I’m really hankering to work on 18th-century stuff. No event in the immediate future, just a bunch of fabric calling my name.
Specifically, it’s the blue caraco. And I’m wanting to make it a zone bodice now. Would a caraco jacket be zone-fronted? I couldn’t find any examples in Kendra’s real women’s clothing links (actually, not many zone’s there at all).
Here’s a zone-ish painting, but it’s a full gown, not a jacket. Fragonard’s Stolen Kiss is likewise a zone-front gown. Here’s a cute stripey zone gown (oooo, wouldn’t my red and black wide-stripe fabric look great in something like that?). And of course there’s Kendra’s own zone-front anglaise gown.
But no jackets. Although if this is a redingote, would that be more jacket-like? And it looks kind of zone-y in the front … And on the left in this fashion plate is a jacket, though her arm is in the way so we can’t see the front at all, but is that extra white bit more ruffle or a hint of zone bodice or fichu tucked thru the wide zone opening? I can dream, right? And why would I care if I don’t have an exact period source for a gown? That’s never stopped me before.
Ah hah! Here’s a zone-front jacket fashion plate, noted as “Bourgeoise, 1786” on the Costumer’s Manifesto site.
Anyway, I know how I’ll make it — I have the perfectly fitted Cosi Fan Tutti bodice, so I’ll add the zone flappy bits to the side fronts to extend over the stomacher. Then I’ll just split the stomacher in half, attach it at the sides, and add a center closure. The original pattern closed at center front, and I changed it to a stomacher, so this is just reverse engineering.
I’d like to find a pale blue taffeta or satin for the zone, since the caraco is embroidered black and the skirt is a rich blue. Something light for contrast. And also make one of those big floppy muffin caps with a straw or covered brim out of the same fabric — pale hats look good on my dark hair.
For the caraco skirt, I thought I’d enlarge the pattern from Janet Arnold and try to super-impose that onto the bodice to get an idea for the skirts instead of totally free-handing it. After all, I have the projector and laptop working now, so I should be able to enlarge it pretty easily. Just didn’t want to fuss with the Arnold bodice pattern when I have one I *know* fits. Let’s not waste that whole summer of muslins.