So last time, I had decided against making a francaise or a levite, but what was I actually going to make that is somewhat documentable?

Somewhere in the middle of that searching, I found this dress:

Peach silk satin robe a la anglaise. Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Peach silk satin robe a la anglaise. Philadelphia Museum of Art.

I should have been jumping for joy right? Diagonal buttons on a dress? For some reason this dress bored the heck out of me – maybe it was the bridesmaid color, maybe the styling – and I ignored it

But after rejecting everything else, I kept coming back to this one. And actually, DOCUMENTABLE DIAGONAL BUTTONS IN THE SAME FABRIC AS THE DRESS is pretty freaking cool huh?

I figured with some additional trim, I could make this into something awesome.

So the plan:

• Robe a la anglaise with a quartered back (also called an Italian Gown). This is where the bodice is separate from the skirts. Matching petticoat.
• Simple box pleated trim around the skirt edge and neckline, in keeping with the 1780s.
• Some sort of ruched or pleated cuff, again bringing the dress into the 1780s (compared to the big lacy engageantes from earlier).
• Covered buttons on the front!
• I’ve got some white shoes from American Duchess I bought in a sale ages ago, going to paint them pink and bling them out.
• GIANT HEDGEHOG WIG OF DOOOOM

Now, time to get to