The Dress of Mystery!

This sorry-looking poor old thing was found in Wolverhampton's collection, which was transferred to the care of Walsall Museum in 2000. Dating from the mid 1880s it was at first considered for disposal due to its poor condition, and was included in the museum's small handling collection.
In 2009 I took a pattern from it, which at the time didn't seem to me to look.....quite right. I'm no Janet Arnold though, and pressed on, assuming it was down to my shonky draftsmanship. Later, when I put the dress on a dummy to be photographed and sketched, it hung awkwardly. The waistband of the skirt had been altered several times at the front, and seemed rather large for a dress of its age. The side-seams of the bodice swung forward, and the front sagged against the figure.

Then I shoved a cushion up the front of it, and things started to fall into place....

Could this possibly be a purpose-made maternity dress? We'll probably never be 100% certain it is, after all we've all seen photos of rather well-padded matrons corseted into a curvy frock with prominent abdomens, and skinny girls were sometimes driven to 'improve' the front of their dresses with pads which (tut, tut...) might've made them at first glance, appear to be in a delicate condition.

This dress however has slim sleeves, so its owner wasn't a plump lady. The measure across the back and around the neck don't suggest she was underweight either. Being of limited use this dress, if it is indeed a maternity dress, must have been made for a particular occasion. Green silk and 'Cadbury's' purple velvet. It's not a dress to clean the house in. It is rather worn on the inside, so we may assume its owner, or owners, got their money's worth out of it. A dressmakers stamp on the waist-stay shows it was made in Clothier Street, Willenhall, which by strange coincidence is where I grew up!

It was decided at a curatorial meeting to give the dress a safe home in the museum's permanent collection. We thought there was a good chance it was a maternity dress, and they tend to be few and far between. It's not in great condition, and makes a tatty-looking display, but it has something rather interesting to say about the life of a certain Black Country lady, and of other mothers and their babies, over 120 years ago.

More slightly dodgy photos and the pattern for this dress will appear in due course on our resources page.

Annual Subscriptions.

Following our meeting last Autumn it was decided to raise the annual subscription of the Society to £10. This is still far below the rates charged by the other regional societies, and it's hoped that this will allow us to buy in new speakers for meetings, and materials for workshops.

We are also hoping to raise further funds by hosting a study day on Saturday 19th of May at Walsall Museum. The cost to non-members will be £25. Members will get the discounted admission rate of £10. Places are strictly limited to 20. Interested parties will be able to book their place in March. If the day is over-subscribed we may be able to run the same programme again at a later date. Further details regarding the workshops and lectures planned will appear on this site shortly.

Please make cheques payable to 'The West Midlands Costume and Textiles Society', to reach me care of my home address, or Walsall Museum, Lichfield Street, WS1 1TR, by February 17th 2012.

James Keast costumes new Titanic series.

Whether or not the world needs another Titanic film or series is one thing, but whether the world needs a costumer as cool-headed as James Keast is beyond debate....
Keast began his career on 'Portrait of a Marriage' in 1990, and has costumed a massive array of drama in the years since. In 2007 whilst costuming the BBC's version of 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' he answered his phone in the night to hear the production's costume lorry, containing thousands of pounds worth of original Victorian garments, had gone up in flames. Keast got to work dying duvet covers and curtains to replicate the period fabrics he had lost. Read the whole story here at;
http//www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1054969/Thats-I-costume-drama-After-Tess-Of-The-DUrbervilles-wardrobe-went-smoke-mans-mission-save-day.htm

The work of Bafta-award winner Keast often lacks the almost theatrical 'star quality' that characterises the work of other costumers, but this may be its strength. His work might sneak its way into museum cases without raising suspicion, and never overwhelms the artist wearing it. His extensive employment of period garments and fabrics contributes to the authenticity. He produces clothes rather than costumes for his characters, which will always get the seal of approval from those in the know. When the production calls for a bit of flamboyance however, Keast is more than capable as his work for the pre-Raphaelite drama 'Desperate Romantics' shows.
We look forward to Julian Fellowe's new version of the Titanic tale, if for no other reason than the understated elegance and authenticity James Keast's work will undoubtedly add to the story.

'Paper Fashions : Yesterday' by Jill Sawyer

This is the forth book in the Klutz series of paper fashion books, and the first to take historic dress as its theme. It provides illustrative examples of women's clothing from the 14th to the early 20th Century, and encourages youngsters (yes, 35 is still young..... bought it for the Guides, honest.) to create paper costumes using the accompanying stencils, papers, glue and sequins.
The illustrations have obviously been based on pieces familiar to anyone with the Kyoto or V&A books, and the printed papers include some very nice period prints. There are plenty of different styles of dress, and a good amount of craft materials are included - a common complaint with this type of activity book is that the materials are stingy, and impossible to replenish. Thankfully 'Klutz', the California-based publisher, produces reasonably priced packs of paper and tiny wire coat hangers.
This reviewer thinks that children under 10 might find the tiny stencils and paper pieces a bit fiddly, but older children or those with an obliging grandparent on hand to help, will have a lovely time making little costumes to decorate greetings cards or creating a time-line showing the development of costumes through the centuries.

Paper Fashions : Yesterday
Jill Sawyer (2011)
ISBN 978 1 59174-892-2
RRP £12.99 (Amazon and others may be cheaper - today's prices started at £7.25)