Friday, May 25, 2012

Silk and feathers and boots...oh my!

Colonial Williamsburg milliner's shop
A lovely array of silk gowns on display at the Margaret Hunter shop.
Colonial Williamsburg, May 2012

I've heard from others who were there during that weekend that the Margaret Hunter milliner's shop at Colonial Williamsburg featured some special 1860s fashions to tie into CW's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Williamsburg.  Silly us stopped in on Saturday (must have been before they laid those things out!) and on Monday (after they put them all away and went back to the 1770s), so we missed it!  Ah well.  It would have been a lot of fun to see the 1860s items and hear the comparison discussions that went on about the changes in fashion across the hundred years' span being represented, but even though we missed that part of the weekend, we still found lots of 18th century confections and pretties in the shop on which to feast our eyes and to satisfy our sewing souls.  Here's a collection of some of our favorites.

Colonial Williamsburg milliner's shop
The "Spruce Sportsman" feathered hat, which can't help but make you smile.

Colonial Williamsburg milliner's shop
A pair of handmade green leather ladies riding boots, displayed alongside the
jacket of a ladies habit (right) and some additional  "Spruce Sportsman" items.

Colonial Williamsburg milliner's shop
A reproduction of a chintz banyan in the collection of Colonial
Williamsburg.  Oh, how I adore this fabric.  I wonder what it would take
to persuade CW to release it as part of their cotton fabric line next year...:-)

Colonial Williamsburg milliner's shop
The tailor's work table with a silk coat in progress.

Colonial Williamsburg milliner's shop
Silk, glorious silk...

Colonial Williamsburg milliner's shop
A detail of the sleeve ruffles on a cross-barred silk gown.  *sigh*

1 comment:

Maureen Payne said...

Reminds me of my sewing room right now. I have about 5 renaissance silk gowns on hangers on the back of my sewing room door hung on those over the door hooks. Yeah they look so pretty and its amazing how the light plays off the fabric. Yeah total awesome photo, its a feast fo the eyes.