An 1890s Walking Dress

Sooo after forever, I've decided to start working on a new Victorian dress project. What I have in mind is something that has been on the eventual to-do list for a while - just a simple 1890s walking outfit. I've been wanting an outfit like this for its simplicity and ease of not having to worry about things like trains/long hems, ruffles, etc.

What I'm looking to put together is a simple shirtwaist with a flared skirt. I may make a fitted vest to go over top of the shirtwaist and - pending that I have enough material - maybe even do a false shirtwaist to go under a jacket. We'll see.

In the meantime, here's some of the photos I've been poking through to get the creative juices flowing.

1890s dress via Pinterest

1899 Wedding Dress from V&A

A Few Quick Updates

Ugh, I have been so lazy in keeping up to date on my posts these last couple of months.

Part of the problem is I haven't had a hardcore costume project to keep my mind focused for a while. I've been mostly doing quick sewing projects since the start of the year that don't warrant too much research of time for putting together. I'm planning to make some changes to that (more on that in a couple of posts).

Part of my distraction lies in that I've been starting to make plans for August for traveling, and my wedding next year. Yep, I'm engaged now!This happened back at the end of April, but due to aforementioned laziness, I'm just now mentioning it.

I have to show off my ring though because Kerry proved just how well he knows me by picking a vintage ring. We know it's about 100 years old, but that is about it since it has no maker's marks and came with no provenance. I absolutely love it though and the gentleman who gave it to me!