Red pet-en-l'air and petticoat

My red pet-en-l’air is one my top favourites ever, despite that the bodice could fit a little better. It’s not that hard to fix, though, so it’s my entire fault. The petticoat is a wee bit too short too, but that can’t be help, there really wasn’t enough fabric to make it longer. The fabric is a rayon/cotton blend that really feels like silk and I love the red colour so much. I bought the fabric when I had very little money and could only afford to buy 5 meters, in retrospect it would have been perfect with 1/5 meter more, but when the wallet says no…




The pattern is once again picked from Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion, though by now I don’t recall which one exactly- I think I mix and matched from several patterns. It’s roughly 1750’s with a seam at the waist and winged cuffs. The lining is split in the back so you can adapt the fit with ribbons, very useful if your weight change. In the front the lining has lacing holes, so you can either tie it with ribbons, or just pin it to the unboned stomacher.



Backview, while dancing at the Georgian ball in Bath.



And a variation with the red petticoat tucked into the slits in the pocket hoops.