'1950s Car' Raincoat

Before I write this post, I must confess to knowing absolutely nothing about cars of any sort. But I recently saw a photograph of a place I knew as it was in 1950, and the cars looked different enough to really stand out to me.

This design took quite a long time as it was difficult to create the right reflection on the plastic of the raincoat. The raincoat is flared, has a wide collar and slim, straight sleeves. It has white edging around the corners of the coat, an off-white belt and white button feature on the shoulders. The raincoat is knee-length and would fasten with snaps.

I hope you liked this design, it is part of my 'Designs Inspired by History' project. For more designs check back here next week or visit my special-occasion-wear blog at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk 

Raincoat Design and Image © Bronzedale Designs

'Devon Moths' Waistcoat

I can't make up my mind about this design, I'm not sure whether I like it or not. I've walked away from the computer and come back to it a few times to try and see if I can decide, but I still can't, so in the end I decided to post it anyway, because I haven't got another design that I can post instead this week.

The inspiration behind it is from a leaflet I got a little while back for 'Devon Moths.' Small, very detailed sculptures of moths, made from fallen trees. They were such an unusual idea that they really caught my eye and so I decided to do a design based around them.

This design uses the colours of one of the moths and also loosely uses the moth's shape in the shapes of the coloured areas on the waistcoat. The waistcoat has a black collar and is fastened with a row of black covered buttons. There is embroidery in a rust colour, following the shapes of the orange areas.

I hope you liked this design, it is part of my 'Designs Inspired by Art' project. For more designs check back here next week or visit my special-occasion-wear blog at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk 

Waistcoat Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs

'Elizabeth I Coronation' Jacket

This jacket is based on the coronation portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. It uses a pattern similar to the one used on the bodice of Elizabeth's dress, it also copies the fitted shape of the bodice (though it hasn't been taken to the extremes that the Tudors took it.) Interestingly, the dress that Elizabeth wore in her coronation portrait was also the dress that Mary I had worn for her coronation.

Detail of the pattern on the jacket

This jacket is intended to be made of brocade of a golden brown colour with the pattern picked out in a slightly duller brown colour. The jacket is very fitted, with close-fitting long sleeves. The collar is ruffled and is made out of a lighter satiny material in a similar colour to the rest of the jacket. The same material is used to make a ruffle that goes around the hem of the jacket. The jacket uses an invisible zip for a subtle fastening.

I hope you liked this design, it is part of my 'Designs Inspired by History' project. For more designs check back here next week or visit my special occasion wear blog at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk 

Jacket Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs

'A Place of Greater Safety' Summer Coat

I was a bit unsure about reading A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel simply because I know next to nothing about French history (or any history other than British history for that matter) so I wasn't sure whether I would follow it. I'm glad I did read it, it's an amazing book.

It was quite a while after I finished it that I google image searched Lucile Desmoulins and came up with this picture (which is believed to be of Lucile Desmoulins) and decided to use it for a design sketch.

I've called this design a summer coat, is that an actual thing? I'm not sure. It probably ought to exist, if only for the Great British summertime. This design loosely copies the clothes worn by Lucile Desmoulins in the portrait. I have found the colour almost impossible to get right, and I'm still not sure about it, the colour in the portrait looks prettier.

The coat has a gathered front like the one in the portrait, an embroidered waist panel and reaches to the top of the thigh. It has close fitting sleeves, a high collar and a semi shoulder cape (I don't know if there's a better name for that.) It fastens at the front with small buttons. 

Detail on the embroidered waist panel

Detail on the collar

I hope you like this design, it is part of my 'Designs inspired by Literature' project. For more designs, check back here next week or visit my other blog, Bronzedale Bridal Designs at www.bronzedalebridaldesigns.blogspot.co.uk/

Coat Design and Images © Bronzedale Designs

'Victorian Locket' Coat

I designed this coat after seeing a Victorian locket on an antique jewellery website. There's a picture of the locket below, and the web address that it came from is at the bottom of the page. I've taken the swallow motif from the locket and adapted it, using it on the collar, cuffs and hem of the coat, embroidered in gold coloured thread.

I chose the colour for the coat simply because I thought it suited the motifs, but when I went back and looked again at pictures of the locket, I found that the inside of the locket is a similar colour to this coat. I chose the gold for the embroidery because it stood out and made the coat look quite elegant, but silver could look good as well.

The coat uses frog buttons to fasten it. Even very simple frog buttons can look striking and there are some beautiful designs. You'd need a hidden button to keep the collar closed as well, and although I didn't include this on the design, I think I'd put a button or two on each of the cuffs.  
The coat is asymmetric, with the buttons fastening on the diagonal. This allows for one wide collar panel, with the more detailed motif on.

I hope you liked this design. It is part of my 'Designs inspired by History' project. For more designs check back here soon. 

Coat images and design © Bronzedale Designs.
Locket Image taken from: http://www.antiquejewellerycompany.com/shop/victorian-silver-locket-with-swallow-motif/#.VrzhzY_XLD5
I do not own the locket image.