January Theme Historical Lolita: 18th Century Robe a la Francaise

For the January Historical Lolita theme I would like to show my dress, inspired by an 18th century robe a la francaise (aka a "sack back" dress).





The dress and underskirt is made of a crisp silk material.





The dress is decorated with faux pearls, pleated ribbon, ribbon roses and bows, and 2 kinds of venise lace.




A side view:


Back view:

(Oops I didn't realize I missed ironing that back bottom part).

The pleated "cape" is detachable, with the hooks hidden underneath the collar.


The overskirt is edged with floral venise lace and little roses, and is accented with some big silk fabric flowers. The underskirt is trimmed with wide venise lace that matches the sleeve cuffs.


I wore the outfit in a fashion show last Saturday, along with a coat and these accessories:

The leather gloves are vintage and I originally wore the tiara for my wedding. =)

I didn't take a picture of my dress without the coat until I came home, so I apologize for the night-time flash photo!

The silk shoes and buckles are by American Duchess. The tights are from Forever 21.

I know the dress is a bit longer than the usual lolita silhouette, but I based a lot of my cutting and tailoring decisions on the salvaged beading.

Just before the show someone took a photo of me.

(Picture by Sally Norton).

I made the dress using fabric from a vintage wedding dress. Some more pictures and construction details can be found on my blog:
http://freshfrippery.com/2013/01/24/robe-a-la-francaise-18th-century-lolita-dress-project/