew a gusset (tips on a post-it).

A busk is a flat, wooden stick that helps to keep the front of a corset straight, tight, and keeps your gusset cups upright and separated. It was sometimes known that gentlemen would carve and smoothen a busk, and etch his nam into it for their favourite lady so she could wear his handiwork close to her heart. How romantic. :) The busk slides into a narrow, long pocket sewn into the front of your stay.

If a regency corset is made correctly to fit its wearer, you should never be so tightly trussed up that you are uncomfortable; as you would be in a corset from another period. A Regency corset should act as a really great supporting miracle-bra; and for some lucky ladies, that is all they might need. A miracle bra.

So, for those of us who cannot get away with just using a miracle bra to acheive the desired Regency silhouette... here is a breakdown of the period's corsets, some sample images and some pattern recommendations. If you know of good patterns, not mentioned here, please feel free to add links in your comments.

The three general categories of Regency stays:

* The Short Stays *

The short stay is in essence, the miracle bra of the regency period. It is small, and reasonably comfortable.

Best suited for these body types:

Smaller cup sizes. Not recommended for anyone above a C-cup; despite the option of going to a D on most patterns. Large breasts often push the front-closure forward, and the lack of busk or length causes the boning to angle into your chest, it can be uncomfortable, and look less than flattering. Recommend transitional or long stays for larger cup sizes.
Smaller body sizes. I don't recommend this corset if you are a plus-size fit. The boning just is not compatible with any padding on the tummy.

Difficulty:
Easy to make as stays and corsets go. It was actually my FIRST costume project for the ORS. I was daunted at first, but once I got three layers together, I was very proud of myself to find how nicely everything sort of fell together. A beginner could pull this one off, with determination.

Recommended patterns for short stays:

Sense & Sensibility / Simplicity #4052
Reconstructing History (if you want to try the Kyoto Brassiere Reproduction)

Boning:

Minimal boning required
Boning recommendation: zip ties, spiral steel.

Hovering between short and transition stay is the Kyoto Museum's wrap-around brassiere. This is an unusual design, and there is a pattern available for you to try (link provided above).

Kyoto Museum Regency Brassiere

* The Transitional Stays *

Best suited for these body types:

Cup size: Medium to larger cup-sizes (C & D+)
Body size: Small, medium to thicker body sizes. If you are a bit rubenesque, you might find that the boning on the front might cut a bit into your belly when you sit, and the belly might push the boning up when you sit as well as well, further pronouncing your ‘platter’.

Difficulty:
Definitely more involved a project, mostly because most transitional stays have tabs or are wraparound projects. A beginner could pull this one off, with determination and care, but it’s definitely a project recommended for intermediate sewers.
Recommended patterns for transition stays:

Past Patterns
Reconstructing History
Daffodown Dilly Regency Era Wrap (for the less-traditional mid-sized stays--scroll down to undergarments section). It is a brilliant design and excellent pattern. I’ve seen completed projects and it’s a wonder, and the pattern designer is accessible and always happy to assist with questions.

Boning:

Minimal to moderate boning, depending on your preferences.
Boning recommendation: cording, caning, zip ties or spiral steel.

Katherine's Costume Page

Lady of Portland House's costume page

Romantic History's Costume Page

The Daisy wrap-around stays

* The Full Stays with Busk *

Best suited for these body types:

Cup size: Pretty much any-sized cup with the right gusset-work and shaping.
Body size: From thin to curvy this corset suits them all. The busk is a wonder for the fuller-figured, more-endowed woman. I recommend this corset to all. It’s not half as complicated to make as you think, however you can challenge yourself with it by doing some intricate cording to make it really a work of art. Here is a helpful tutorial on how to do cording from Jennie LaFleur.

Difficulty:Definitely more involved a project, but easier than the wrap-arounds and the tabbed transitionals. A beginner could pull this one off. Seriously. An advanced seamstress could make it amazing.
Recommended patterns for Corset:

Boning:

Minimal to extensive boning/cording, depending on your preferences.
Boning recommendation: cording, caning, zip ties, light steel or spiral steel.

The Shift

The shift plays a crucial role in tandem with any of the above undergarments. Your gusset cups will lift and cup your assets, however the shift's drawstring neckline is meant to capture and contain the upper half of your breasts; and act as a friend once said as the 'top half of the bra' so to speak. So when you are looking for shift patterns, be sure to pick one that has a drawstring neckline.

Achieving a Proper Fit

In order to fit your corset or stays well, you should probably read this post on fitting before you begin construction of your stays. It will help you make sure that the stays you choose are helping you achieve the proper silhouette.

I hope this little post will help you decide what works best for you, and also inspires you to make your own stays, they are not as difficult as you imagine, and you can customize them to be something extraordinary if you want. Good luck, leave comments and don't hesitate to ask questions... I'd be happy to help. ;)

Let's talk habits

2010-06-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Two of our most beloved ORS members are organizing a wonderful new event. A Fox Hunt!

Naturally, as the ad says, we will be hunting faux-foxes, sans horses and baying hounds—but we WILL be hopefully all trussed up in our finest riding habits as we run about seeking out those sly little fellows hiding in the shrubbery. So I thought a post on the Regency Riding Habit to be much called-for.

Personally, being an avid Horsewoman since I was four, this project has caught my interest. I’ve ridden sidesaddle in the past, however my habit was more Victorian in style than Regency. I have been simply DYING to make a regency riding habit, despite my horse not quite being trained enough to wear a side-saddle… however, this isn’t going to stop me from moving forward on this project, and I have been looking at a number of fashion plates to get myself motivated. There are TONS of blogs out there featuring a variety of habits in a compendium of colours… so I’ll let you do your own picture searches. Right now, I’ m past pictures and am now well into the patterns and research. HOWEVER, as the mainstay of regency research given to us by the irascible Cathy, who taught me SO much with her invaluable website, I offer you this single link. (Pay some attention to the hats too!)

Inspiration:

Here is a link to an extant garment, shared by Dawn Luckham, costumer extraordinaire!

Dawn wrote: "Extant habit in linen or cotton (Holland is a fine quality linen). Note the light colour!"

