Suffraget – Fashion Through Herstory

Yesterday it was finaly time for the “Suffragett luncheon” I’ve been helping to plan since february – or rather been watching while other planed.

Anyway, I got up realy early yesterday morning to get on the train taking me to the capital, were I arrived in good time before the meet-up.

I walked the 10 min to my inlaws empty apartment, and started to get dressed.Underwear and huge red hair.

Using all my flexibility, I manadged to lace the corset (fairly easy), and to button the shirtwaist all the way in the back (really hard). The “In-door” look: Shirtwaist, walking skirt, swiss-waist and brosch.

And before leaving the apartment (about 40min after I arrived) I doned the huge hat, jacket, chain and brosch.

I took the intercity train to the smal, old house were we was to hold the meeting.

The ones of us who came early, emediatly started to prepar the food and table.Elin and Aggi prepearing the food.

Johanna set the table with yellow napkins, flowers and these lovely place holders, which she made using costuming pictures of all of us.I’m the one at the front.

Then the guest started to arrive.From left: Elin (organizer and cook) trying to sell of some caviar, Johanna (Co. organizer) in blue and Lina in a purple 1910s dress. In the backround we can also glimps Aggi.

Carolina and Hanna.

Hanna is known for only using original garments. And she’s an expert in finding the most faboulus, well perserved, pieces ever.Close up.

When everyone arrived, it was time to take place by the table to start the 4 course “Suffragett luncheon” from a 1914s recepie. (link “Good housekeping 1914” recepie).

And since I’m not a fan of “food photos”, I of course forgot to photograp all the courses.

But here are a few.Chicken soup with croutons.

Celery-canapé with salad and toast.

And some pics of the lovely ladies.Looking modelstly happy…

..and happily confused…

..and then back to modestly interested…

But after a while it got a bit crazy… No I’m kiding but Lina did pose in a rater unexpected fashion.A suffragett on top of a suffraget….

When we finished all the courses, it was time to play the original “Suffragett board game”.

Using famous swedish women-fighters for pieces.

Then some of us took the time to pose for the camera.Emelie in her lovely striped pink, self made gown.

Love this picture – So pretty.

Then it was my turn.I think this pic is hilarious – take a look at the frisky look in the creapy manequins eyes, and you know what I mean.

Carolina gives us a big smile in her cool, self made outfit.

Then we went outside for some quick group pictures.

We manadged to get a young guy to help us photograp – he was very polite and patient, but he must have thougt we were totaly crazy.

“Empire but skratch”

And of course some shoes – oh those naughty suffragetts.

Then it was time to hurry back to the aparment to change (took me half the time taking it of), and catch the train home.

I had such a good time dressing up and spending an afternoon in the company of all these awsome ladies.

As the time ran away into the days between christmas and the new year, I needed to whip something up for the final HSF challenge this year, nr 26: Celebrate.

Between the christmas and a up-coming move there was really not much time, so I looked at a few of the others HSF participants prevous projects and decided to make a skirt maching the newly modeled 1900s shirtwaist.

It would be a fairly simple project and it would be celebrating my surviving of the entire HSF13.

I searched my stash for apropate fabric and found a burgundy cotton twill that I bought on sale a couple of years ago.

It is not the ideal fabric for this type of garmnent, but both time and money was lacking at the moment so it would have to do.

I drafted a pattern using some diagrams from Waughs “Cut of Womens Clothes”.

I cut and basted the skirt togheter. Then I tried it on and discoverewd the skirt was a bit on the short side, but since it meant to be a walking skirt it will do.

The sewed it togehter and made the tucks in the back and side fastening.

The finished skirt.

While dressing the form and thinking about the perfect way to style the skirt I realised the real celebration it symbilsed: The Suffragets struggel for womens rights.

The skirt togheter with the 1900s Shirtwaist and Suffragete brosh.

And then I dressed up and took a couple of shots in the mirror.

Adding the golden chain to symbolise both the acctual chain the suffragets used during their struggle, and the figuraly chains who even today keeps women from real ecuallity to men.