Handbound Costumes

18/06/2026

Classification : Dense & Curvy
Date : 1740 - 1760
Museum : Manchester Costume Galleries
Key Details:
- Oh so beautifully fully b***d
- CB opening
- 8 x panels plus 2 x straps
- Patterned wool damask
- This is the pair I based my own pair of Blue Stays on.
These images that I've shared here, I don't know if you've noticed but they are a lot better quality than my normal pics lol. This is because they've come straight from the Manchester Costume Galleries website where you can see and save the photos for yourself.
This pair is S.T.U.N.N.I.N.G and has been a complete blessing to the project. Enjoy!

02/06/2026

This must have passed me by but Patreon now offers nice little shareable clip for the socials.
Though this video has been listed up as the basic paid tier, there are other bits on our patreon page if you'd like to join as a free member.
I love doing these kind of videos (though if I'm honest I felt this one needed a bit more doodling) but the theme of this video is our 'Quotes for Keeps' range which features on useful quotes from our bibliography. This video shares the introduction by Amanda Foreman that heads up the novel 'The Sylph' by the Duchess of Devonshire.
There'll hopefully be other doodly videos to come....and if you'd like to join us on Patreon then please do as it supports the research and shares what's going on in the world of HandBound costumes.

Quotes for Keeps - The Sylph Intro by HandBound Costumes on Patreon. Join HandBound Costumes's community for exclusive content and updates.

26/05/2026

This gown is now finished 😃.
And I'm so pleased that it doesn't look like a bed sheet which was my initial fear.
This gown has been based on the Oberkampf gown that has recently been on display at the V&A's Marie Antoinette's exhibition.

07/05/2026

Pudding Project!
My attempt at the Oberkampf's Chemise a la Reine
I always call little side projects like this as 'pudding' projects. Most of my days is just stuck in front of the computer going over stays and their details, but a friend wants to have a picnic and has made herself one of these, and I thought I'd take up the challenge and have a little break from stays. :)
Plan is:
- two layers of white linen to make up the main gown.
- long clsoe fitting sleeves
- pleated back (facing CB direction)
- gathered fronts
- Frill at bottom of hem

29/04/2026

Stays #21 in our Stays Study series.
So...here we go:
CLASSIFICATION : Short 'n' Brown, Fully B***d Stays with partial boning on bust
DATE : 'Late 18th Century'
MUSEUM: Manchester Costume Galleries
Key Details:
- CB Opening
- Fully B***d
- 8 x panels
- Herringbone straps
- Cf partial lacing.
- Though mostly fully b***d there is a slim section of a half b***d area on the CF panel. This contains backing bones running horizontally between the vertical bones.
- Underarm leather strip.
- Inner bones at neckline
Apologies for NOT the greatest photos but it's all I have. The sun was clearly shining strongly that day lol and at this particular study session I was down in Dr Lambert's office where the windows were larger. In other sessions I was up in the loft where it was a bit of a softer light.

But - overall a lovely, gorgeous pair of stays and featuring many good details, ideal for the comparative element of this research.

Images are courtesy of the Manchester Costume Galleries and from my own personal collection :)

24/04/2026

The Great Unpick
Have just SOLD these stays (See previous posts) but though they fitted well proportionally, they just needed a little tweak on the waist measurement.
Today the stays have been unpicked and the side panel reduced to the second tab and removing the first. (That's those little pieces to the right of the photo).
This is pretty much all the bits that have been removed. The cane salvaged from the cut off amount. The front tabs can be used for examples of binding in teaching. And the resulting fluff of the threads can be added to my scraps bin which I keep for using as stuffing.
The ribbons will be re-applied once the stays are sewn back together.
Jobs a good'un! Though....only the easy bit has been done so far.

13/04/2026

The wonderful complex world of 'Robe coats' and 'Robe du cours'. Given the context of royalty and the younger nature of the princesses painted, what exactly these young ladies are wearing is hard to say.
BUT...
Within this painting lies a tabbed front peak, or a 'torpedo' style detail.
The Blue stays project seeks to understand the fashionable context of this strange fashion detail and images like this just simply mmuddy the water lol and make it wonderfully more frustratingly complex.
Three Princesses by Maingard in c.1720s. To help there are 2 versions of this portrait of George II's daughters and who wears the 'torpedo' swaps within the imagery.

09/04/2026

Stays #20 - 1940.598 - Beige Wool Stays
Classification : Heavily Altered - Fully B***d Stays
Date : Museum says 'Late 18th Century'
Museum : Manchester Costume Galleries
Key Details:
- CB Opening
- Fully B***d
- 8 or possibly 10 panels
- No straps
- Stays feature many altered details and fixings.
Here is the 20th pair inn our Stays Study Series - and though this one look s a bit loved and worn, it has a whole plethora of useful info that can be spotted. In this post we just take a look at some of the basic details but if you'd like to know more then please do join us on Patreon. :).
Images courtesy of the Manchester Costume Galleries

31/03/2026

Study Video on 1774 Royal Wedding Court Gown
Worn by Hedwig of Holstein Gottorp when she was only 15, this gown represents ALL that was splendid and fashionable in European court fashion of the day.
For the purposes of the 'What Lies Beneath' Stays project, this gown was a MUST due to the court fashion details that the stays part of the ensemble contained. The 'What Lies Beneath' project studies a pair of blue stays from the NMS collection with the intent of understanding some of the curious details found on them.
This pair here, found on this wedding gown from 1774, can tell us SO much about French Court fashions - both fashionable cut, and fashion details.
This dress has also recently been on display at the V&A as part of the Marie Antionette exhibition and rightly so - it's a STUNNING example of 18th century court luxury.