wataya | She will go ! Nuff said.

Yesterday, I was still worrying about my diet (hurra for warm spring : I only loose weight when it's hot outside, apparently) and my weight, and the fact that it would prevent me to go to the 19 June costumed event at Vaux-le-Vicomte (because I really don't want to make a big polonaise that would not fit anymore when I am "slim" again and will end in a box in a closet. No, thank you.) when I come to find this picture I had on my comp for a long time and had forgotten, and I have an Epiphany : what kind of of 18th garnement is adjustable to every kind of size, without even the help of a stays ? The Chemise-robe !

The image is Vigée-Lebrun's "Marie-Antoinette en Chemise" and it caused quite a stir when it was painted because it was considered immodest (or worth) for a woman to be dressed like that, especially if the woman was a queen ! Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun painted a good number of portraits of this popular Robe-chemise, or Chemise à la Reine, as it was soon called (the story goes, english women already wore that kind of dress when Marie-Antoinette popularised it. I find it quite improbable, as it is a very impudique kind of dress for the time, and British females where not known for there... "sexual freedom". French were -- even if it's a legend. Also, I find it strange that such a dress, if it was really english-inspired, didn't take its name from the english, like the robe à l'anglaise or the redingote -- riding coat. Anyway, I'm probably mistaking, but I stand on my position.) :

- Another Marie-Antoinette.
- Yolande Gabrielle de Polignac
- Polignac again
- And again, even if I'm not sure this one is a Robe-Chemise.
- Vigée-Lebrun self-portrait : it can be a high-neck Robe-Chemise, or the chemisette of an open gown. The two have lot in common, like the collar and the use of colored ribbons.
- Another self portrait : note the constant use of a colored sash, even when the ribbons are white. Note also that the ruffles of the collar are often double.
- Another Self portrait : a colored exemple, probably for modesty's sake. The portrait date is 1782 : the beginning of the Robe-chemise's period.
- Madame Du Barry : the Robe-chemise is often wore with a straw hat.
- Princesse Isabella Lubomirska ou Chabrillan
- Madame Victoire de France : the Robe-chemise transformed in Round Gown.

Unfortunately, I didn't find any full size painting of this. As for as real examples are concerned, I have found only one. Am I the only one who wants to pettition to the Manchester Galleries to have bigger pics ?!

So I'm going to make this dress for June. As pattern I will use Nora Waughn's Cut of Women's Clothes, diagram XXV. It is the most simple pattern ever ! Better be, for I am going to sew it by hand (the idea of putting muslin, even nasty poly muslin, under my machine foot make me shiver), and with all this gathers, it's already enough hard like this (Oh, did I ever mention that gathers are evils ?). The dress will be done of two layers of white polyester muslin : I can't offer 37 €/m silk muslin... The neck of the original robe doesn't have a collar, I'm going to use the vandyked one of the gown p.42 of PoF. The original chemise was trim with a fringe, mine will only be trim with a white ribbon, but it will close with green ribbons on the front, and it will have a green muslin or silk sash.

I will wear it with a straw hat (summer's coming, I can't not find one somwhere !), taking inspiration of this four fabulous straw hats.

Underneath it all -- because it's going to be very transparent, isn't it ? -- I'm going to wear a plain white cotton reproduction of Lady Hamilton 1790's stays, also in CoWC, Diagram XXIX. I'm going to use this one, first because it is fewly bonned (only on front and back openings), according to the negligé look of the dress, then because my stays (that doesn't fit, let it be remainded) are crème, and it will show, and also because, if happenned to loose weight, these stays will be useless, and I don't want to loose to much time and energy on something that I am going to use once. And I also want to see what this stays look like when mounted, but this is the less important point, isn't it ? :)

Finally, I'll will wear a white cotton petticoat, very simple. If I have time and courage, I'll maybe try to make a muslin petticoat, embroidered white on white with folliages. But I don't really count on it.
As for the use of a bustle pad, I still haven't make my mind. The dress will probably need one, as the pattern is longer in the back, but I fear the Michelin Man look it 'll give me. Maybe my ass will be enough...