#pleated bodice

[angelacostumery]

I can't even tell you how many days passed and how many curses were uttered in getting this from a mock-up of this overlay (image one) to a mostly functional bodice (image two).

It is just pleated, right? Well, no, it is also gathered and the combination makes things tricky...

Here you can see the pattern on tracing paper pinned to the fabric I'm using as an overlay, I sewed through each line that is marked, removed the paper, and used those lines of stitching as a guide for creasing and pressing the fabric.

The result is...very flat. Even flatter than my chest (impressive) which means it won't sit nicely at all. To form it to the bust the sides have to be gathered, not pleated--but I wanted to keep the definition of the pleats.

So I switched to pleats that were only 1/2" deep, then gathered in-between each one...I also switched fabrics and added some trim to the edge of each box pleat, because without it the detail of the pleats was sort of getting lost in the sheen of the fabric.

Much better! Then the entire edge was gathered down to match the measurement of the lining and the front seam was sewn.

This shows it in this state, on the dress form, resembling that mockup it all started with. But it is shinier (that is the fabric) and has more character (that is the cursing).

Some other stuff happened (lining, straps, etc.) to get it to the stage seen on the right but that is to be explained on another day!

[zegalba]

Issey Miyake: Body Works (1983)

[daguerreotype-era]

1/6 daguerreotype

[bismuthburnsblue]

ill have more pictures & notes from this try on later (probably tomorrow) but for now.... what do we think about this trim design?

its spaced box pleats, with the edges ever so slightly gathered to give it a bit more texture than just the pleats themselves. i think it looks a bit like things ive seen on extants, and i definitely think it feels more cohesive with the rest of the ruffles (see the bottom corner for an idea) than if it was completely flat, but... is it the vibe? theres other things i can try out if this looks off

(the edges of this trim are currently scalloped, though im not sure if ill scallop or hem the actual thing!)

if yes, this one would run down the entire front edge of the dress & maybeee around the neck. the rest is ruffles!

[myfashion25]

Expertly designed by Jovani, the -40144 Pleated Bodice Ruffled Short Dress is perfect for any occasion. With a flattering pleated bodice and playful ruffled hemline, this dress will make you stand out in any crowd. Made with high-quality materials, it ensures both style and comfort.

[thebestshoppingonline]

Fu Jiang Women's Ruffle Bridesmaid Dresses Long Slit Chiffon Pleated Formal Evening Dress for Wedding

About this item

Feature:V Neck, Ruffle, Pleated/Ruched Bodice, Chiffon, A Line, Floor Length, Corset Lace up Back, Sleeveless

Size:Please refer to the standard size chart displayed left below the picture

Occasions:The Chiffon Bridesmaid Dresses with Slit Perfect as wedding party,pageant,photography,formal evening gown,concert,clubs,engagement,holiday,photoshoot dress,christmas party dress,dinner,dress-up, cocktail,dancing,family gathering, brithday party, beauty pageant,graduation ceremony,festivals,club wear or special occasion

Custom-Made Service: Custom-made Service is available without any Extra Cost, as for the customization, please send us a message about the measurements including bust/waist/hips, shoulder to hem or height

Service: If you have any questions about this dress, please feel free contact with us , we will try our best to help you

[marzipanandminutiae]

thinking about the infantiliztation and/or formalization of 19th-century women's clothing to modern audiences

like

our entire reference point for "wearing long skirts and outfits with decoration like lace, embroidery, appliques, etc." is either formalwear or fictional characters in children's media like Disney princesses. women's clothing is just so radically different now- not that those elements don't exist, but they're much less common in everyday clothing than they once were. some form of simple trousers and an equally simple top are de rigeur for everyday attire, and anything else is Fancy

combined with the fact- which is true! -that a lot of what survives to end up in big museums belonged to wealthy people, this ends up in wild assumptions like "basically our entire idea of what the Victorians dressed like is just Rich People Clothes really"

which has led to the eternal cry of "but what did NORMAL people wear?!?!?!" that will not be satisfied with real examples of middle or even working-class everyday clothing because it still looks too "fancy" to modern eyes

not Victorian, but a great example of this is what Abby Cox wore to portray a milliner (hatmaker) in Colonial Williamsburg. a working, middle-class woman:

