The Brussels Ball; An Emperor Returns

Silk chiffon Regency costume by Joanne Fleming Design

 This is an ensemble designed and created to be worn to a costume ball thrown by Amaury Blow at Berkeley Castle. Called 'The Brussels Ball; An Emperor Returns', it was an event inspired by the famous ball held in Brussels in June 1815 on the eve of the Battle of Quatre Bras ( part of the Waterloo Campaign).
In copper pink silk chiffon, over silk crepe-back satin, with antique-gold French lace at the hem of the underskirt, it is embellished with charteuse ostrich feathers and hand tinted silk tulle roses.
The silk dupion spencer (jacket) is lined in the same pink silk, and is decorated with bronze braid, echoing the military hussar uniforms as was the fashion at the time.....

Incidentally, if you want to learn more about the Waterloo campaign, and the original Brussels Ball, you could do worse than read 'An Infamous Army' by Georgette Heyer......essentially this is a meticulously researched and eminently readable history of the campaign with one of Miss Heyer's divine Regency romances attached....I am a BIG fan!

Silk and lace empire line gown by Joanne Fleming Design

Pink silk empire line dress with silk covered button closure by Joanne Fleming Design

Silk dupion spencer jacket with military braiding by Joanne Fleming Design

Green silk spencer with beaded epaulettes by Joanne Fleming Design

Detail of silk tulle hand-tinted roses by Joanne Fleming Design

Detail of shell tucking with crystal embellishment by Joanne Fleming Design

Detail of silk chiffon and ostrich feather hem by Joanne Fleming Design

Regency silk spencer jacket by Joanne Fleming Design