Meg Andrews' Hot Climate Riding habit.
Click here for a detail

Kyoto Costume Institute's Extant Habit
Estimated 1810.(detail here)

This habit has a longer waist than the others depicted here today, but it is a perfectly lovely example of a period riding habit. The buttons are adorable. Here is a modern interpretation of this garment:

Patterns of habits:

There are very few patterns out there to work with… here’s what I found; The Rocking Horse Farms pattern (scroll down the page to find the pattern) also comes with a shirt. I have no reviews of it, but as RHF patterns go, they are usually decently drafted and easy to follow.

Reconstructing History’s Habit (ostensibly based on the pattern by Janet Arnold)… I’ve heard mixed reviews of RH patterns… they are certainly not a beginner’s pattern.

Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion 1 book contains the a nice habit, in addition to a number of other amazing Regency patterns, from bib-front gowns to half-robes and a robe. Definitely worth the price of the book… trust me.

Habit projects:

Now, I’ve been following Katherine; a young lady who is almost a legend in the costuming world around here, for quite a while. She is amazing. Her website is addictive, so before you click through, finish up reading this post, because you’ll forget all about it once you start browsing her photo-essays of her various costume projects. Katherine tackled a number of Regency pieces. One of these includes her Regency riding habit. Her project photos are enlightening—and explain a lot about construction.

What Katherine shows us is that she can take a pattern (Janet Arnold’s) and piece it out to customize the design. If you look at her construction page, you can get an idea how she constructed her pieces. Her inventiveness for the habit shirt is also wonderful:

That girl is a wonder; and she hand-stitches EVERYTHING. ::blargh::

I think the primary difference between a habit and a spencer is that you are supposed to wear the spencer over your clothing. A riding habit is your gown in essence. Many women used the riding habit as traveling clothing as well. The habit would be made of a lighter material than the spencer. A linen, or very light wool, or heavier cotton, perhaps. A nice jewel or earth-tone was appropriate.

The riding habit comes in two primary pieces (three if you count the shirt). The first piece is pretty much a short spencer—add a nice peplum and you’re good to go. It doesn’t take too much to modify your collar and front to your preference. Scanning the variety of fashion plates out there can inspire your design. Riding habits often had a distinctive military look, or sometimes, they looked like tiny versions of the gentlemen’s frock coat.

I look at these patterns and I see a lot of similarities from a riding habit and the Ravenrook/Mode Bagatelle Spencer pattern for the spencer (see views G for the peplum and H for the collar and the rest)

You can easily take this pattern and turn it into a viable riding habit using lighter fabrics, and taking in the seam allowance a tiny bit, so that it is closer-fitted.

Taking that pattern for the spencer, you can create something quite authentic looking; and using the skirts from View C, you can create the trained skirts (or untrained if you don’t want a train) that you need for your habit. Using the bodiced petticoat bodice (view A), you can use the back and side pieces to create the little bodice that holds the skirt up; trimming the front part off just shy of under the arms, and making sure to cut your back on a fold so it's one contiguous piece. (See Katherine’s habit skirt on her page linked above for a better idea, or my drawing above as well).

Here is a reproduction garment using a book pattern.

If you own the Sense and Sensibility Pattern for a spencer, and you are inventive, you can surely use that pattern to construct your habit jacket with it. You’d have to probably work in the peplum yourself, but it will provide a good framework to begin.

Sense & Sensibility's Chemisette pattern (as well as LMB's chemisette in their pattern package) would work extremely well for a riding shirt (although they both lack sleeves). But like Katherine, you can be inventive; because the white ruffled cuff inside your jacket sleeves would be very pretty. Depending on your collar, you will want to fill in your neckline, and even apply a small cravat or some ruffles to the front.

Finally, the Burnley and Trowbridge pattern for a spencer is very habit-like and it has a darling peplum.

I am going to attempt to hold a workshop before September to help people construct these delightful garments, but in the meantime, let these images be your inspiration to create a riding habit you can feel elegant in. :)

What to wear underneath

There is also the question of what would be the appropriate underthings for a habit. It depends on whether or not you are actually going to ride a horse sidesaddle or if you are doing it for the simple sake of costuming. In the case of costuming, the standard undergarments will suffice; although there are some little period breeches (featured on Koshka the Cat's habit post) that are modeled after men's breeches that women were known to wear. But a pair of pantaloons or pantalettes will do if you aren't comfortable in just a shift and petticoat. And stockings of course.

For the actual rider, I do not recommend you wear a petticoat unless you have made it with lots of volume, you need a lot of freedom of movement under those skirts. A shift and your corset over a pair of riding leggings or jodhpurs would be your best bet, although I have seen women wearing standard riding breeches underneath their habit skirts (sometimes full seat breeches for stickability) with only one tall boot on their left leg and a short boot on the right, which is a standard sidesaddle practice.

Regency Ladies' Riding Boots

Depending on your commitment to authenticity, your selection of appropriate boots is fairly broad. If you can find a pair of all-leather lace-up standard paddock boots, you're in luck. Ariat makes nice paddock boots, and they're specifically designed for riding. I'd recommend these for people who actually intend on riding in their Regency habits. ((See my post on Regency Sidesaddle Riding)) These boots look the part, and serve a practical purpose. Here is a sample of actual riding paddock boots: Click Here.

If you're not too concerned with having actual riding boots, but you want something that is authentic with your habit and also with other Regency day-wear, you should get these: Click Here.

If you're looking for something that looks the part, but doesn't cost too much, and doesn't really need to be too practical, a pair of good lace-up Jazz boots look the part. Sample Here: Click Here. More samples: Click Here. They range at about $30 - $40

_____________________________________________________________________

Update! Look at this reproduction piece I stumbled on via another period blog; it includes photos of a garment for sale--here is the link for the sale page, but since sales are temporary by nature, I wasn't confident that this link would remain active forever, so I sniped the pics from the site and made a little collage so that if the link breaks, you can still see this beautiful garment.

Click image to enlarge.

The sale caption reads: c. 1999 repro 1810 Deep Navy Cashmere Wool Felt Empire Trained Equestrian Riding Gown and Jacket (Riding Habit) from Jane Austen's Mansfield Park 1999 film version! COA! Every once in a while I'm able to get my hands on some fabulous period reproduction pieces that are beautiful enough to compare to the original period gowns. This one captivates your heart! You will never find another quite so realistic. The jumper gown can be worn buttoned up at the sides as you see, or just unbutton to wear straight. The jacket has violet-blue velvet collar, cuffs and buttons. The wool feels like cashmere. Wonderful! Near mint condition. Purchased directly from the production company and comes with COA that calls it "Andrea's Vest and Jumper". I'm not sure who Andrea was in the flick, but in this instance it's all about the costume itself, not the actress.

