Ca. 1755 Elegant Formal Silk Sacque

I enjoy making sacque gowns, as the elegant result always seems worth the dozens of hours of careful planning and hand sewing. 

​This robe à la française was no exception.  Made from a luscious iridescent silk taffeta of blue tones shot with golden coloured weft threads, the textile has a trompe l'oeil character: from any distance the blue and gold threads of the weave merge so that the overall appearance is a soft, warm taupe with bands of warm grey.  

But up close the colour shimmers and shifts.  It almost has a sparkling effect!  So what I initially thought was a rather dull-coloured fabric has turned out to be a stunning textile, especially against the metallic gold trim.  The 18th century embellishments of ruching, puffings, and flounces serve to magnify the shimmering effect of the silk.

This gown was styled after a (presumed) French sacque gown currently in a German collection.  The type of gown, with its extensive embellishment and metallic edging trim, would have been fashionable for evening wear by wealthier classes in the mid-18thC.  

Unfortunately, cameras have a difficult time capturing the true effect of iridescent or shot silk.  You'll see the difference below, between photos taken of the gown in light shade and the pictures at the end taken in bright sunlight.  It was almost too much shimmer and shine in full sunlight -- this is a gown meant for candlelight!

See my notes on creating this taupe gown under the "Blog" heading!