(ignore the facial expression there)

this is the exact outfit she sported in a video that apparently got responses like "but that's just what rich women wore!" and it is, in fact, everyday attire for a working person. a person who worked in the fashion industry, it's true, but still

I had someone ask me about how to find examples of casual Victorian clothing because they were at their wits' end trying to research it. and I had to tell them that...what they were looking at WAS casual. in the sense of Clothing For Everyday Wear That's Not Especially Formal. there's nothing inherently formal, or exclusive to the wealthy, about a matched bodice-and-skirt dress, instep-length, with some trim. or even a trimmed blouse and skirt. obviously women working the absolute hardest outdoor, physical jobs might have adopted occupational trousers or similar, but we don't all dress like construction or farm workers all the time nowadays. why would they have back then?

Laundresses, probably 1850s or early 60s. Note that I can STILL date the picture based on their outfits and hair, and these are the furthest things from wealthy socialites.

Maid scrubbing steps, probably 1870s or 1880s. Note pleated trim on her skirt and what appears to be a peplum at the back of her bodice.

also, not all working women worked physical jobs any more than we do today. here is a teacher around the turn of the 20th century:

Teachers, 1887

"Breton Seamstresses," 1845, by Jules Trayer

were there differences in quality, type and quantity of trim, fit, etc? obviously. but some people are convinced that the basic outfit format can't POSSIBLY have been something ordinary women wore, because it looks formal and/or princess-y in a modern context

[the-clock-of-the-time-dragon]

Genuinely obsessed with Movie!Elphaba's outfit during The Wizard and I. The SLEEVES?? All the buttons??? The silhouette???? The BOOTS????? The FUSED BODICE?????? So much DIAGONAL MICRO-PLEATING??????? AND with those thick CROSS-STITCHED leggings underneath???????? LIKE????????????

[trishmishtree]

First sewing project of 2025 completed!

It's a Vicwardian shirtdress that kind of straddles the lines between historybounding and historical costuming and cosplay.

See, I have made 3-4 blouses/shirtwaists in this style now, and the most irritating thing about them is that they gradually get more and more untucked throughout the day until I'm left with a muffin top spilling over my skirts. So I figured, why not make one that's the bodice of a dress? That way, I can anchor the blouse part down to the waistband so it can't ride up and come untucked, and I can control how much it's allowed to blouse and keep it that way 24/7 since it's stitched down.

^See? Now I won't have to constantly adjust and re-adjust the gathering and pleating into the waistband or tug my shirttails down because I can feel the back of the blouse ballooning out again.

(Almost forgot to mention: yes, the skirt has giant Victorian-style pockets in the side seams. The dress was 99% hand sewn, mostly because I was working on it while out of town without access to my machine, but also because when I got home and tried to attach a facing to the pockets, my machine decided 3 layers of this shirting-weight cotton twill fabric was too much to handle and broke down. So thanks for that, pockets. Now I have to find a repair shop or replacement machine.)

And bonus: the skirt can be worn as is, or it can function as a petticoat under a separate skirt I can wear over the dress. If I make a floor-length walking skirt to wear over this shirtdress, and maybe a waistcoat and/or an Eton jacket, then I'll have a convincing enough 1890s-1900s ensemble for historical costuming purposes.

Oh, and in case you can't tell, the bodice design with the diagonal pintucks in the yoke is inspired by the outfit that Elphaba wears in her "The Wizard and I" sequence from the new movie. She wears this gauzy, crinkle chiffon-looking blouse under a black jumper dress, and the visible parts of the blouse look like they're bias cut, with some kind of pintucked or micro-pleated texture.

I basically spent the last month and change drooling over the costuming and wanting Elphaba's entire wardrobe. I don't think I'll be accurately recreating any of her actual costumes, but I like to think that my new shirtdress *could* potentially be something she'd wear.

