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Making a Late 18th Century Wardrobe: Ladies Caraco Jacket
Lesson #1: Page 3
Selecting your fabrics
Suggested fabrics and lining materials
- What is the right fabric for your caraco? That depends on the type of person you have chosen to portray. The higher the status of the individual, the fancier the fabric. The top tier of fabrics would include silk brocades and damasks, and embroidered or printed cottons. The middle class selections would include woolen damasks, plain woolens, linen damasks, and some striped or printed cottons. Lower class fabrics would be plain woolens and plain or striped linens. Striped fabrics would be suitable for 1780's portrayals only.
- The same class breakdown would apply to the petticoat. Upper class fabrics - silk taffetas or damasks, printed cottons; middle class/lower class - woolens and linens, usually plain weave. We can address specific issues as we go along.
- In selecting your fabrics, consider for a moment the 18th century esthetic. Pastel colors were very popular. However, they were not easy to maintain. Many garments, once constructed, were never cleaned, at least not by any method we would find acceptable. Also, only natural dyes were available. This immediately rules out very strong, vivid colors. Different fibers take dyes differently. Silk and wool take color far better than linen. If you are going the upper class route, please consider clear, bright hues of silks. If middle class, clear, slightly darker shades of silks, silk/woolen blends, or a wide variety of woolens. Pastel linens are also nice, being washable. Extant lower class garments are frequently found in darker shades of wool and linen. Dark colors were less likely to show dirt.
- Fabric for the handkerchief and sleeve flounces should be white. One very rarely finds extant examples of handkerchiefs in color. One will find white handkerchiefs that have been embroidered with colored threads, but they are also rare.
- Why white? Because of frequent laundering. Handkerchief/flounce fabric had to tolerate 18th century washing methods. Flounces were removed and washed, as were handkerchiefs. Linen held up better than any other fiber.The more it was washed, the whiter it became. Linen also withstood ironing. Please select either white cotton or linen for your flounces and handkerchiefs. My personal preference is handkerchief linen, which tends to be rather pricey. Cotton organdy, when washed, has much the same look and is available at most fabric stores, if you ask for it.
- Only the caraco requires lining. My personal preferences are modern cotton chintz or habutai silk. Both are very firmly woven and easy to use. The advantages of chintz are 1) it gives a slick interior to the jacket, which makes it really easy to get on and off, and 2) it is very similar in appearance to the glazed linen often used for lining in the 18th century. Unfortunately, glazed linen is not available today. I recommend off white or beige, regardless of the color of the caraco, for the most authentic look.
©J. P Ryan, 2002. All rights reserved, including the rights to reproduce this lesson or any portions thereof in any form. This lesson is intended only for the use of those who take the class via Costume Classroom, and is not to be shared in any form for any purpose without the express permission of the author.
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