petticoat culottes / VT slow fashion show
A couple weeks ago I sent a three-look mini collection down the runway at Hotel Vermont for the Vermont Made Slow Fashion Show.
Most of the clothing I make is historically inspired at some level. Sometimes it’s in the silhouette, sometimes it’s in the finishing and construction techniques, and sometimes it’s a more direct reference from a specific garment.
1865 cotton petticoat, Brooklyn Museum costume collection at The Met
Back in January, during my yearly winter house-sitting retreat, I fell down a rabbit hole researching garments from a variety of historical eras. I was especially taken with old undergarments, thanks in large part to the exquisite book put out by the School of Historical Dress I splurged on as a holiday treat. One thing I’ve noticed about the historical undergarments of many different eras is that they are adjustable. Even the sets of stays featured in this book, while made to a person’s measurements, feature lacing/tie closures that allow for mutability.
Beyond stays and rumps though, the garment I kept coming back to was the petticoat. Petticoats are simple skirts worn underneath a more elaborate outer gown. Some petticoats are made to be visible or partially visible, but generally speaking their function is to plump up the silhouette of the gown/overskirt and disguise the shape of the legs. What really inspired me about them though is their adjustability. Having experienced some significant body fluctuations over the past few years, I was intrigued by the way some petticoats tie onto the body to provide a completely custom fit. I also loved the way the front and back panels, once tied on, leave a hidden opening from which a person could access detached pockets. Sidenote: the popularity of the two-panel split petticoat is debatable– many were made adjustable using drawstrings. The two-panel ones are what I came across first, as they are really popular in the historic dress sewing community. If you’re curious, I recommend this video which features a fellow sewist’s research into this particular style.
The petticoat-inspired skirt and culottes I made for the show came together pretty quickly, after a few initial sketches. I started with the skirt, using the two-panel petticoat style as the base for my design. I decided to make the gap between the front and back panels visible as an adjustable cutout with a drawstring. It can be tied like a traditional petticoat (at the front and back), or tied at the sides, and the drawstring that sits below the waistband can be cinched or loosened according to how much skin you want to show (or how low cut your underwear are that day!).
sketches of the petticoat skirt ordered chronologically, a peek into my design process
Another detail on many old petticoats that I find particularly beautiful is the fabric tucking. These tucks are not merely aesthetic– they reinforce the silhouette of the garment width-wise, causing it to poof out more wherever the tucks are placed. Additionally, I suspect the tucks historically provided a means for easy length alteration. In the past, garments were made to be passed down, worn through many body changes until threadbare. The inclusion of these tucks probably allowed for length to be easily added or subtracted from the petticoat, so that each new wearer could fit it to their height. This is just my personal theory, I haven’t come across evidence that this type of alteration was common, and I’m not a dress historian. But it makes sense and seems likely to me.
various petticoats from ~1830’s-1860’s, The Met Museum Costume Institute collection
I made the petticoat inspired skirt first using a lightweight linen, and loved how it turned out, especially the waist details. I could envision it on one of my models paired with the museum top. But when I thought about my own personal style, I couldn’t help but wonder– what if it was pants? I don’t personally wear a lot of skirts, and have had culottes on my mind recently after trying a couple at a local vintage shop. I also wanted the tucks and waist details to be more visible, and the fabric to be lighter and a bit more crisp. I went to Stash VT and found a sheer cotton voile that beautifully showed off the tucks and drawstring elements. I originally made the pants the same length as the skirt version, but after trying it on and seeing it on my model I decided to add more tucks to shorten it significantly.
The bra top I made to go with the petticoat culottes was a frantic four-hour draft-and-sew a couple nights before the show. I had very little fabric left from the culottes (which ate up almost all four yards I purchased), but it worked out because the bra top reinforces the reference to undergarments and adds some playfulness to the collection.
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about both the bra top and the culottes, whether I’ll be making some to sell. The answer is maybe yes, but I might fiddle around with the pattern a bit more first. The petticoat culottes (and the skirt) were pretty labor intensive and required a lot of fabric. Having just released the museum top and dress, which are also extremely labor intensive/materially expensive, I am looking to create some simpler pieces for Fall. I will likely make some version of the culottes and bra top eventually though. For Fall, I have an idea for a ¾ length sleeved top I’d like to make that also features fabric tucks, as well as a cropped casual jacket/cardigan. Possibly a layer-able deep v-neck tank/dress with a detachable pocket detail. And I have an idea for a more labor intensive button-down. I always have too many ideas. We’ll see what makes it past the experimenting phase and into the shop– let me know if you’re aching for any one of these pieces in particular.
Rebecca, Maggie, and Sunniva wearing Lorna for the Vermont Made slow fashion show