Outfitting the Regency Man

2010-04-01T10:36:00.001-07:00

In creating a Regency wardrobe for a gentleman, the first thing you need to consider is what walk of life does your Regency persona represent? The Regency gentleman, as you know from the many books and adaptations, wears a broad range of costume; if he’s in the military—does he wear a uniform? If so, which one? Army, Navy, British, French, New World…? War of 1812 or Napoleon?

If he is a Gentleman, what is his rank in life? Is he a gentleman farmer? Is he an aristocrat? There are details that will create the difference; from choice of materials to accessories… your ‘persona’ will be affected by what you choose to wear. I recommend you look at various examples of Regency costume, and decide which suits you best, then take a moment to study the examples that are available to take in the details that make your choice different from others.

However, I am going to describe the basic items that compose the costume of a regular regency gentleman given the time of day and his choice of activity—and detail the details that make a costume correct for the Regency period.

The regency male silhouette was meant to showcase the male shape; the broadness of shoulder, the breadth of chest, the narrowness of waist and the shape of the calf muscles. They sometimes wore calf-padding to enhance their legs. Seriously. So their clothing reflects this; tight trousers, slightly gathered sleeve tops for a little volume, huge, stiff collars, cravats that puff out the chest; swaggery tails and frocks; it’s all very roostery.

Outerwear:

You’re a regency gentleman about to hop on your baroque horse and take a ride from London to visit your family in the north. You’re in for a long ride; but as with the regency style, you would not get on your horse looking inelegant.

The greatcoat or ‘garrick’ ~ an elegant yet practical garment, the stacked shoulder capes give the wearer a broad presence. There is a vent that splits the back for riding. These are made usually of wool, sometimes linen and even leather. Regency gentlemen also wore basic cloak/capes, sometimes with a shoulder cape or two attached.

Some pattern suggestions:

Hats:

-For riding/hunting/outdoorsy things: A broad-brimmed hat to shield him from the sun. Sometimes straw, sometimes black felt with a broad brim.

Website suggestion to start:

A slouch hat (this is the closest thing I could find for a wide-brimmed style hat, but the top isn't quite correct)

-For larking about in town: You need a topper. The regency topper (depending on what part of the regency) either had a slight curve to the ‘pipe’ portion, and the brim curled upwards on the sides or they had a straight, straightened 'pipe' with the brim curled up at the sides. They were in a variety of black, brown and other deep earthy tones. The early regency hat was slightly tapered straight hat with a wider brim with less curl on it like the one pictured below.
Some website suggestions:

A beautiful selection from Hatcrafters.com (No. 7, No 17 in particular-but a number of are good.)
A top Hat from the Gentleman's Emporium
A shorter top hat from Gentleman's Emporium

-For arriving at a ball, or if you are in uniform: Tricorns (early regency), bicorns (or cocked hat).
A website suggestion to start:

An example of a plain bicorn hat (no longer for sale)
A variety of bi and tricorns from Hatcrafters.com

Shoes:

-Brown top or riding boots (daywear, riding)~ never cheap but always worth it, a good pair of tall English riding boots, especially with a brown top, are always elegant and very useful for daywear of any kind; worn with breeches or long trousers alike. Also, Hussar boots with a tassel, knee length, mid-calf-length… there is a wide range of acceptable boots for daywear and riding. A low heel is crucial. Regency men did not wear heels like their fathers and grandfathers did.

Website suggestions:

Robert Land Historic Shoes
Make your own Regency brown-topped boots with a pair of old English riding boots.

-Slippers: Flats, soft and refined, the Regency man wore a pair of slipper shoes over stockings when dressed more formally. There were mule slippers that were worn in the home during casual times when at home in his banyan by the fire. But he wore fine slippers for evenings and special events. Believe it or not, regular soft leather black classic dance slippers are perfect for this application.

Some suggested sites:

A traditional 'court shoe' which can be patent or even velvet.

Burnley and Trowbridge Men's shoes collection
Traditional Court Shoes. These are not cheap, but they are ACCURATE.
Ballet flats for men (yes, don't cringe now)

The Wardrobe Basics:

-The cutaway frock coat ~ Depending on when in the Regency period, the shape of the cutaway will vary. From a subtle, more 18th century curve in the front panels to the later-regency straight cutaway style with defined tails, a frock coat is a mark of manly elegance. A variety of materials were appropriate; from cottons, linen to light wools and even silk, the daywear frock coat was often in earthy tones of green, browns and the coveted blue. A gentleman wore this all day; it was considered a state of ‘undress’ to not wear one’s frock coat and have one’s shirt sleeves exposed. One somewhat important point for historic accuracy in frock coats, the Regency frock coat does *not* have a seam circling the waist. The pieces are long and whole from neck to tails… only during the early Victorian period do the waist seams appear. Frock coats had very high, often boned or stiffened collars, wide lapels and a short front so the coloured waistcoat could be revealed underneath. The armseyes are set far in from where they are today and the sleeves are supposed to be tailored to fit the arm quite snugly. There should be a split in the tails for riding and a pleat on each side of the split. Some frock coats sport pockets on each side of the rear tail. There are NO POINTS on the front of the regency frock coat. The bottom of the front should either be a straight line, a curved line, or a gothic arch when the front is closed. Evening frock coats were usually black.

Some suggested patterns:

New! The Country Wives Frock Coat Pattern (Spencer's Mercantile)
Rocking Horse Farms 1795-1820 Frock coat
Wingeo
Reconstructing History

-Breeches: The fall-front/broadfall breech or trouser ~ Regency men wore their pants tight. If it was the calf-length breech or the full length trouser, most breeches were cut on the bias so there was some stretch, and they hugged the legs very tightly. There should be a drop-front panel fastener on the front, although there were some variations to the closures. The back had a rather pouffy gather on the derriere, with a drawstring tightening at the back (the behind should never be seen since it’s always covered by tails). If your breeches are loose and creasing on the leg, they’re too loose. Evening wear required primarily black or white and sometimes a soft tan breeches of natural fabrics. Do not pick anything too shiny. Daywear includes fawn or tan, brown or a variety of other deep tones. A pair of suspenders might be required to hold those pants up… but they will be hidden beneath the waistcoat.

