16 thoughts on “Claire’s Vandyke Dress in Outlander Season 2

  1. I love these posts where you can combine totally fascinating factoids where I learn something new and you garnish with a side of smartypants snark. Thanks you for creating this blog!

    1. On behalf of all of us, including Sarah who is currently off the grid, thank you!! You just warmed my cold dead heart.

    2. Just fyi, “factoid” is a word for something that is passed around as a fact, but isn’t actually true:)

  2. It’s mainly costume for fancy dress/masquerade … and has been the subject of many an academic paper/dissertation lately. It all started, however, with Aileen Ribiero (Courtauld) as it was the subject of her (long-ago) dissertation.

    As an art historian who also worked in historic dress, many art historians simply can’t tell what is historic vs. fashion vs. theatrical. My advisor used to playfully hit me over the heat with a piece of paper saying “it’s obvious to you!”

    Anyone here going to be at CSA in Cleveland?

    1. Sadly not this year! I will be presenting at the Dressing Global Bodies conference in July in Canada…

  3. I love that Vandyke dress. I really hope it appears again so that we can see it in more detail!!

    1. In general, yeah, Princess Seams are wrong. But look at the seaming detail on the bodice in the 1731 Vanderbank portrait… I think that’s what they were basing the construction off of.

  4. Thank you for the information. This is one of Claire’s dresses that I loved. Her swanlike neck is definitely channeling Audrey Hepburn. Besides she totally rocks in the scene in the dress.

    BTW hope Sarah had fun at SCA event. Tourney? And will she be attending Pennsick?

    1. It was the West Kingdom Golden Beltane celebration! We made it 50 years! GO US! Anyway, no, I won’t be at Pennsic this year, like all the 23 past years of my SCA involvement, because it conflicts with Costume College and it’s too far and it’s too hot and too expensive. SOME DAY I WILL GO.

      1. I, too, would love to attend Pennsic; however, there are a few things preventing me: A) My allergies; B) My allergies; C) My allergies (see where this is going ?. And I really cannot take the heat.

        Was the Beltane celebration fun? Bet the clothing was more accurate than 1) Reign, 2) Elizabeth (both Cate Blanchett movies) 3) White Queen.

        Looking forward to Episode 4 podcast. Louis really rocks the uniform.

    1. Ha! I’ve been wanting to do a series of “This dress was based off This portrait” posts for a while now. I think you just gave me the title… ;)

  5. I’d like to see several posts on ‘This dress …’ I bet you would find several good ones.

  6. Scottish portrait painter Allan Ramsay also painted several Van Dyck dress portraits, similar to the Thomas Hudson ones. However, both Ramsay and Hudsen employed Joseph Vanhaecken as a drapery painter, who seems to have cornered the market in Van Dyck frock pics.
    Also, according to the National Gallery of Scotland book on Ramsey, the picture above by Rubens, and was of his sister in law but was commonly believed to be Rubens wife painted by Van Dyck when it was acquired by Walpole, the prime minister, in the 18th century. Hence the naming of the outfit,
    Interesting stuff.

  7. This is my absolute favorite dress out of all of them! I am trying to find a pattern for it, or something similar. Any suggestions?

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