Oh, and here's a detail of the lower sleeves on my dress. Elphaba's usually wearing all black, so the movie costumers played a lot with the texture of the fabrics on her clothing. They were inspired by mushrooms and other earthy textures, so her dresses have a more organic look than what I have going on here. I didn't have enough fabric to play around with, so I figured I'd just give honeycomb smocking a try, and I'm shocked at how well these sleeves preserve body heat in the winter.

Now all I need to do is make her hat and maybe sew a cloth facemask from green fabric and my 2025 office-appropriate Halloween costume will be good to go.

EDIT: link to the pattern I made for this dress here

And here's the dress worn under the corresponding skirt and waistcoat, and Eton jacket.

[cheapieclassic]

🍃Eucalyptus print dress from an H&M tablecloth - I made this AGES ago and forgot to post!

🍃Self drafted bodice with inverted box pleat skirt. The tablecloth and buttons are both thrifted.

🍃Styled with thrifted silk shirt and agate jewellery 🌿

[vintagefashionplates]

1845 green silk brocade evening dress with a white floral pattern, with a pleated skirt and boned bodice, that is shown here displayed with a lace bertha collar. Kyoto Costume Institute collection.

[milksockets]

'model abyan wears an accordion-pleated, empire-line, chiffon dress with embroidered bodice + fluted sleeves from pierre balmain in 1989' in vintage weddings: one hundred years of bridal fashion + style - marnie fogg (2011)

[lamaisongaga]

FASHION CREDITS: LADY GAGA AT COACHELLA WEEKEND I

Eight years after she first made history at Coachella, Lady Gaga reclaimed her throne in 2025 with a headlining performance that was nothing short of operatic chaos. 

Choreography by Parris Goebel, styling by HARDSTYLE, hair by Frederic Aspiras and glam by Sarah Tanno-Stewart.

Her dark pop spectacle opened with a haunting visual interlude titled “The Manifesto of Mayhem”—a cinematic overture that reintroduced the world to Mistress Mayhem, Gaga’s latest alter ego.

Bathed in crimson light and surrounded by shadows, Gaga emerged on the screens in a rare archival piece: a bondage-inspired black leather straitjacket from Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring/Summer 2003 collection. The jacket, adorned with a grid of heavy buckles and silver hardware, set the tone for the night—iconoclastic, provocative, and entirely in control.

The incredible black mesh boater hat with rubber barbed wire around was created for our girl by milliner Lara Jensen who‘s been working with Gaga for over a decade!

Her angelic counterpart donned the Garden Fairy mesh corset top made from recycled vintage fabrics ($925 - sold out) from Central Saint Martins graduate Gyouree Kim‘s Spring/Summer 2025 "Cherubim" collection.

If the "Manifesto of Mayhem" set the tone, then what followed was pure operatic excess. Gaga made her true entrance atop a towering crimson structure draped in velvet folds—her silhouette like a deity descending upon her disciples.

The look? A custom creation by avant-garde visionaries Samuel Lewis, Athena Lawton and William Ramseur—a pleated, studded spiked masterwork of red velvet drama. Drawing inspiration from Edwardian silhouettes and Mugler’s villainous couture—particularly his take on "Lady Macbeth"—the jacket was armored in silver pyramidal studs, its spine and shoulders flaring like a queen prepared for battle.

Beneath the sweeping opera curtain–inspired skirt—engineered by the theatrical masterminds at Jet Sets —hid an elaborate cage several feet tall, housing Gaga’s dancers like a twisted chorus of shadows. The garment was both fortress and stage, its hem draping downward like blood-soaked drapery from an abandoned palace.

Topped with bone-like protrusions with crystal embellishments at the collar and sleeves, Gaga became something between a saint and a specter. Her performance from this fortress-skirted throne was a visual aria: high camp meets high art, rooted in madness, resurrection, and pure spectacle.

The opera singers beside her were dressed in huge wavy constructed yellow and black skirts with beaded velvet tops, custom-made by Candice Cuoco.

