- This event has passed.
3rd April 2023 @ 10:00 am - 7th April 2023 @ 4:00 pm
Fashion for the Fashionable Live!
Sackback Status Symbol – recreating a 250 year old dress
The Sackback Status Symbol project is an exciting part of Paxton House’s ongoing mission to represent women’s history more fully at Paxton.
This live, in-person event presents the making of an iconic 18th century gown of the type that Paxton House mistress, Penelope Home, wore in the 1770s. Penelope and her husband Ninian Home spent much of their time in the Caribbean where they enslaved African people on their sugar and cotton plantations in Grenada and Mustique. Cotton dresses in the long flowing “Sackback” style were both fashionable and popular due to how comfortable they were to wear in the warm, humid climate.
Over the course of 5 days, University of Glasgow dress history students Rebecca and Cait will demonstrate how 18th century dressmakers made such gowns, while wearing period costume themselves.
This event will take place in the Picture Gallery between 10am-4pm over the course of five days, with Rebecca and Cait starting the dress, from scratch, on Monday 3rd April and finishing on Friday 7th April. Join us in our resplendent Picture Gallery to see this recreation come to life! Read an update here.
Entry to this event is free. The completed gown will be displayed as part of the ‘Parallel Lives, Worlds Apart: from sugar plantations in Grenada to life at Court‘ costume exhibition at Paxton in 2023.
Entry to Georgian Dressmaking Live is free as part of a pre-booked house tour which includes the costume exhibition or check in to the Shop for free entry for the event alone.