Some costume pieces immediately change the way a person looks. A large, structured collar is one of them.
For quite some time, I loved making historical king collars.
You may have seen this type of collar in old historical paintings and portraits. They appear in many different periods and styles, from Viking-inspired costumes to kings, nobles and royals.
A large collar like this can completely change an outfit.
It gives the wearer a feeling of strength, dignity and splendour. It is almost like wearing a little piece of history around your shoulders.
And although these collars may look quite simple, they are not as easy to make as they seem.
The fabric is very important
When I make a king collar, I first look carefully at the fabric.
The fabric needs to be stiff enough to hold its shape. A soft, flowing fabric will simply fall down, while this type of collar needs to stand beautifully around the shoulders and neck.
I usually build the collar in several layers. There is a firm layer inside to give it structure, and a softer layer underneath, so that it feels comfortable on the shoulders.
The result should be strong and impressive, but not uncomfortable.
That balance is important.
A simple shape that took time to perfect
The basic shape looks quite straightforward. But I have changed and improved my pattern over the years.
One of the biggest challenges is making sure that the collar stays where it should be.
A beautiful collar is not very useful if it slowly slides backwards every time the wearer moves!
So the construction has to take the shape of the shoulders into account. The collar must sit securely, while still allowing the wearer to move.
That is one of those little things you learn through experience. The finished collar may look simple, but there is quite a lot of sewing knowledge hidden inside it.
Photographers loved them too
My king collars also became popular with portrait photographers.
They were wonderful for historical portraits, fantasy photography and dramatic costume shoots. A simple dress or blouse could suddenly look much more impressive when combined with one of these collars.
There was only one small problem...
The photographers did not always want to give them back.
Very often, my collars went out for a photoshoot and somehow found a new home. 😢
So, over the years, I saw my handmade collars appear in photographs by different photographers, worn in completely different ways.
And honestly, that was rather lovely to see — even if I was sometimes thinking:
“Yes, very beautiful photograph... but that is MY collar!” 😄
The photographs you see with this blog show some of the different collars I made and how they were used by different photographers.
Would you like one in a special fabric?
I still enjoy making these dramatic historical collars when the right project comes along.
Perhaps you have a particular fabric in mind — an old-fashioned brocade, rich velvet, embroidered fabric, theatrical textile or something unusual from your own collection.
If you would like a custom historical king collar made from a specific fabric, just let me know.
Sometimes one beautiful piece of fabric is all you need to create something that looks as if it has stepped straight out of an old royal portrait.
Add comment
Comments