1880's formal / court presentation gown

In 2015 I had less than a week to make a gown for the Saturday night gala, so it had to be something simple, fast and straight forward. I decided to make a Victorian court presentation gown after one of Worth's gowns. Truly Victorian had just come up with a perfect skirt pattern that I was happy to use to save time on guess work. I only lengthened the train a little. The bodice pattern is my own.

It's made of duchess silk satin. The skirt and train are faced and the bodice lined with glazed cotton. The trim is silk tulle that was originally soft but was starched stiff, pleated and sequinned. It's worn over a lobster style bustle and two petticoats.

I found Kat's research for presentation accessories very helpful.

The inspiration