Call for Costumers

[taimatsu]

I am sorting out a new LARP costume.

It will be fairly prim in appearance and entirely black. I'll either use my black velvet skirt or order a long a-line skirt from gothstuff - I'll have to see how the velvet one looks before I decide.

Then I want a blouse. When I was little my mother used to wear a white cotton blouse with long sleeves and a high collar with a narrow pleated ruffle all round it. Does anyone know what this kind of collar is called? I'd like to find or make a blouse like this in black.

Then there must be an apron. I'll buy some black pinstriped material and make this, but I need the design to be right. It can't be very full and ruffly - it should lie quite flat. The straps and strings will be wide black satin ribbon that I can tie in bows at the neck and waist. Does anyone know of useful free patterns or references for this sort of thing?

And finally, I might need the kind of tall hair-comb that is worn with a mantilla. Any tips on buying those?

All ideas and comments most welcome - thanks!

Comments

[faerierhona.livejournal.com]

Laura Ashley are great for that sort of thing. Also try Pastimes catalogue

And I think it's an Edwardian collar, is it similar to this? http://www.fashion-era.com/edwardian_pictures.htm

[the-alchemist.livejournal.com]

Simplicity do patterns that sound exactly like what you describe. They're in the 'tops' section of the catalogue, and maybe in the 'costumes' section too.

[claire-smith.livejournal.com]

As above, but also check out unlikely places such as Primark. Those blouses are actually coming back into fashion, so you might find one which would be passable.

These are nice, but might be a bit too frilly...
http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/butterick/shop.cgi?s.item.3417=x&TI=10013&pageNum=6&M=&UK=32949193

[taimatsu]

What I'm hoping is that if I can find any close-up pictures of then, or the one that my mum used to wear, I can buy a black blouse and just make a new collar for it. Thanks for the tip about Primark :)

[taimatsu]

(After a bit mre thinking and hunting...) *nod* It's a completely normal modern blouse, with just an inch-wide pleated frill attached to the collar band instead of a standard shirt collar. I haven't found a single picture anywhere of anything that's right. Even the eighties pictures of Princess Di in a 'pie-crust frill' collar are wrong - hers is much floofier and wider.

[damianobf.livejournal.com]

Drop esther and line and ask her as I expect she will know. I'll try and get her to come and have a look at this as well.

She may well have patterns and stuff or atleast tell you where to get them or how to make them.