Novelty Print Jacket · 1780s Style

Next up in my installments of 18th century garments: my Fabulously Colored 1780s Jacket!

I have such a hard time not being extremely critical about my 18th century clothing, and this one is no exception.  I love the jacket, but my accessories really need to step up a few notches!

So please- turn a lenient eye, and let me know if you have some ideas on improving the look! :-)

Why is it that I only remember my need for updated accessories when I actually put on the garment at the event?!  At any rate, here's the outfit in its current state.  Maybe at some point it will get a bit of a refurbishment. ;-)

I absolutely love this fabric (purchased from Colonial Williamsburg) and I knew it would be perfect as a jacket.  It happens to go with almost every single one of my petticoats, so the variety in colors definitely payed off!

I made this jacket 3 years ago, but this past December was the first time I was able to wear it in a seasonally appropriate setting!  So nice to be happy for the long sleeves, rather than gritting my teeth through an 85° day. ;-)

The jacket is trimmed around the sleeves and peplum with a gathered self-fabric trim.  This ended up being the most time-consuming method of trimming I've ever done, but the effect was worth it. :-)

The back seams release into box pleats at the waist and are accented by (ironically nearly-invisible) covered buttons.

You know how I was saying that I forget about all the fixes I need to make to my outfits until I'm wearing it?  Well, I completely forgot that I needed to pack my bum roll for our trip.  This jacket positively begs for a little extra "oomph", so I was desperate for a substitute.

Enter: socks.

They're perfect!  In fact, so perfect that all of us ended up safety-pinning socks inside our petticoats all week long. ;-)

Ahhh, the silly things you do for fashion.

Closing with pins down the front, like usual!

I used J.P. Ryan's jacket pattern as a base, lengthening the sleeves as referenced from period sources and changing the armhole shape so that it joined in at the intersection of the back/strap/side back seams.

That angle where the peplum starts and the front point begins is such a bear!  Too low and it runs into the skirt pleating and bunches up.  Too high and the skirt waistband shows!  It's just unforgiving!

I ended up getting it *almost* right, but it's still a tad short-waisted.  I've discovered the wonder of using straight pins to corral all my unruly bits, and a little pin at this point does wonders!  No more constant fiddling throughout the day!

My original inspiration came from this print, Cries of London: Knives, Scissors, and Razors to Grind.

The end result, however, took advantage of a little creative license and used other garments for additional inspiration, as you can see. :-)

· As always, lovely pictures by Kathryn! ·