English Country Dance Costumes

Here is the Victorian version of a chemisette, the habit shirt.  This was worn with dresses which have a lower neckline, or a partially open front as seen in the last half of the 19th century.  And something with this name would have been worn even earlier, although with the early riding habits a full shirt with sleeves was pobably more common, depending on the style of the habit.

This one is made from Verona lawn, a cotton fabric so fine it feels like silk.  The buttons are pearl finish, and lace edges the collar.  The lace matches that on the removable undersleeves which I wear with my 1860 tartan taffeta dress.

These undersleeves are made from Verona lawn, a very fine cotton that feels like silk.  I decorated the cuffs with some trapunto and French knot embroidery, and the buttonholes are made by hand.  The undersleeves are worn with my 1860 tartan taffeta dress.   I added lace which matches that on the habit shirt.  The sleeves are 16 inches long overall, and button into the dress sleeve lining.

Here are a couple of the chemisettes I have made.  One has a simple gathered ruffle, the other has a basic ruff, and one has a hemmed ruffle.  All finishes were popular in the first half of the 19th century.  They were worn to fill in the neck of the dresses worn in the daytime, thus extending the wear of the low-necked dresses, as it was not decent, at least in the upper classes, to expose any skin in the daytime.  At night it was different!!  You see many illustrations of ruffs in particular, some of them having almost Elizabethan proportions.

First, here is one made of cotton batiste, with a selvedge edge ruffle.  There is a drawstring through the narrow facing that covers the seam between the body and the ruffle, making it moderately adjustable.  It is open down the front, and another drawstring anchors the hem to prevent it riding up.

Second, here is one with a single layer pleated ruff, also made from cotton batiste, using the selvedge edge on the ruff.   Drawstrings in both cases are made from twisted crochet cotton.  This one has a placket in front so the drawstring ties at the side at the hem.

The third version is made from cotton muslin, and has a narrowly hemmed ruffle.  There is fine lace on each edge of the opening, and it is fastened with a drawstring at the neck and two hooks and eyes.

Here is a fine linen shift patterned after one in the Boston Museum of Fine Art.  The original owner lived from 1795 into the latter half of 1800.  This style is more typical for the early 1800’s.  

I adapted Sense and Sensibility’s shift pattern to include the typical triangular inserts in the skirt, and added the narrow ruffle at the sleeve, a typical decoration at this time.  The neckline is wide enough to tuck it in under the widest ballgown neckline.  The drawstring is made from twisted crochet cotton.

This garment is based on the Folkwear Empire dress pattern, I simply made the straps even more narrow, left off the sleeves, used the minimal amount of fabric in the bodice, closed up the back and had the drawstring tie at the front.  This way I can do it up tightly and really don’t need a corset.  However, anyone with more than B cups would need the corset.  Boning can be added if necessary (but does not replace the need for the corset for those more well endowed).   Jean Hunnisett gives instructions for doing this in her book Period Costumes for Stage and Screen (1800-), and so does Jenny Clancy of Sensibility patterns, although I believe this is a modern adaptation and not strictly period correct.

There are two drawstrings, one at the neckline which can adjust for the dress opening, and one at the waist, using stronger tape, for shaping.  The neckline drawstring holds the garment close over the shoulders and prevents it from showing in the dress neckline.  Of course the skirt could be wider, and have cording in it to help the skirt stand out for the fashions after 1814 or so.  You could also add short sleeves so that you can protect delicate fabrics from sweat and body oils.  It would function like a shift, reducing the number of layers for dancers who wish to stay cool! …….and can be made from a washable fabric.

 Here is a pink acetate slip that I made in much the same way, adding cording (various diameters of string and rope) to the hem to help the skirt of my purple Empire dress dress stand out a bit.  Corded petticoats could be stiff almost all the way up for the most extreme shapes, as in the 1820’s and 30’s (and in much earlier times as well).  I like this colour, because the straps are not so obvious if they creep out a bit at the neckline.  However, the drawstrings keep them in place, especially if the bodice fits a bit snugly, as in my white slip above.