Hustling the bustle

The Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre's Costume Hire Department recently commissioned me to create this Victorian style corseted bustle dress in green duchesse satin. It is based on a costume that had been on their rails for 17 years was a very popular plus-sized pattern.

The dustle and draped apron front of this dress take up a lot of fabric, and the Victorians really liked all their trimmings and decorative touches and this dress is full of them. There is a velvet trim bordered with fringe as well as ribbon, and several feature buttons. The corseted bodice has satin covered piping at the seams and edges, and the sleeves have lace inserts and more buttons.

The lace-up back to the bodice means that it can be worn by people of a wide variety of sizes, which is very useful for Costume Hire as you never know who you'll be dressing.

The Costume Hire Department were thrilled with this revamped version of a favourite and have put in an order for another one in purple already!

Steampunking it up in Whitby

Recently I went to Whitby with some die-hard steampunk friends for the steampunk social. It's a beautiful place and there were some really outstanding outfits on show.

At first I didn't think I'd have anything to wear, but then I recalled my old Victorian pieces I made for Halloween a couple of years ago. Combined with an underbust corset from one of my burlesque outfits that's made from burgundy taffeta with black beading on the upper trim and my red satin bolero style jacket I really started to look the part.

The underskirt is a wine coloured satin with corded gathering behind the knee and a small train, and the overskirt is made from brocade with a layer of dance net at the back to form a bustle effect with the ties inside giving it shape.

I also had a black furry shrug that I'd lined with red satin and had a red satin tie for when it got colder and a matching burgundy facinator made by a friend of mine (Chapeau Carmine on Etsy). The whole look was finished with a necklace made of keys and a brown leather satchel.