The Museum of Vancouver has invited four remarkable local collectors, Ivan Sayers, Claus Jahnke, Melanie Talkington and the members of the B.C. Society of the Museum of the Original Costume (SMOC) to share their deep knowledge of costume history by showcasing pieces from their collections.

This project has been in my head for a while now. I first ran into a photo of the extant gown that inspired it last summer, so nearly a year ago. I found this photo of this 1860s ballgown held at t…

A sewing pattern review for Truly Victorian TV442. Pattern reviews help sewers choose the right patten so that they have success with their sewing projects.

The iconic crinoline - the "cage" crinoline or hoop skirt - which made it's debut in the 1850s, reached the zenith of its real estate in the first years of the next decade. The shape of the thing would gradually shift toward the back during the following few years, before completely disappearing at the beginning of the new decade; the "business at the back" we see so much of here, became the the bustle, the look of the 1870s. Ironically, the cage crinoline's final collapse fairly coincided…

Evening dress, ca. 1860. Kerry Taylor Auctions, via Fripperies & Fobs .