Pattern suggestions:

-The Waistcoat: Sometimes worn in double layers to display more of an eye-pop of colour, it was here where the Regency man was allowed to play with pattern and colour the most. Jaquard, damask, silk, the waistcoat, though most of it was hidden beneath the frock coat, the colour popped along the edges of the front lapel and collar and from beneath the bottom front panels of the frock coat. If they had a print, it was usually tone on tone, or very small prints and designs, elegant roll prints, or a small stripe. For balls and formal events, the waistcoat was often white. Regency period is all about elegant simplicity, no huge flowery prints please or anything super-shiny! And remember, a regency waistcoat is short, it reaches the waist, it is not long like the 18th century ones that hang to the hips. There are not points, it's a straight line across the front with a sparse, sort of crew collar.

Pattern Suggestions:

-The Cravat: A long, crisp, and fairly wide rectangle of simple cotton or silk fabric, it was ruched/crunched down to fit the collar, and tied ‘round the neck and then into a variety of knot-styles in the front. This cravat, generally white, but also seen in various colours in paintings, etc, with the standing shirt collar is the essence of the regency man. We recommend you make a cravat from at least two and a half yards of 9-10" wide white crisp cotton or silk.

Tying a Regency Cravat

Reconstructing History's "Complete Regency Gentleman's Pattern Package" *Note about Reconstructing History patterns; general consensus of RH pattern reviews is that they are not for beginners--and the instructions are sometimes confusing, please keep that in mind if you've never sewn tailored items before, and we also recommend that you create a muslin mockup of each tailored item first before cutting into the expensive wools, etc.

Undergarments:

-The Shirt: Any standard ‘pirate shirt’ would do, as long as it’s not too 18th century froofy and frilly. A simple stand-up collar, lace closure in front, which will be hidden by the cravat, either simple flared or wide cuffed sleeves that peek out from underneath the frockcoat cuffs.
Pattern suggestions to start:

-Stockings: These stockings are long, and go to the knee or over. They were of a variety of colours for day use, and normally white or ivory for evening.

A good source for stockings:

Plain stockings in a variety of colours from JAS townsend

-Corset: Some men wore corsets, yes, to promote the narrowness of waist and width of shoulders.

Accessories:

A simple watch and ribbon fob to hang from the waist of your breeches.
A cane
White gloves for dancing.
Some nice muttony sideburns.
Elegant manners.

What of the hair? Comb it forward towards your face. It’s rakish and handsome.

There are lots of shortcuts and alternatives that are not so noticeable. Stretchy pirate pants... modify an existing tailcoat... a vest with a standing collar. They can still be used and look quite authentic. :) Go to the Oregon Regency Society's website and check out their resources page for more ideas and patterns.

Do you know of great patterns? Do you have resources or information to share? Then please feel free to add your links and suggestions in the comments section. :) Thank you.

For military equipment and inspiration (Napoleonic wars, 1812, etc..) see some of these links below:

The Sutler of Mt. Misery
Military Heritage
The Sutler's Store (UK, wide range of Regency pieces for men and women)
C & D Jarnagin Company 1812 Costumes
Empire Costume, France (beautiful pieces!)

The 2010 Regency Bonnet Workshop

2010-03-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

The ORS bonnet workshops are a popular and fun event. It's a casual, busy-hands event where many of us sit around for six hours just stitching, prattling away, laughing and drinking tea. Most people (those who work while talking, as opposed to talk while occasionally stitching) leave the workshop with a near-completed bonnet.

I offer instructions using my bonnet pattern for the stovepipe bonnet (you can get your own copy here), and also I provide instruction and assistance with the simple Regency soft-poke bonnet. This year, I've secured a lovely classroom upstairs at the Sandy Historical Museum. It's a nice space with a little kitchenette and a museum downstairs so there is a nice distraction when you're up and about stretching your legs.

For those of you who cannot attend the ORS bonnet workshops, here is the next best thing (and they're not so great, my apologies for quality... ::teehee::).

I have movie-tutorials on how to make a soft-poke bonnet, and how to assemble my pattern. I also noticed that my materials-list URL is outdated, so I have provided links to the updated materials lists below. I hope this helps you with your Bonnet project. Maybe someday you can join us at our yearly workshop.

The Tutorial for a Soft-Poke Bonnet:

The Tutorials (Parts 1 and 2) for assembling my pattern for the Stovepipe Bonnet:

Materials list for the Stovepipe Bonnet.
Materials list for the Soft Poke Bonnet.

Some inspiration:

Made for myself, and then given to a dear friend who adored it.
It is the high-angle short bonnet from my pattern.

An Etsy Commission.

This is my friend and coworker Sherry; I made this bonnet for her to wear
while she offers free tours of Pittock Mansion.

This bonnet was made by the ORS member Katie (she's modeling it).
This was during last year's February Bonnet Workshop.

ORS Member Laura also made this during the same workshop.
Both she and Katie chose the low-angled long stovepipe bonnet from my pattern.

(Click here for a link to the whole set of photos I've collected of commissioned or personal bonnets)

Caps and Coifs

Regency caps were often worn underneath bonnets.

Here is a link to a variety of Regency Cap patterns as well as elaborate coifs.
http://www.neheleniapatterns.com/english/caps.html

The Regency Lady's Turban

2010-03-04T13:42:00.000-08:00

Turbans are wonderful things. They are good for day wear and evening wear, they allow for a variety of hairstyles, and your options for decoration and embellishment are endless. Turbans are the salvation for short-haired ladies, who need only style and curl the hair around their face (comb forward like a man’s hair, or curl into ringlets) and then add your turban to cover the back. It is also a very elegant, patrician sort of look.

I recommend that you use silk or silk-like fabrics for your turban. Try to stick to natural, not-too-shiny or slinky synthetic fabrics (that should be a rule of thumb with pretty much ALL historic costume creation; synthetics may look pretty at the store, but once their sewn, they kind of get ugly; especially when photographed). Anyway, I digress…

I have put together a little set of basic instructions on how to create a turban in three general styles; and using these construction methods, your options are limitless. I’ve given each style its own moniker (these are not official, these are my own titles).

