The finished mourning dress

My black dress needed some mourning accessories to finish the look. I made a cape, a veil, and a hat. I also made a small purse to carry. While doing all this I did some research into Victorian mourning customs both in the Western world and up North here in Finland.

Here is the video:

The cape

It was a bit hard to see the details of that cape in the video, so here are some pics:

Originally the mourning cape had a silver-colored clasp but it broke during our photoshoot. I then took it out and replaced it with two ribbon ties.

Some mourning accessories that were not on the video

I also added a bit of black lace to an existing white handkerchief to be able to wipe my tears in style. The bracelett is something I bought from a vintage shop in Crete this summer. It’s a bit too big for my wrist but I think it would make a perfect Victorian necklace!

Here is the purse. It’s a simple, framed purse made out of scrap wool left out from the costume. I lined it with the silk that was left out from the bodice lining. I drafted the pattern with four pleats at the bottom of the purse. I then made three fabric roses and added some appliqué leaves and a little bit of that looped soutache.

The Quiet Parade

I took my mourning costume with me when I went to see Hans op de Beeck’s exhibition in Helsinki. The exhibition was at Amos Rex art museum and I really recommend checking it out if you are in Helsinki area. This quiet grey wonderland was a perfect background for my mourning costume. In deed, the skeleton lady behind me is wearing a gown from the same era!

This concludes my Victorian mourning project. It was a very interesting undertaking with all the details and the complicated history. I hope you liked this series despite the morbid subject!

See you soon!

Katja