Friday Features: Finding the Regency in the V&A Museum

Posted by Samantha on Friday, 21st June 2013

This Friday Feature spotlights the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, an amazing place to discover art and design. While on other business earlier in May, Samantha had a chance to sneakily stop by and explore all the Regency-related exhibitions—and take about four hundred close-ups of chair legs for Jenny to reference.

I kid you not. This is a ‘Trafalgar’ chair (c. 1810).

In addition to its impressive collection of shiny items from the Regency (you can find out about them here), the V&A has a wonderful Fashion Gallery featuring all sorts of goodies from the Regency, and beyond. Samantha got rather snappy happy, and tapped into the museum’s free Wifi to spam Jenny and Melody with her discoveries. Here are some of her favourites:

A gorgeous walking dress (1817-20), for all your outdoor needs.

With matching boots (c. 1815)!

And something for the gentlemen: a stunning riding coat and waistcoat (c. 1790).

So if you’re ever in London and have a free morning/afternoon/week, you might like to drop by the V&A Museum and see those coats and dresses and chair legs for yourself!

(And the chocolate brownie was divine, too.)

Sunday Soiree: The Pros and Cons of Regency Attire

Posted by Samantha on Sunday, 16th June 2013

How is everyone enjoying Costume Theatre? (Haven’t got a copy yet? Get yours now, free from the App Store.)

After spending so much time working with Regency clothing (where, naturally, “work” entails watching BBC period dramas), Samantha started thinking about the pros and cons of wearing such attire. So she gave us these two questions to answer:

What do you find most appealing about Regency fashion?
What might deter you from Regency clothing?

And here are our responses, in words, images, and a combination of both!

Jenny

Melody

What do you find most appealing about Regency fashion?

I coo over the men’s dress: The sporty riding look with tousled windblown hair.

What might deter you from Regency clothing?

Mixed feelings on muslin. Draped lightly over a natural figure, a muslin dress sounds both elegant and comfortable but all those layers of delicate white gauze must be a pain to clean! Being hopelessly accident prone, any muslin gown of mine would not likely survive its first tea sitting.

Samantha

What do you find most appealing about Regency fashion?

Cravats. The very idea of delicate fingers running over an immaculately tied neckband, playing with the knot before loosening the fabric to reveal, little by little, the soft skin beneath, the pulse that quickens, the heat of a gentleman’s breath upon a lady’s fingers…is an appealing notion, indeed.

What might deter you from Regency clothing?

As much as I love the look and feel of gloves, navigating the world while wearing them would be a real bother: I’d get them extremely dirty, but be forever fumbling with them during meals and while playing the piano. Of course, the act of removing gloves—before one begins to work on cravats—is another matter entirely…

And what do you think? What exactly do you like/dislike about the Regency wardrobe? Let us know in the comments!

Release: Costume Theatre

Posted by Samantha on Saturday, 15th June 2013

We are excited and proud to announce the release of our first app in the App Store: Costume Theatre!

Costume Theatre Main Screen

Grab your copy now, available free on the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch, and have fun dressing everyone and everything up in Regency garb! For those who are feeling a little more adventurous, you can also purchase the additional Roaring Twenties content pack, complete with flappers, feathers, and some epic moustaches (not to mention, some bonus Regency clothing)!

Of course, we’d love to see what you come up with. Simply tweet us (@TeaForThreeTime) your transformations or post them on our Costume Theatre Facebook page. We’re also working on adding features for future releases, including extra content packs and sharing functions. We’ve also got some fun Costume Theatre events planned for the future, so keep an eye out for those. In the meantime, if you have any additional feedback or comments, please let us know—we’d love to hear from you!

And I think the team deserves a little celebration, though we’re currently spread out all over the world: Jenny is drawing a lot in Sydney, Melody is wining and dining her way across Europe, and Samantha is singing some light-hearted Schubert in Belfast.

Tuesday Teasers: Mr Mortimer’s Haberdashery

Posted by Samantha on Tuesday, 11th June 2013

So, where should one go to obtain the necessary lace and ribbons to complete our Regency attire? Why, Mr Mortimer’s haberdashery, of course!

Ribbons, fabric, and sketches–perhaps some of Mr Mortimer’s latest commissions?

You’ll have a chance to visit Mr Mortimer’s haberdashery near the beginning of Regency Love, when you go shopping with your best friend to complete your outfit for the upcoming Spring Ball. Who knows, you might unexpectedly make some new acquaintances…

And, as with all our projects, Jenny brings you the artwork, Melody does her programming magic, and Samantha slabs you with text–Tea For Three, indeed!