1. The wrapped turban.

2. There is the cap turban (it’s more of a soft hat than a turban).

3. There is the rope turban (which is a form of the wrapped turban).
Creating each one of these individually requires some different approaches.

1. The wrapped turban.

One can easily wrap a turban on the head each time you want to wear it, and when you take it off, it will unravel into the long rectangle of fabric each time. I have an example of a wrapped turban below where the tail of the turban falls from the knot. It’s a simple design that can be used with a nice long rectangle of fabric. It’s a turban that would work nicely with a casual day dress or walking dress, and would be very nice if the ends of the turban are embellished with a fringe or teeny tassels. The one pictured above is a single wide wrap, but you can go with a longer, narrower piece of fabric and wrap it around multiple times while occasionally twisting the fabric, and then knotting or tucking if need be.

(Update: 11/2011) Miss Lauren Reeser aka 'The American Duchess' has provided a wonderful video on how to do a simple wrapped turban using a scarf or any kind of fabric. You can view the video here:

In order to create a wrapped turban that doesn’t require constant rebuilding, you can wrap one and then fix it in place. Carefully wrap your turban around a head form, arranging and ruching (bunching) the fabric to your linking. As you go along, tack-stitch it in place—creating a hat shape as you go. That way you can just put it on and take it off with little worry of it unraveling on you. A great advantage of doing it as a stitched, permanent headpiece is that you can add tassels, lace in strings of beads, ribbons and whatnot as you stitch it down, to give it interest and dimension. It’s the simplest of projects, and it makes for a very attractive turban. You can also add a medallion with either game-bird feathers arcing across the front for a day-wear turban, or you can add a big froofy ostrich feather across the front, side or coming up from the back for evening. See the links provided below for fashion-plate examples from that time period.

2. The cap turban (also known as a capote or beret).

This turban is a sewed fabric hat, however the mushroomed fabric makes it very turban like and it also has the same versatility as day and evening wear depending on embellishments and fabric choices.

You start with a large circle. As with most first-time sewing projects, I recommend you create some cheap muslin mock-ups that when successful, can have the baste-stitches removed and used as a pattern later. Joanne Fabrics pretty much always has very cheap muslin ($2 - $3 a yard)… it’s good to always have some on hand for projects like these.

(click image to enlarge)

The diameter of your circle depends on how ‘fluffy’ you want your capote… I’d say, and this is just a wild guess, start with 20”. You can always trim the bottom edge down once you’ve done your gathering if it’s too poofy.

Sew a wide baste stitch all around the edge, and then when you’ve sewn the circuit, clip your thread, and start again slightly above the first set of stitches. Try and match the stitches below, and go around again parallel to the first set of stitches. Then you will gently pull your threads on one side and gather up your edges of the circle. You can then affix the gather once you get that desired circumference with a nice tight stitch all around the edge with your sewing machine (or by hand if you’re a purist).

You will then create a band. Cut it twice as wide as your desired width, and then fold, sew the long edge closed, turn inside out, and iron flat. You now have an inner surface to which you can stitch your capote without revealing the stitches on the facing side.

There you have it. The addition of tassels, feathers and medallions, whatever you like will make it work very nicely.

3. The rope turban

(click image to enlarge)

This turban can stand alone, or serve as an enhancement for the above turbans. The premise is to take two (or even three) fabrics, or perhaps fabric and a string of beads or ribbon, and to twist-fold them into a rope (or plait them as well). You can create a circlet or open-topped turban so your updo can cascade out the top, or you can make one or two and sew it to a closed-top turban (as seen in my drawings below). It’s a simple style, you can either hide the ends by sewing them together, or let the long end drape down the back or the side onto the shoulder.

Making two or three of the ropes and stacking them on top of a capote is also a fine option, and don’t forget to use embellishments. Beads, tassels, ribbon, trim, medallions and feathers are all acceptable decorations for your Regency turban. I recommend you check out the links provided below. You will see for yourself how elaborate these turbans can seem but really how simple they are to make. Let the images inspire your own project. Happy turban-making!

Sometimes a loose, narrow, long bandeau with beads wrapped around it also works very nicely for evening wear... it's sort of a turban, so I thought I'd throw this drawing in. :)

Some inspiration:

http://hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/dress/turb.html
http://hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/dress/turb2.html
http://hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/dress/turb3.html

Recognition well deserved.

2010-03-01T12:23:00.001-08:00

The ORS was founded for many reasons; for the delights of dance and the elegance of costume, for the genteel activities and for the sake of history. However, the thing that draws me, the founder, and many others to this period is the society and manners of the period. The kindness and consideration of the discourse, the politeness of society. The Miss and the Mr.; the careful choice of words, the politeness that transcended all walks of life, from pauper to lord. It’s what makes the ORS so unbelievable. We are all drawn to it for different reasons, but what we all have in common is that we all resonate to this polite society. That is why people of such different backgrounds and belief systems, people of such wide ranges of political and social differences in the real world can sit down at a ball, and have a wonderful time. I personally think that this makes our group incredibly powerful in many ways. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do, or what your convictions are; we all agree that manners are good, that kindness and goodness is important, that poise and elegance are important—and we all manage to find common ground in that.

That doesn’t mean everyone is the perfect creature. I for instance, often think of myself a as a boisterous, merry Mrs. Jennings. I am not very good at adopting a persona so I don’t even bother, I just cannot help but be me… laughing, sometimes too loud, too forward to ever behave like a true Regency lady. But I always strive to be kind, and gracious and thoughtful to the best of my ability in the spirit of the time period I adore so.

I’m very proud of this group. I think about where it began, and all the hours I’ve spent building, building, building. From the website to the outreach—my incessant searching and recruiting, the search for venues, the negotiations, the fruition of the planning, the discovery of people like Thea from ORS Central Valley, who are as driven about the vision as I am. Yes, I believe over the past year, I’ve stumbled a bit. I’ve let the ORS take the back seat to some personal issues I’ve had to deal with and continue to struggle with. I believe that sooner or later this heaviness that seems to be over me will fade and I will find that freedom again for the ORS, and to find passion again for what it stands for—and the ORS will have vibrant events with all my energy poured into their quality and grandness.

As it grows, I am happy to see the wonderful people who are starting to take the reins in each chapter, and I am proud of what they are accomplishing. We’ve found some really great people to lead the way… wonderful people whose passion for the period is insurmountable. I’ve always pressed the importance of inclusivity and openness and I stress that they should always maintain these qualities with them as they go along as ORS leadership.

