I played Lady Frances Brydges, Baroness Chandos for the 2005 and 2006 seasons at Bristol. A lower ranking Baroness, I had mostly glass beading on my dress, though the silver metallic lace and embroidered silk for the sleeves and forepart made it sparkle!
I was determined to have a peacock and silver ensemble, and I finally got it. The pink embroidered silk came from Fishman’s Fabrics here in Chicago, and was the most expensive fabric purchase I had made up to that point, at close to $65 a yard! Once again, I made the hat myself (grrr!), and all the cording was self-piping hand-wrapped in silver seed beads I strung myself. Tedious, yes, but worth it!
Originally, this dress was built to be for Helena von Snakenborg after her marriage to the Marquis of Northampton, when she would have become the highest ranking woman in the country below the Queen. I spent twenty+ hours on beading, a combination of real pearls, non-faceted (period) silver pailettes, and peacock rhinestones in rose montees, and then had to remove everything and start again to tone the dress down for a baroness many rungs lower on the social ladder!
As you can see, the original beading scheme was much more elaborate, and the color scheme much more monochromatic. Eventually the sleeves were entirely beaded, as was the skirt, before everything was removed.
The upper sleeves were based on my favorite portrait, an Italianate style that uses a lot of fabric and is ruched within an inch of its life. The girls who played my daughters used to rest their heads on either side, and called them my “pillows”.
I would use these sleeves again in another Chandos dress; I love them!
I loved this dress. The French-style front-closing bodice and the open-necked chemise are flattering on anyone, and the colors, complimentary to each other, worked beautifully together. It is almost time to retire it, but it usually gets trotted out once a season now. . .