1898 Late Victorian Costume

ca. 1897
Late Victorian Walking Costume

The Alienist aka Detective Sarah Howard outfit.

Description

When I saw McCall's 7732 by Angela Clayton I immediately fell in love. I just adore the style and the use of plaid fabric and it reminded me of the outfits of Sarah Howards in the Alienist. Although a little more colourful because the outfit the character wears are mostly quite somber and inspired by menswear.
The love for the pattern alas didn't last long. The skirt was way too long for me and I didn't have enough wool plaid fabric and I also wasn't a fan of the pleated black panels. This ment basically redrafting a large portion of the pattern for the skirt which was granted my own fault for wanting to make it a little different. That pattern matching would be hard I had taken into account but I just couldn't get the belt part neatly sewn in.
The white cotton and silk top went together easy enough but I did leave off the ties and added sleeves. The brown plaid jacket was a nightmare! After four different mock-ups I still had no working model. I guess I am not the right shape, I am short waisted which does pose a problem more often. Usually the answer is to shorten the waist length but in this case that wasn't enough. If i would even make this jacket again I would have to have the pattern redrafted to my measurements. As I do love the end result, it might be a serious option somewhere in the future.

Inspiration

Late Victorian Walking Costume
Front of McCalls 7732 with Angela Clayton modeling her outfit.

The Alienist, skirt
The Alienist
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The Alienist, jacket
The Alienist. Source: Meaww.com

The Delineator, January 1898.
Source:The Pragmatic Costumer

Patterns used

Combination underwear & Princess Slip- 7157 Vintage Closet Undergarments Pattern , Simplicity
Corset- 1880's Corset pattern by Redthreaded
Top, Skirt and JacketMcCall's 7732
Hat1870's - 1880's Hat Pattern by Wingeo

Details

Ribbon-style pocket watch chain
I was lucky enough to find an vintage/antique ribbon-style or "fob" style chatelaine much like Detective Sarah howard wears in the Alienist. The pocketwatch on it is a reproduction because I have two antique pocket watches but both are not working. I tried to have them repaired, which cost me a lot of money, but unfortunately the repairs didn't help.