So I would like to begin my campaign of recognition to the ORS leadership by recognizing them individually. I will be holding a special event for them as well, but I will begin by posting my personal appreciation to the following incredible souls who have become the heart and soul of the Oregon Regency Society.

ORS Central Valley Chapter

Thea Peck
Thea called me the first time, with her voice bursting with emotion and joy. She could not believe that the ORS existed. The website had been up for a few months and she’d just found it. I had arranged the first event at the Ainsworth House and she was ALL OVER IT. She was pushy and full of ideas and I felt at first like she was going to steamroll me. She showed up to the event and got her hands dirty right away. Thea and I are so alike; we had to lock horns a few times before we finally appreciated how great our friendship could be. She has an incredible vision, a drive that is unmatched by anyone and she is one of the first people to ever truly step up. Thea is the essence of the ORS leader. Pushy, strong in her vision, a control freak and underneath it all, one of the best people I know. From the beginning, she and Lisa have been the strongest support I have had in the group—hands-down. Thea is head honcho of ORS Central Valley, but she is also second in command when it comes to ORS in general. I could not do this without her.

Lisa and Robert Emond.
Lisa and Robert came along with Thea. I cannot praise Thea without mentioning these two; but trust me, they are as crucial as can be. Lisa has acted as Thea’s rock and support and has been at Thea’s side for the duration. Lisa is a soul of incredible kindness; she often pulls Thea back and grounds her—and trust me, that girl needs grounding (tee hee! Like me!). When I was down, it was Lisa & Thea that circled the wagons for me, and continue to be the most supportive people I know. I love them. Truly. The above are the heart and soul of ORS Central Valley and the ORS as a whole.

ORS Northwest

Lauren and Aaron Marks
Lauren appeared on the scene as a quiet little thing. But don’t be fooled by that pretty, innocent little face, she is to be reckoned with, this one. Nimble and smart, this little creature spins hurricanes while looking as serene as a summer day. Who knew what a costume-goddess she would be? Not to mention that voice… This little powerhouse has a very popular costume blog where she has detailed her beautiful late Georgian, early Regency masterpieces. She is like a poster-girl for the group; always stunning at every event. She and her husband Aaron have really gotten into the mire of organization of events this past year or so, and have been really crucial to keeping the momentum going for events while I was floundering with my personal crises. I don’t know what the ORS would be right now if it wasn’t for their efforts. She was also a friend to me when I needed her. I am always gratified to hear her mischievous little laugh and to see her sailing about the room in her permanent state of grace—Adore! Aaron, he is the ORS’s unofficial historian. His photos, which are growing increasingly artful with each passing event, have become the mainstay for me, since I tend to forget to take pictures most of the time. He chronicles as much of each event as he can—and does beautiful work of it. As evidence, see his photos from the Twelfth Night... they’re AMAZING.

Tara Ryan and Christian Stephenson.
The first time I met Tara, she’d come with her husband to meet me at our doomed ‘washed out’ Pride & Prejudice 1995 viewing at Holy Names Heritage Center. It was during December of 2007, when record rains were washing out coastal towns. I drove down for the event, and only a smattering other people stayed for the whole five-hour odyssey of Colin Firth while the rain pummeled the countryside outdoors. Tara had swung by to make my acquaintance. She’d been arranging her own Regency-period style wedding and was so delighted by the ORS. Her husband Christian is a wonderful chef, and they were the ones upon whose efforts the ORS’s 2008 Winter Ball and Masquerade Ball’s amazing dinners should be credited. The couple has a ton of costuming experience spanning many time periods, and they participate in a variety of other costume-related events throughout the year. Christian is a skilled swordsman and fencer, and brings important testosterone-friendly options to the ORS membership. Tara and Christian have teamed up with Lauren and Aaron to become event organizers—creating a series of wonderful events that include tea parties and botanical garden tours. I cannot fail to mention also that Tara is the one who orchestrated the wonderful ORS Masquerade’s theatrical performance of an excerpt of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’; which was one of the highlight events of 2008. Tara is also the spearhead behind a new division of the ORS that will cater to the serious costume/reenactor.

Stephanie Robertson
Stephanie is a sort of newcomer when it comes to the ORS leadership. She is also, I believe, the youngest one—though I’m not entirely sure. She graduated from the Culinary Arts Institute only very recently, and has a tremendous skill for both savoury cooking and pastry. Stephanie, from the moment she arrived, was itching to do an event. Stephanie is a pure romantic, and a very sweet, dreamy sort of soul. I spend a lot of time with her, and she has put up with my tears and frustrations to such an extent that I cannot avoid calling her a dearest friend. She spends many an hour at my home, either sewing, or just happily browsing the web on my sofa. Stephanie is the person behind the food from the Ainsworth House Ball and Winter Ball 2009—and the incredible, and I repeat INCREDIBLE meal she made for the Feast of the Twelfth Night. She also made me the most beautiful birthday cake I’ve ever had in all my life. I realized, as I glanced at my wedding photos, that it was bigger than my own wedding cake.

ORS Cascades East

Bill Armstrong
I have had only a little time to get to know one of our newest leaders; and what I know so far is based on this: One of the first things Bill did was to express concern about my situation and my ability to keep things afloat when my own life was (and still is to some measure) a mess. He wanted to rally the leadership to take some of the reins. That alone spoke volumes about Mr. Armstrong. I knew at once we had found ourselves a true gentleman. ORS Cascades is still very small in its membership; however it hasn’t stopped Mr. Armstrong from expressing a desire to help with our own regional events. He has a tremendous knowledge of history, an acumen for costuming and is quite the dandy. He and his beautiful Lady Stacey have some lovely things in store for not only those east of the Cascades, but also for those of us here in the Northwest. I’m so excited for the wonderful things he will bring the ORS; among them, some activities that will engage the men of the ORS.

ORS Puget Sound

Melanie Mayo
Melanie is the very newest of the bunch and I hardly know her. I know she is excited about the new chapter, and is trying very hard to wrangle her first event. As I get to know her better, I will be able to sing you her praise. However I must credit her, like Bill and Thea… starting a chapter is NOT easy. It’s a risk. You dish out your own funds and resources in hopes that people will support your vision, and it sometimes works, and it sometimes doesn’t. So no matter what, we already know that Melanie is a special kind of person to do what she’s doing.

