Updated Sunday, January 09, 2005

With the holidays upon us, we will be attending a plethora of festivities. Deciding what to wear is nearly always a challenge, and even more at this time of year! But what better time to show off your vintage fashion flair than during this season of celebration? DH's office party, a ladies holiday tea, or a holiday concert may be the perfect opportunity to wear that floor length Regency gown you have been contemplating. We've asked some of our friends at the Sense and Sensibility Forum to share pictures of their holiday frills. We think you'll be inspired by their creations!

Aylwen Garden, a dressmaker and period dance instructor in Australia writes:
"I like to wear Victorian Fashion to dances as I associate Dickens' A Christmas Carol with Christmas. At the moment I'm making a Victorian bustle gown that I just started two days ago. I like to use Christmassy fabrics: reds and greens, and this dress is a purple that changes to silver. For the rest of the time around the house I need to wear cool clothes because in Australia we have very hot Christmases. My regency-ish gowns are lovely for this but I make the waistlines a little lower."

Tom, Wendy, Lindsey, and Justin Savino attended the Dickens on the Strand event in Galveston, Texas a couple of years ago. Lindsey says, "I made these costumes as some of my first ones and had a lot to learn about accuracy; these are merely for fun, and they served their purpose!"

Later in December, April sang her first solo with the choir wearing her Gibson-style velvet skirt.

Jessica Daniels made her holiday gown in the Regency style as well, choosing the Folkwear Empire Gown pattern with a few alterations to make it more like the gowns in Pride and Prejudice. It features a drawstring closure, creating a fully gathered front bodice. Her beautiful fabric is purple Indian silk, which she amazingly found at Hancock's. The small repeated paisley pattern in white, burnt orange, and olive is finished with a white embroidered edge. Cording on the sleeves echoes the drawstring cording on the bodice to create slight poufs. Travis, her sewing assistant, sports a matching bandanna that is simply serged with black cotton thread. Aren't they a fine-looking pair? Ms. Daniels will don her gown when she plays her flute at Christmas mass.