At last, at last! My Robe a la Bon Bon 1750 - 1770 sacque is complete!
I finished this gown a little while back but it's taken me quite some time to get the energy up to film a dressing video and take some photos. You can watch the dressing video here:
I'm so proud of this project. I'm very pleased with the final result, but I'm perhaps more proud of myself for digging it out of the UFO pile and seeing it through to completion. It's a rare thing to pick up an abandoned project and I often abandon them again, too, especially when they're this long and tedious.
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| Party in the front - trim on top of trim with more trim and bows and trim and lace. Rococo-splosion! |
The biggest take-away from making this gown is that the trimming takes much longer than expected, even when it's pinked. There's just so much of it. Robes a la Francaise are deceptive - you make the impressive back pleats early on in the process and so it feels like you've gotten somewhere very quickly. It feels like "I'm practically done with this!" Ah, but it's a lie! There is so much to come after that, and it's easy to lose motivation.
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| All business in the back - the cascading back pleats and fitted sides of the Robe a la Francaise are the hallmark of the style and so, so elegant. |
I made this using Simplicity 8578 with some alterations, going by The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking rather than the pattern. Those alterations were:
- I did a separate stomacher that pins at the sides rather than the center front hook closure.
- I tweaked the length and hem curves of the sleeves.
- I lengthened the skirt panels in front.
- I sewed this gown entirely by hand using 18th century stitches and seams.
You can see all of the posts for this project, start to finish, here.
