The cut of Gustaf III's national gown

I’m not going to allow myself to start on the Robe de Cour project until next year. I need to budget in a lot of white silk and I also want to finish as much as possible of my project back log until I start this. As I’ve mentioned before I’m going to make the gala version of Gustaf III’s national gown. It was originally meant to be red with white decoration to honor his Danish queen Sophia Magdalena, but I think it was realized before it was ever sewn, that a bright red gown wasn’t he most flattering one. Imagine a whole court of with red ladies! So instead the gala version became white with blue decorations, nicely complimenting the male suit which had those colours reversed.

J looking snazzy in the male version. I think I will compliment him very nicely in a white gala gown!

The national suit was planned and probably also designed by Gustaf III in 1778. There was a design competition and the winner was selected by the king- and he chose a design by some bloke called Anonymous… For ladies the gown consisted of three parts, regardless if it was the common version for ladies not presented for the king, or the court version.

The original pattern showing the first cut, the two different kind of sleeves, two of the collars, the bodice and the placement of the trim of the petticoat. As the robe was looped up in the back, the back of the petticoat had to be in silk and trimmed as well, making it more expensive.

A petticoat decorated with two rows of pleated trim in the same fabrics. It was to be worn over pocket hoops, which made it easier t wear than the former Robe de Cour that demanded large paniers. It was also used with ordinary stays and not the heavily boned bodice of the Robe de Cour was just about the only thing about it that the ladies of the court liked.

A sleeveless bodice laced in the back and with a pleated trim

A robe with sleeves rather fuller than the current fashion and made into two puffs. On the common version the sleeves were in the same fabric as the robe, but the court version had sleeves made in thin white fabric with a lattice work in the robes fabric. The first version of the robe was cut a la polonaise, but it seems that it was eventually cut a la anglaise. It was decorated with the same pleated self-fabric trim. The common version had a shorter train than the court version and it was also looped up a bit differently.

The cut of the extant common gown.

For all versions a collar was to be worn, two that was high, akin back to a fashion nearly 200 years out of date, and one lower, more like a trim than a collar. The court gown was either the white gala version or black. Depending on which court the ladies belonged to, sash and ribbons were in red (the king’s court), blue (the queen’s court or yellow, (the widower queen’s court). There was also a version for country wear that was yellow with pale blue decoration. For older ladies it looked like the ordinary national gown, but for young ladies was cut like a riding habit.

The common version could be made in any solid colour and so could the sash and ribbon. The national gown was never very popular with the ladies, and there is only one extant example left, a common version worn for a wedding. There is, however, extensive documentation on it as Gustaf III was a bit of a control freak and wanted things to made just so after his wishes.

The Card Game by Pehr Hillestrom, 1779.
One of the seated ladies is wearing the black court gown and the lady beside her is wearing a common version in grey. The lady arriving is also wearing the national gown, through as her sleeves are hidden, we can't see which version it is. The two seated men are wearing the men's national suit in the court version, and the man kissing the hand is wearing a grey common version.

An 18th century curiousity

I'm repeating myself a little here, but bear with me.

I’m starting anew project, or perhaps I should say that I re-start it. I bought the fabric for it several years ago, did the mock-up for the bodice and completely lost steam. I’m going to make Gustaf III national gown, the common version.

Background
Gustaf III was king of Sweden 1771-1792. He was a rather interesting personality and definitely a control freak- he wanted to have his say in everything. When most countries that saw a revolution in the 18th century did so to promote democracy, Gustaf III had a revolution and re-established his total sovereignty. But he did promote commoners in many aspects and when he was shot in 1792, it was a nobleman who held the gun. Gustaf III was a man of many interest, among them history, music and theatre and it’s mainly because of him that Sweden has such a nice collection of historical clothes.

He also had an interest in clothes and in 1778 came a clothing reform for the upper classes.

The idea had to do with economy, but it also connected with the idea of national pride, an idea that the 19th century evolved. The national suit lent many featured from former fashion. The men’s suit consisted of a short jacket, waistcoat, breeches and a short cloak. For men of the court it was black with red details for everyday wear and light blue with white details for gala. It became a quite popular, an 18th century equivalent of the 3 piece suit. You knew you were always right in a national suit. Men not at court could wear it in any colour, and several have been preserved. Gustaf III himself seems to have preferred it and about ¾ of his suits were of the national cut, at the time of his death.

The ladies, however, seem not to have liked their gown. It consisted of a petticoat, worn over pocket hoops, a sleeveless bodice, laced in the back and a robe, cut as a polonaise.

It was to be black, with red derails (or blue or yellow, if you belonged to the Queen or the King’s mother’s court). For gala it was at first red with white details, perhaps as a tribute to the Queen who was Danish, but it was very quickly changed to a white gown with blue details. What were considered so terribly old-fashioned were the high collar and the poufy sleeves. For ladies of the court the sleeves were white with a black lattice work, for other ladies the sleeves were worn in two poufs. Another difference between court gown and common gown was the train. It was longer on the court gown and was to be worn down- just hitched up at the front sides. The common gown was worn a la polonaise.

The cut of the women’s gown, very quickly adapted to fashion and the only remaining national gown is cut like an anglaise. It’s a common gown and was used for a wedding in 1780.

The high collar was quickly disregarded, as was the way of keeping the train down. What did remain, despite being so old-fashioned, were the latticed sleeves. Through the 19th century it was used with a black, contemporary gown, at court functions. And as late as the 1950’s, girl being presented at court wore it for their first time.

The petticoat
As I’ve mentioned, it was worn over pocket hoops, which seems to have been to only thing that the ladies of the court found positive about it. Understandable, as they were used of wearing the very formal robe de cour:

Bit of a difference, yes?

The national suit was much easier to wear, and not as elaborate embellished either. The petticoat simply has two rows of pleated self-fabric, one wide and one narrow. I’m making my gown out of black silk taffeta and I’m starting with the petticoat. The best written text about the extant gown is from the 1930’s and though it gives the pattern, it gives rather sparse details of the construction. It does say that the petticoat has openings in both sides and that it’s closed with hooks and eyes, but not if the closure is at the sides or in the back. So I’m making my petticoat in the same was I always do.

I cut two skirt lengths of the fabric and then I cut the top in an arc, so the centre front is lower then the top. I do this to accommodate for the hoop and if you look in Janet Arnold, for example, you can see that the petticoats there are longer over the hip. It’s important to do this adjustment at the top- if you lengthen the petticoat at the sides instead, it will drape all wrong. TA the top of the picture you can see one of the skirt lengths folded in half and cut. How much you cut depends on the size of the hoop. For my pocket hoop, a difference of 13 centimetres works well.

Underneath is the other length, pleated down. As you can see I’m in the process of basting the pleats after being pinned down. I do this before I sew the fabric pieces together, as it’s easier to handle less fabric.

I will sew the sides together, stopping some 15 centimetres from the top. I prefer to close my petticoats at the sides, so I will sew the front to one waistband and the back to another. Then I will sew ribbons at the sides, so I can tie the petticoat close.