I think perhaps that because of my personal issues this past year, I haven’t taken the time to give each of these people the proper appreciation for all the things they’ve done… not only for the ORS, but for me. SO I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to them as leaders and as friends.

Stephanie Johanesen
Founder and President
Oregon Regency Society

Sweets to the Sweet, a Regency Valentine Tea

2010-02-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to our hosts, Connie & Mike Jarrett for opening their gorgeous home to our members and guests, this past Sunday. Twenty three gentlemen and ladies were in attendance at the historic Ferdinand McCown house in Oregon City, for the ORS Regency Valentines Tea.

Decorated with handmade paper cameos, the chandeliers illuminated new friends and old, as they gathered 'round to sample the savories treats provided therein. Oh my, a scrumptious menu of scotch eggs, mini mince-meat pies, shrimp roll-ups, scones, acres of brownies-including allergen free options- were laid out on the antique dining room table and carved sideboard. Tea and coffee were on hand in the kitchen, where many kettles of water were boiled by our kitchen pixies.

However, despite the dramatic posing, cooking on such an adorable period stove was really no chore! The afternoon's entertainment was provided by the passionate and knowledgable Professor D.R. Schreiber, whose slight of hand and conjuring illusions delighted the entire assembly. A superb presentation, which was full of fun and interesting history of "Conjuring" during the Regency period. During the show's intermission, Lady Lauren once again thrilled us with her divine voice. A rendition of Handel's "Silent Worship", she might truly have charmed birds from the trees, with her own superior trills.

After the show's conclusion, the professor was on hand to further discuss the topics of conjuring, and indulge in a cup or two of tea. The whist tables were brought out, and a second trip to the groaning sideboard was in order. Perhaps a third (or fourth) cup of the Chocolate Mint tea, if you please? And so, the remainder of the time was passed in good conversation and excellent company. As a further note, I'd like to also thank the several members whom stood on ladders, baked amazing yumminess, and/or washed dishes.

The Lady of Portland House (Lauren) and Lissa

The Lord and Lady of Portland House (Aaron and Lauren)

The Amazing Professor D.R. Schreiber and The Lady of Portland House

A lovely game of Whist

Connie and Mike, our gracious hosts

Christian and Tara preparing tea in the kitchen.

Regency Ladies' Tresses.

2010-02-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

So you’ve got your dress, it’s a few days before an event, and you’re thinking… What do I do with my hair?

The period did allow for a lot of flexibility when it comes to women’s hair. If you look at portraits from the time, you’ll see a wide variety of lengths and configurations for women’s styles, going from very short pixie-cuts to elaborate up-dos.

If you have very short to moderately short hair, and you’re getting ready for a ball or dance (for with day-wear outdoors, caps and bonnets were appropriate) you can always go for the wide bandeau or turban.
You can try to curl the locks around your face, or comb them forward as the men’s style was for that time… and then place a wide bandeau on your hair, or a turban. Turbans are simple enough to make; you can shape it on a foam headform by loosely wrapping it around the crown of the head and then using some strategic stitching to hold it all in place. A medallion and a feather to enhance it, and you can have something truly lovely.

Medium length hair allows more flexibility, including the use of a fall, if you prefer something more voluminous than what you currently have. You can use some of the techniques below to shape the hair around your face, and then use a fall to create your shape in the back. Regency hair was often off the shoulders or partially off the shoulders.

This tutorial by author Mary Robinette Kowal, ORS member, is perfect for women with medium-length hair. She shows how you can take a little hair and make it look like a lot. Click the link below.

Making a Regency updo with medium-length hair.

And for those with lots of flexibility and longish hair, you can browse the many links below and choose the styles that you like most. Jennie Chancey of Sense and Sensibility patterns has her own tutorials on Regency hair:

Rapunzel Resource is also a wonderful place for historic styles ~ She has done an ‘Emma’ series before for the Gwyneth Paltrow adaptation as well as the newest version of Emma recently broadcast on PBS.

Here is a lovely video:

More Emma-inspired hair styling tips from Miss Philippa Colt, ORS Member:

Emma-Inspired Regency Hair.

Jane Austen's World is also a wonderful source for many subjects related to our favourite period; however this post on hairstyles and accessories is very helpful.http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/regency-hairstyles-and-their-accessories

Here is a lovely overview of Regency hairstyles for you to browse from Jessamyn’s Regency Costume Companion:
http://www.songsmyth.com/hairstyles.html

And Miss Lisa Brown of Rochester Contra has made this invaluable little guide on how to dress a Regency Lady, which includes a wonderful little tutorial on Regency hair.http://www.rochestercontra.com/WomensBallClothing.pdf

I will be posting a how-to on turbans very soon. :)

Yes, we take this all quite seriously!

2010-02-09T16:33:00.000-08:00

The ORS has been growing like gangbusters lately. New chapters, new members, and new leaders. Events are culminating at a record pace; our events page will be packed and I’ve instituted a new ‘colour code’ system to help browsers quickly identify events being held by certain chapters.

Red: Portland and NW ~ Green: Eugene, Central Valley ~ Blue: Bed/Redmond ~ Yellow: Puget Sound. Right now, I have pretty much an entire year of events ready to go up just for ORS Northwest alone—not excluding the annual bonnet workshop and the picnic at Pittock Mansion. There will also be a brand new series of garden tours for the Portland group, which will touch on a number of the lovely gardens and arboretums.

ORS Puget Sound is planning its very first picnic, and ORS Cascades is going to put together a costume workshop. ORS Eugene has no less than two balls planned already for this year, it’s incredible Spring Debut ball in April and a wonderful ball called the ‘ORS Zombie Ball’ which is an October 30th party in the spirit of the ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ and ‘Sense and Sensibility and Sea-Monsters’.

So everyone’s busy! All ORS members are always welcome at all ORS events, there are no chapter to chapter restrictions… and please, always remember, except for the occasional special event, one of ORS’s policies is ‘Costumes are Recommended but Not Required!’—don’t let a lack of costume stop you from joining us at any of our events. We are an easy going, non-costume-Nazi group. We are all about having a good time and being as inclusive as possible. All of our events are open to non-members, and please, don’t ever hesitate to contact us through the main Oregon Regency Society website if you have any questions or concerns.

