#REGALCORE ~ Styling My Handmade Wardrobe
- Tara Deighton
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
It recently occurred to me that, whilst I spend a lot of time sharing the sewing projects that I'm working on, I haven't shared much about how those pieces then work as part of an outfit I want to wear. So, I thought it about time to share some of my styling tips and tricks with you.
I tend to start with a story and a character from that story, inspired by everything and anything I'm reading, watching or finding on Pinterest or Instagram. At the moment I'm diving back into Early Modern History, especially the Tudors and Elizabethans so the outfits I've been styling and loving are very much inspired by this era. I'm calling the look #regalcore and I'm loving it!
The look is based around dresses and is a more formal approach to dressing with a focus on fabric, details and accessories. As much as I would enjoy a full on Queen Elizabeth I ensemble, my aim is to not look costumey so I chose full skirted dresses I have made with a square neckline.
Two of these were versions of a vintage Style pattern from the early 1960's which I've made a few versions of ~ It's a favourite pattern of mine although I've done a lot of fitting and adapting to get it just so. Using a beautiful, textural needlecord in a dusky pink adds to the richness of the look. This was a wonderful vintage deadstock fabric I found for only £2.49 per metre~ looking regal doesn't need to break the bank or cost the earth!
I added my Bess Collar to add more of an Elizabethan tone to the look. I've made them in all sorts of fabrics as they're the perfect stash buster and really quick to make. This one in white cotton lawn with it's ruffled edge and collar and velvet ties added a sumptuousness and regal element I wanted.
When I designed the Bess collar, I really took the time to get those Elizabethan proportions rather than creating simply an oversize collar {which, I should caveat, is fabulous too!}. Named for Good Queen Bess, I feel my favourite Queen would approve of this simple yet effective accessory that takes a simple dress from lovely to regal in mere moments!
You can find out more about The Bess Collar here!
I've been getting more interested in Elizabethan embroidery techniques too and created this stumpwork strawberry brooch as a project for my lovely coven over on Patreon. I love it added to the collar and am enjoying the red little silk berries against the white of the lawn and the dusky pink of the needlecord dress.
My second #regalcore look was a dress I designed in my head whilst reading the Alison Weir book about Mary I. I had 4 metres of my all time favourite Liberty London Tana Lawn print called Honeymoon. I thought the cobwebs and sweet peas gave a nod to Elizabethan textiles and put me in mind of dark corners at Hampton Court Palace.
This dress, which I'm also calling Bess, is my self drafted bodice which I've created a princess seam block from. I put a seam down the centre front to create a simple keyhole and added a ruffle and ties at the collar. The skirt is simply 2 widths of the fabric, gathered onto the bodice and I left the centre front, approximately 10 cms or so flat over my tummy. This is a great little tip for those of us who are a little tummylicious and are self conscious of adding volume in the tummy area.
I'm over the moon with my third #regalcore look which is again the vintage Style pattern without the sleeves. I think a pinafore dress is a real wardrobe hero as it can be worn over any blouses, tops or shirts. I'm wearing it here with the Lugosi Blouse which was a Pattern Cutting and Sewing Tutorial I did over on Patreon. It has some fabulous details and I loved making it but feel I haven't worn it enough! It took this fun little dress up session for me to see how I could wear it! Note to self ~ MUST play Dressing Up more!
These beautiful little box pleats around the neckline and the ruffle give a Tudor vibe and the very pretty Pima cotton was a purchase from the wonderful Jacobs Haberdashery many moons ago.
The voluminous sleeves are finished with a faced scallop edge cuff and are elasticated ~ although this blouse has lots of special details, it's actually a very simple pull on blouse that I feel amazing in when I wear it.
As the evenings are still a little chilly, I throw on my Lucrezia gilet which I made from a simple cotton drill and created a Trapunto design feature on the front. I've long been obsessed with Trapunto, or Italian quilting and I must use this technique some more in future projects.
I filmed a video for my YouTube channel all about these looks plus some casual #vintageutility looks I put together which you can enjoy with a cup of tea at your leisure.
My takeaway from this fun dressing up exercise was how much I enjoy making really special items for my handmade wardrobe and that I should take more time to factor these into future makes. It's easy to make something on a whim without thinking about how it will function within your existing wardrobe but creating outfits around a story and character really gives you scope to create some amazing outfits ensuring your precious handmade makes get the wear they so deserve!
Happy Sewing {and Dressing up!} my Lovelies,
Tara x
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