1888-1890 walking dress

In Oktober, I posted that I had started a 1880-1890 walking dress based on a fashion plate. (Actually, the plate is not dated, but by the looks it has to be something like these years.) I managed to finish it in time for a the first intended wearing, a steampunk larp, but that also meant that I made a slightly steampunked version of the vest. Now I have made the more historically accurate (HA) vest I originally intended, so now I consider it finished. I posted about the finished skirt here.

This dress consists of a skirt with soutache embroidery, and a coat-like overdress with an attached false vest. Under, I wear a shirt and kind of tie. (And of course chemise, corset and bustle.) (I will probably make a better shirt sometime, but here I borrowed a modern shirt for the steam punk larp, and my Edwardian shirt for the photo session.)

Sometime, I might get around to describe how I adapted the standard bodice pattern to a coat-like overdress, but this time I will just put up lot of pictures.

A closer look with the HA vest:

I made a welted watch pocket, just as on the fashion plate! That was fiddly, and meant I had to do the scary thing of cutting a hole in the front and hoping I would not mess it up... But it turned out ok, and I like the look of it even while it is not nearly perfect.

 Then, in its steam punk version:

At the larp, with Stempunky Mystical Machines.

 

And the HSM facts:

 Challenge #1 2016: Procrastination

What the item is: ca 1888-1890 walking dress. 

Fabric: A soft blue polyester  fabric with some stretch, flat lined with old cotton sheets. Polyester velvet for collar, lapels and revers.
Pattern: I started with the Truly Victorian 1885 Cuirass Bodice to get the general shape, but then I changed the front totally, added a collar, and added a skirt to the bodice, so there is not much left of the original pattern. Truly Victorian 1885 Four-Gore Underskirt for the skirt.

 Year: 1888-1890  I would guess.
Notions: Soutache braid. Hooks and eyes for closure of the HA vest, those large hooks for closure of the steam punk vest (taken from all those useless key bands you get now and then as a student).
How historically accurate is it? The look and shape of it is pretty good, but construction methods is mostly made up as I went along. Materials is all wrong.

 Hours to complete: lost count. Something like 5 h for the soutache on skirt and a few more hours to sew the skirt. I think the soutache on the HA vest took 3 h. Maybe 5 h for constructing and testing the pattern for the coat/overdress. I would say, in total something like 25-30 h??
First worn: Steampunk version:  for my larp in last October and for my 30:th birthday masquerade. HA version: not yet except for photos.
Total cost: maybe something like 60-80 Euro?

Procrastinated for how long: Not so long, actually. I made it with its steam punk vest in October, but it took until January to get started on the HA vest.