Mid-late 1770s Silk Sack

I've been looking at a lot of sack back garments.  After making two short sacks with different constructions, I thought I would do the same with gowns.  Since I often portray members of the upper class, I thought I would focus on day gowns rather than elaborate ball gowns.  You find a number of sack back gowns in portraits of women of all ages.  

Several years ago, I made a chintz sack using the JP Ryan pattern.  It was a typical earlier sack style with a compere front stomacher.  This style has no waist seam which is typical of earlier sacks.  I've noted a lot of extant sacks that are made more like English gowns with pleated skirts on the front bodice.  They seem to be a bit later--late 60s and 70s.  I've always loved the Copley portrait below of Ralph and Alice Izard from South Carolina which is from 1776 when they were in Europe.  It's difficult to see many of the details of this gown.  The sleeves are mid to late 70s styled with sabot cuffs.  There is pinked scalloped trim on the robings and above the sleeve cuff.   The trim looks pleated in some areas and gathered in others.  There is a gathered "cover" on the cuff and narrow elbow ruffles at the sleeve opening.  The stomacher cannot be seen but I have to assume that with trim on other parts of the gown, the stomacher would have similar pinked scalloped trim as well.  The gown skirts look plain and the petticoat cannot be seen.

Mrs. Izard's accessories include a very well-known fancy dormeuse style cap,  a sheer half handkerchief with narrow stripes and a sheer apron.  The apron fascinates me because I cannot see how it is being worn.  It's not tied over any part of the gown from what I can see.  Was she wearing it under her gown or was she just holding it in her lap to protect her gown?  I love that she is wearing a simple black ribbon on her neck.

I decided to construct this gown in a similar manner to the Indienne Short Sack I made this summer.  I used my English gown back lining and draped my watteau pleats to it, cut away the excess fabric at the side back bodice edge, then added my bodice fronts which in this case were traditional folded robing styled fronts.  Unlike the short sack, I added skirt extensions to each side of the back skirt.  The extensions were 30 inches wide.  My back piece was two two lengths of 56 inch wide silk that were seamed together in  the center back.    I basically pleated the skirts much like I would pleat and English gown with a few changes due to the large amount of fabric.  I stacked a couple pleats under the back pleats then made knife pleats toward the pocket slits.  I stacked two deep pleats at the pocket slit area (basically) forming stacked inverted box pleats.

Here you can see the stacked pleats which concentrate fullness where I wanted it:

Note that I did not make pocket slits.  I have such a tendency to catch them on things.

The gown sleeves were made very much like those in the linked short sack only with an added trim strip.

I added the same ruched trim to the robings then added it to the stomacher. 

I pretty much finished the gown before trying it on with stays.  Here's the first fitting.  This was to determine the length of the gown skirts.  I had already finished the petticoat which I'm considering adding a ruffle to later.

I hemmed this gown to have no train since it was to be worn as daywear.  I made a new sheer silk half handkerchief with some fabulous organza from my stash:

The gown was worn with a late 70s bum pad, sheer half handkerchief, flower breast knot and a sheer cap.

This changeable silk is incredibly difficult to photograph due to the colors.  I'm very happy with this gown and see myself wearing it a lot.  I had started making a black silk sack side by side with it but set that one aside to finish this one for my deadline.  Now I need to go back and finish the black gown which will have some different features.  Silk sacks are glorious to wear.  Why save them for formal occasions? If you do choose to make one as a day gown, remember to study plenty of period images to see how they were worn!