Pink 18th century gown

updated 12/31/25

I’ve wanted to do an 18th century outfit for years, and with a friend’s birthday weekend being 18th century themed I finally had an excuse! I decided I wanted to channel the vibes from one of my all-time favorite TV series, Hulu’s Harlots.

After a great deal of research into options, I opted to order this brightly colored gown. I figured it was a reasonable enough facsimile that could be spruced up with a few alterations - a huge boon to my low-spoons self! My general tailoring philosophy here is NOT “best practice” but rather “that works,” haha.

I decided to put ribbon bows on the stomacher (the triangular piece in the front of the bodice) instead of the cheap lace the dress came with. I spent entirely too much time debating options before finally settling on teal (shocker lol). My runner up was orange! I wanted to be BRIGHT, like the main characters in the show.

For makeup and accessories, I wanted to channel Charlotte Wells, one of the protagonists. In this gif, you can see how sparkly her jewelry is. I also wanted to emulate her cheeks and lips in this photo.

Next was the outfit mockup. I added a couple bows to the sleeves as well as the stomacher, my shoes from my Rococopunk outfit, some jewelry, a fan, and a feather for my hair.