In one swift motion, she shed the heavy opera curtain—only to unveil a sensual, custom-made Samuel Lewis and Seth Pratt creation beneath. The ruby-red satin dress featured a sharp bodice with architectural puff shoulders and a plunging open front that gave way to the black lining. A crystal-embellished sash draped diagonally across her chest.

For the most intimate and arresting act of her set, Gaga appeared in a teddy—part lingerie fantasy, part gothic confessional, custom-made by the same duo. Crafted in rich black satin, the piece featured a sculpted bustier, delicate lace trim, and a shimmering crystal-embellished cross that ran from neckline to hem, catching the light like a whispered scandal.

Gaga strutted across the stage in the surprisingly affordable Leza over-the-knee boots by Steve Madden—retailing for just $89.99. Yes, you read that right.

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"

Three of the characters are wearing these impeccable black veiled headpieces and dresses which were created by Nasir Mazhar in 2021, originally for balletLORENT.

Gaga's string orchestra wore draped black taffeta gowns made by AGRO STUDIO with custom headpieces all created by Lara Jensen.

As the lights dimmed and the stage transformed into a sepia-toned wasteland, re-emerged not as a pop powerhouse, but as a ghostly relic of beauty undone. Lying among skeletal remains and grains of dust, she conjured a scene straight from a tragic gothic fable.

For this act, titled “And She Fell Into A Gothic Dream,” Gaga wore a custom Dilara Findikoglu corset mini dress—a distressed, doll-like creation that whispered of innocence lost and romance decomposed. The off-white, almost bone-colored garment featured delicately frayed edges, an asymmetric hem, and panels of antique lace that seemed stitched together by time itself. Every rip and raw edge told a story of longing, survival, and sorrow.

The dancers wore skeleton masks made specially by Sarah Sitkin!

Gaga stepped back into one of her most iconic songs—"Paparazzi"—but this time, she didn’t just revisit it. She rearmed it.

As the familiar opening notes rang through the desert sky, Gaga reappeared in a custom Manuel Albarran armor bolero and matching helmet—a direct visual homage to the Mugler look she wore in the original "Paparazzi" music video.

For the high-octane performance featuring Gesaffelstein, Gaga slipped into a custom Marni catsuit, based on the house’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection. The original red suit—featuring beaded embroidery of a black wolf—was reimagined for Gaga as a skin-tight, asymmetrical bodysuit, fused with nude illusion mesh and stitched with jet-black sequins that glinted like sharpened claws.

To elevate the glam rock look even further, Gaga threw on a custom coat made entirely of hand-cut blue and black paper feathers, inspired by the brand’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection.

A true blast from the past are her Savannah vinyl corset boots from Penthouse.

Her female background dances all wore custom costumes by Courtney McWilliams paired with the Miista Imogen black lace-up sneaker boots!

As the opening of "Zombieboy" echoed, Gaga returned to the stage, wearing a striking custom look designed by Samuel Lewis and William Ramseur: a military-inspired royal blue satin bustle coat, tailored to perfection and cut with razor-sharp precision. The garment featured exaggerated puffed shoulders, a nipped waist, and a flared skirt with an almost theatrical silhouette, marrying 18th-century regency with gothic fantasy. The pièce de résistance? The coat’s intricate gold embroidery, stitched by the artisans of Altesa Embroidery, which shimmered like bone filigree under the stage lights—mirroring a skeletal ribcage and spine that gave the look both regality and decay.

But Gaga didn’t stop there. To crown the ensemble, she donned a custom Marni paper feather helmet, styled like a twisted jester’s crown with raven-black plumage erupting from her temples.

The studded harness belt, she wore during "Zombieboy", was custom-made by Jonathan Burdine in collaboration with Iggy Soliven.

For "Shadow of a Man", Gaga emerged cloaked in mystery and command, donning a custom Louis Verdad x Samuel Lewis creation that was equal parts military regalia and avant-garde sculpture.

