Patterns of Fashion 2!!!!

After several years of searching for it at a reasonable price, I finally found the middle Patterns of Fashion book (1660-1860) at the Dressmaker's Shop in Lansing, MI.

First, I have to give a shout-out to this incredible shop: http://thedressmakersshop.netfirms.com/

I spent so much money there last weekend! Everything from beautiful fabrics, wool shawls, bonnets and trimmings, gloves and brooches to books, old newspapers and period-appropriate perfumes . . . aahhhhhhh. My kind of place. And, the proprietors are just charming. If you can't get over to Michigan, shop their online store (go ahead, I dare ya to keep to your budget!)

Now, on to the book itself:

The sacque-back patterns and robe a l'anglaise look pretty comparable to the Hunnisett book, but the real find are the later patterns: there is a transitional round gown with over robe that looks suspiciously like Colleen Atwood (my personal goddess of movie fashion) might have used it for Marianne's picnic dress in "Sense and Sensibility", and there are Romantic era patterns that are quite intriguing too. Not that I've ever wanted to make a Romantic era dress, but I might take a crack at it now that I see some of these ideas . . .