I've started working on my "Miss Fisher" wardrobe for the Miss Fisher Convention in June. Very exciting! The first step was determining some wardrobe basics. After analyzing her wardrobe in the show (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries), over all the seasons, I have broken down her DAY outfits to include the following:
- Basic Top - either a camisole, sleeveless blouse or blouse and camisole
- Basic Bottom - Fit & Flare skirt or wide leg pants
- Exquisite Jacket - Long or Short, these jackets always pack a wardrobe punch with intricate embroidery, interesting seaming and/or color blocking or just amazing fabric.
- Fantastic Hat - Whimsical and well plumed, her many cloche hats are not completely period correct, but they are always coordinated impeccably with her wardrobe and very well appointed indeed.
- Accessories - a pendant necklace, drop earrings, matching gloves, period appropriate heels and silk stockings a must.
With basics in mind, I needed to pick out fabric I could coordinate with various jacket options. In November, Britex Fabrics was having a moving sale. All remnants were 30%-60% off their already reduced price. AND Britex remnants tend to be large pieces of fabric - several yards. YAY! After spending several hours shopping, I landed on a beautiful rayon and silk Crepe back satin. It's kind of heavy and has a wonderful drape. The piece was just enough for a pair of trousers and camisole.
These wide-leg pants (trousers) were made by using the Wearing History Smooth Sailing Sport Togs pattern. I had made them previously and new that they fit really well, right out of the package. The original pattern, has a pleat in the front. (You can see the post for that pattern review here) Not wanting a front pleat and also wanting to add pockets, I folded out the pleat on the paper pattern and traced the front piece, onto pattern paper. I added a front slash/angled pocket. You can see how to do this in the book Pattern Making for Fashion Design, by Helen Joseph-Armstong. Otherwise, the pattern was made up in exactly the same way with a hand picked zipper on the side seam.
For the Camisole, I kind of winged it. Using a vintage slip pattern from the 1920's, I traced of the bodice and stopped at the high hip. As I only had one pattern piece to work from (not sure what happened to the rest of the pattern - and I think I was actually using the back pattern), I added two darts to the front bust and put the pattern on the bias (for a bit of stretch and drape). Using my own style lines, I created the front neckline and back camisole pattern piece. I made it up once in a silk crepe, altered the pattern slightly and then was able to sew up this camisole in same fabric as the pants.
I had some of my bridal labels hanging around (that's a different story) and thought I would sew them in. Why not make it fancy just for me? I had these labels made about 20 years ago, but more recently have had my Bonjour Teaspoon labels made using the Custom Couture Label Company (on Etsy). It's affordable if you are an avid sewing enthusiast or professional seamstress wanting to up your game.
Here, you can see that I've paired my ensemble with a dramatic "Miss Fisher" style jacket. It's a good start and I can't wait to get started making more pieces. Stay Tuned!
In the meantime, if you are interested in learning how to do more of what I do, in YOUR sewing practice, you might want to consider coming to our Sewing Summer Camp taking place July 23-27 in Alameda, CA. You can find out more by visiting our Sewing Camps page or by clicking here to Register.
Until next time, Happy Sewing!
xo Jennifer