The charcoal grey structured jacket, tailored to her frame like armor, featured razor-sharp lines and a high, asymmetrical collar that framed her silhouette like a shadow in motion. Bold black patent leather straps slashed across her shoulders and waist, adding a sense of futuristic restraint to the otherwise regal tailoring.

Underneath, she wore black stretch vinyl shorts by Los Angeles Apparel.

For the final look of the night, Gaga delivered a breathtaking visual transformation in a total couture creation by Matières Fécales (formerly known as Fecal Matter), a brand famed for its futuristic, grotesque, and avant-garde sensibilities.

The custom ensemble was a full conceptual look, comprised of a satin-stitched bodysuit featuring a haunting red anatomical cross motif—meant to evoke the feeling of surgical stitches, resurrection, and rebirth (and a nod to the "Abracadabra" music video!). The bodysuit alone was a spectacle, but Gaga layered it with even more drama: a translucent organza coat (cropped specifically for her performance), and an exaggerated feathered bustle skirt constructed from delicate white plumes that moved with every beat, adding an ethereal weightlessness to the performance.

The silhouette was further intensified with a sculptural feather collar piece—a headpiece of long, otherworldly white feathers shooting upward like wings, perfectly framing her head and extending the theatrical effect, created by Paul Battenberg-Cartwright.

On her hands, Gaga wore elongated gauze gloves created by artist Yaz XL, designed to resemble haunting, claw-like monster hands. The exaggerated fingers extended dramatically into crystal-embellished tips, catching the stage lights with every movement and adding an eerie elegance to her already ethereal silhouette.

To complete the look, she grounded the ensemble with custom white lace-up ankle boots by Chrome Hearts.

The dancers were all dressed in custom Luis de Javier white lace looks and Balenciaga Cagole white boots! The nurses, that wheeled Gaga in, wore custom ILONA red gowns and hats.

[frostedmagnolias]

Dress

1870-1880

“This black wool dress features a boned bodice with a standing ruffle collar and fitted sleeves with small gathers at the caps. The sleeves also feature velvet bands around the cuffs that are embroidered and decorated with glass beads. The cuffs have black lace as well. The front of the bodice has matching black velvet panels with the same embroidery and glass beads. The buttons down the center front of the bodice are made of glass. The pleated skirt has a black velvet panel with matching embroidery and beads as well as box pleats at the hem. Features that indicate this dress is from the 1870s are the bustled skirt, the narrow waist, and the close-fitting sleeves.”

Grand Rapids Public Museum

[jewellery-box]

A printed Indian chintz open robe, English, 1795-1796

Block printed Indian chintz bearing United East India Company bale stamp (VEIC) for c.1785, formed from an earlier robe a l'anglaise with the bodice interior showing the original earlier bodice back, pleated, empire waist skirt, cuffs trimmed in Alençon lace; together with a Jamdani muslin petticoat (originally a dress) woven with floral repeats; a Dresden-work fichu with finely worked borders; and a modern pale blue silk sash.

Kerry Taylor Auctions

[thebestshoppingonline]

Fu Jiang Women's Ruffle Bridesmaid Dresses Long Slit Chiffon Pleated Formal Evening Dress for Wedding

Product details

Fabric type

Chiffon Bridesmaid Dresses for Women with Slit

Care instructions

Hand Wash Only

Closure type

Drawstring

Neck style

V-Neck

About this item

Feature:V Neck, Ruffle, Pleated/Ruched Bodice, Chiffon, A Line, Floor Length, Corset Lace up Back, Sleeveless

Size:Please refer to the standard size chart displayed left below the picture

Occasions:The Chiffon Bridesmaid Dresses with Slit Perfect as wedding party,pageant,photography,formal evening gown,concert,clubs,engagement,holiday,photoshoot dress,christmas party dress,dinner,dress-up, cocktail,dancing,family gathering, brithday party, beauty pageant,graduation ceremony,festivals,club wear or special occasion

Custom-Made Service: Custom-made Service is available without any Extra Cost, as for the customization, please send us a message about the measurements including bust/waist/hips, shoulder to hem or height

Service: If you have any questions about this dress, please feel free contact with us , we will try our best to help you