1910's corset pattern and instructions

In 2010, I wrote 2 articles for the online magazine Foundations Revealed about how I created a recreation of an antique corset from the mid-1910's. After a year on that site, I regained the rights to republish that article for free on my own website, so I thought I would share that with you all as a little holiday present from me! The original articles had more information about the research, pattern cloning techniques, and comparisons with the original garment, but I figured that people would be the most interested in the pattern and construction instructions, so this is a condensed version. This corset is a very easy garment to make up, and I hope this helps some of you with your 100 year Titanic anniversary and Downton Abbey costumes in 2012. Merry Christmas to you all!  :)

a Sherlockian disguise

This past weekend, the DFWCG took a costumed outing to the newest Sherlock Holmes movie.  Most of our members opted for Steampunk attire, but I was drawn toward something even more out of the ordinary for me.  I had no desire to sit through a movie in a corset and bustle, so I decided to go as Irene Addler in disguise as a man.  Although I don't think she would be very successful blending into a crowd if she wore pants like these!

I actually made the pants last year for an Alice in Wonderland party, but I was excited to get an excuse to wear them again.  I have a mad love for obnoxious plaids, so in my very warped opinion, these are probably the most fabulous pants of all time!  LOL!  I made them with the discontinued Martha McCain Civil War pants pattern - Simplicity 5023.  I thought they made up wonderfully, and I would definitely use that pattern again for the boys in my life if they ever need Victorian pants.

The vest was a bit of a train-wreck, and it fought me to the bitter end.  Nothing fit together right, so I ended up ditching the collar and faced lining and turned it into a very dumbed-down version vs. something with authentic construction.  I also accidentally cut off the underlap for the buttons, so it barely fit me when it was done.  But luckily, it is made out of wide wale corduroy with a long pile, so black velvet-like fabric combined with a poorly lit theater hides a ton of flaws.

The shirt was just a cheap men's shirt from Walmart with the collar flap cut off to make it more of a band-collar style.  The wool scarf is something that I wear all the time, and the newsy cap is something that I had from a previous Halloween costume.

It was such a fun costume to make and wear, and I love having an excuse to play with menswear for a change.  And even better was that my friend Ginger dressed up as Irene Addler in disguise too, so I had some company with my cross-dressing shenanigans!  The only problem is that it is hard to manage a "tough guy" face when you really want to smile and giggle and act silly with your friends!  We'll have to work on that a bit!  :)