Fan Dress
I love these dresses, they weren't 'fashionable' at the royal court for the last century as they tired to copy the clothing of trading partners and use exotic materials instead of clothing that is home made.
My mother helped to make them popular in the court again so I get to wear them.
Manufacturing process
The material is usually woven in the correct shape so no fabric is wasted in the construction. The shape of the dress is brought about though pleats and darts in the bodice which bring in the waist and chest and force the skirt to flare out in a half circle "fan" shape which gives these dresses their name.
Significance
These dresses are made specifically for the wearer so each one is unique.
Design
The shape of these dresses is formed by the creation of darts and pleats into the material of the bodice which create a form fitting shape around the waist and chest. If done accurately, the dress does not even need staps to hold it up, but most designs still feature straps as a stylistic choice.
The bodice is held together with buttons which hold the lines of the darts in the correct place while making the dress easy to take on and off. These buttons are located on the front of the dress making it easy to get in and out of alone.
The skirt is open and flares out in the half-circle fan shape when the wearer walks revealing the underskirts which can be either extremely plain under general day dresses or incredible colourfully embroidered in the case of dresses for special occasions.
Many different fabrics are used to make these dresses based on the relative wealth of the wearer or the occasion that they are planning on wearing the fan dress for.
Buttons are also needed to fasten up the dress and again these are an expression of skill or wealth. The buttons used range from unadorned wooden buttons to the incredibly intricate solid gold buttons my brother gave me for my own dress for my last birthday.
Embroidery threads are also used to create complicated embroidered designs which tell the story of the wearers life.
Most simply, only a needle and thread is needed to make these dresses once the main materials have been created.
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