In “the before times” (aka pre-pandemic), my Costume College partner-in-crime, Tina and I were planning some sort of steampunk or Edwardian/Victorian explorer costumes to wear together. While scrolling Pinterest for ideas, as one does, I was repeatedly captivated by a character in a foreign film I had never seen or heard of. Tracking her down, who I now know as Adèle Blanc-Sec from the French film The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010) based on a comic book series first appearing in 1976 set before and after World War I, and I knew that was the aesthetic for me. Subtle cosplay, historically inspired, easy to duplicate. More specifically, I chose her rough safari outfit from her trip to Egypt. Here’s how I made and put together that costume…
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I eventually watched the film. It’s very silly and wildly entertaining. This young lady has spunk and style for daaaaaaaaays! Her more glamorous clothing and over-the-top hats are more fitting for my personality, but never having made anything Edwardian before, these would have to wait for my knowledge and skill to catch up. The outfit I chose looked like I could use both modern and historical pieces; a linen or wool Edwardian walking or biking skirt, brownish Edwardian boots, a white long sleeve lace blouse, an olive sleeveless coat/vest, a wide brownish belt, long brown leather gloves, natural straw hat, and long a flowy white scarf. And sass.
Even before lockdown, it’s always super convenient and more cost effective to print patterns at home, so that is what I did. I found an Edwardian bicycle skirt about 1900 on Etsy for download to print at home. I purchased linen for the skirt since Texas is almost always hot. I found a bulk bag of vintage leather buttons on Etsy that I shared with Tina. They’re not from the early 1900s but I’m good with it. I also found vintage brown leather gloves from the 1950s on Etsy, and they were a steal! The lace blouse was a cheap find on Amazon, as were the vests (long story later), straw hat, and scarf.
Skirt pattern: Black Snail Edwardian Bicycle skirt about 1900 Sewing Pattern #0714 Size US 8-30 (EU 34-56) PDF Download
Lace blouse (I sized it way up): Women Sexy Lace Sheer Tops Shirt Mesh See Through Tees Plus Size White XXL
Straw hat: Womens Wide Brim Sun Hat with Wind Lanyard UPF Summer Straw Sun Hats for Women
Scarf (I ordered 2 and stitched together): Wrapables Solid Color 100% Silk Long Scarf, White,One Size
The straw hat was a quick and satisfying mod. I used a seam ripper to cut between braids at the bottom of the crown, removed ~2″ of that ridiculously tall bucket, and hot glued (gasp!!) the crown back on. No one will see the seam anyway! Not pictured are the two white scarves that I stitched together to make one really long scarf, and I simply wrapped it around the hat a couple times.
modern hardware/channel/pockets removed 
buttonholes added 
button placement
The reason there isn’t a link to the vest above is because this olive vest was a dud. And it was absolutely my fault. I purchased this cute olive cargo vest, removed all modern hardware, removed the drawstring channel at the waistband, and removed the breast pockets (but kept the flaps). I then added button holes where the vintage leather buttons would go, hoping this would match Adele’s sleeveless coat. It was close…
Until I ruined it. Well, I “weathered” it outside by misting it with lemon water and letting the sun do the work. Maybe I should’ve bleached it, or just bought a lighter olive and washed it over and over. The damn thing turned orange. Because I have pale olive skin, orange is the color of my death. I hated it.
So I bought a new one, this time in pale pink. My skin tone doesn’t need excessive browns and yellows and yellowish green colors surrounding it, so I made the call to wear something more complimentary, and I’m okay that it’s not screen accurate. I made similar modifications to the pink vest as before (without lemon weathering), and I stained it with coffee grounds. Let me tell you, it smells delicious! Adele’s blouse sleeves are a little short, so I found a break in the lace about 4″ from the wrist and I cut them shorter there. I ended up using the discarded ends with my Captain Hook running costume. And then I went back to Amazon and purchased a wide belt. It was plus size, so I cut it down in the back at the closure.
Vest (pink khaki, medium): Tutorutor Women’s Military Safari Vest Utility Lightweight Sleeveless Camo Hooded Drawstring Jackets with Pocket
Belt: eVogues Plus Size Braided Look Elastic Fashion Belt Brown – One Size Plus
Given my trouble with the vest, the bicycle skirt was very simple! On the dress form, I sprayed it with floral paint to make it look mottled like hers. And I purchsed some cheap brown Edwardian boots on Amazon. If I continue to costume Edwardian, I’ll replace them with proper boots from American Duchess.
Floral paint: Design Master Color Tool Spray Paint 11 Oz Can (Walnut Woodtone) and Design Master Moss Green
Boots: Ellie Shoes Women’s 253-SARAH Mid Calf Boot, Brown, 9 M US
I packed the costume to wear to Mayan ruins on a girls cruise with Tina, but we visited during the rainy season, so we just wore workout clothes that day. Instead, I brought the costume with my husband and I to West Texas, thinking that would’ve been a more fitting backdrop anyway. It was perfect! It was dramatically windy that day, but what you can’t tell from the pictures above and below, is that the temperature was 31 degrees (F)!! I was freezing in that thin lace blouse, so we quickly took some photos at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit and jumped back in the jeep to go hiking in warmer clothing…but not before I could cheesily photobomb a couple dinosaur heads. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll understand.
“Une lutte qui semble perdue, est la plus excitante.” – Jacques Tardi
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