There are lots of costume ideas and resources on our special page, and you can get an at-a-glance summary of chapter events through the ORS main website. For the chapters, you can find links to each chapter in the margin of this blog page, or on the main index page of the ORS website.

The Feast of the Twelfth Night, McLean House, West Linn 1-9-10

2010-01-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

Starting from left corner going clockwise; Stacy,
Bill Armstrong (ORS Cascades East Leader), Aaron Marks and Heidi at whist.

Lady Lauren (the Lady of Portland House) compliments us with a song.
You may view more of her songs and more pictures at her blog.

We partake of a tremendous meal cooked by Chef de Cuisine Lady Stephanie Robertson.
Three courses of multiple dishes (a detailed menu will be posted for all to see very soon).

Some dancing at the venue.

Some dancing at Lady Connie's Beautiful Home afterwards. :)

The Menu and full collection of movies and photos are available here: http://www.oregonregencysociety.com/pastevents/feast/Feast.htm

Details and updates :0)

2009-11-23T15:54:00.000-08:00

Dinner, Dancing and Diversions.
Live music.
Raffle for Costume Items, Patterns and Photograph Portraits

Commercial Donors:

~ Sense & Sensibility Patterns ~

* 1 Elegant Lady's Closet Pattern

* 1 Regency Underthings Pattern

~ The Mantua Maker ~

* 1 1800 - 1820 Regency Corset

* 1 1800 - 1830 Pantalettes

* 1 1800 - 1820 Open Robe

* 1 1805 - 1812 Regency Frock

~ The Thread-Bare Stitchery ~

* A Regency Reticule

~ A. Lindahl Creations ~ Creative Children's Photography ~

* 6 $50 gift certificates towards prints with appointment.

call 503.622.0266 for details

The Sunnyside Grange
(Take Sunnyside Rd Exit Off 1-205, Go East to Corner of SE 132nd & Sunnyside Rd)

Chef: Stephanie Robertson

Pot Roast
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Winter Veggies
Field Greens with hazelnuts, pears, and feta with a vinaigrette
Rosemary and Caramelized Onion Focaccia
Fresh Fruit
Creme Brulee

Dance Caller: Nan Evans

Grand March (begin at 7:30)
I Care Not for These Ladies
Auretti's Dutch Skipper
Alice
Knole Park
Leah’s Waltz
Corelli’s Maggot
Well Hall
(Intermission 9:00)
Duke of Kent’s Waltz
Shandy Hall
The Hop Ground
Heidenroslein
The Mulberry Garden
Waterfall Waltz

George Penk - violin
Fred Nussbaum - cello & mandolin
Lisa Scott - piano

Local Rental Costume Sources

~ A Masquerade Costumes
(Bellevue,WA)
10% discount to ORS ballgoers.
Just mention it at the desk.

~ The Costume Loft
Albany

~Costume Avenue Stage West
(Portland/Beaverton/Sherwood)

Tips and Tutorials:
Turning Modern Clothes into Regency Costume

Retrofitting a modern dress:
~Easy retrofit
~Intermediate retrofit
~Advanced retrofit

~Retrofit a tailcoat and create a man's costume with modern items

Guide To Proper Regency Event Costuming

~Dressing a Man for a Regency Ball
~Dressing a Woman for a Regency Ball
~Tying a man's Cravat/Neckcloth

More Ideas Here

www.kristenflemington.com

Kristen Flemington was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in Michigan City, Indiana. She received her BFA in photography from Columbia College Chicago. She is interested in forms of drawing, painting, and now silhouetting as a
pre-photographic form of documentation. She is currently sharpening her silhouetting scissors to perfection.

Other News:

The ORS is celebrating the creation of a new chapter in the Redmond/Bend area.

We are so happy about this development! And on top of that we've sold out the Feast of the Twelfth Night event! Yay!

SOLD OUT!

A good giggle...

2009-10-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been a while since I've updated events and such, and this post is to be my solemn promise that I will do so very soon. In the meatime, this video has been passed around the Janeite/Costume set for a while, and I felt compelled to share it.

Beware, it is side-splittingly funny... and does have one naughty word in it, but is still bloody hilarious. And Mr. Darcy finally says what we've all wished he'd say.

Lots to catch up on!

2009-08-11T22:38:00.000-07:00

New Events!

July 31 ~ August 16, 2009 - "Pride and Prejudice" on Stage
Mago Hunt Center (at University of Portland), Portland, Oregon
A Production by Quintessence Language and Imagination Theatre

August 29, 2009 - A Tour and A Tea
Bishop's Close, Lavender Bleu Tea Room - West Linn, Oregon

September 4, 2009 - An Evening of Music and Dance
Ainsworth House & Gardens ~ Oregon City, Oregon.

October 3, 2009 - ORSCVC Harvest Ball
Details and Location TBA

October 10, 2009 - "What Not To Wear" Regency Workshop
Home of Lauren Marks, SE Portland.

December 5, 2009 - ORS Winter Ball
The Sunnyside Grange, Happy Valley, Oregon

January 9, 2010 - Feast of the Twelfth Night
McLean House ~ West Linn, Oregon

Details and ticket information is available at the Oregon Regency Society Events page.

Pittock Mansion picnic
Pictures Here

Second bonnet workshop
Pictures Here

The First Annual Sherwood Ball

2009-06-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

The Lavender Tea Room hosted the first annual Sherwood Regency Ball. It's a lovely little venue in the quaint town of Sherwood. Attendees enjoyed delicious food, dancing, visiting with a horse (carriage rides were canceled due to rain), and whist. It was a lovely, genteel evening much enjoyed by all.

A new ORS chapter.

2009-04-23T14:49:00.001-07:00

The ORS has set up a new chapter that covers the central Willamette Valley area; which includes Salem, Albany, Eugene and Corvallis. They will have a blogspot page as their home page; and will be connected directly to the ORS main website.

Thea Peck; a contributor to the ORS blogspot page, and also second-in-command to the ORS, is the president of the ORS Central Valley Chapter.

The blogspot page is: http://orscentral.blogspot.com.

An interview with the ORS Founder (me!)

2009-03-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Barbara Wright of Brightjoy Productions has once again provided us with a lovely movie of the ORS... featuring an interview with moi. I'm being as silly as is required of me. :)