In June 2019 following a year of research, Rebecca headed up a team of historical dressmakers (including Abby Cox, Lauren Stowell and Peryn Westerhof-Nyman) to stage a re-creation of this iconic gown as a live public event at the National Museum of Scotland over the weekend of 29-30 June 2019. 

The event was titled “Wedding Gown In A Weekend” and was part of the public programming in conjunction with the Museum’s major exhibition “Wild and Majestic: Romantic Visions of Scotland”, in which the original gown was prominently displayed in the opening gallery.

The process of re-creating Isabella MacTavish Fraser’s gown clarified ambiguities about its cut and construction that had not been easily resolved by other researchers through examination alone. Attempting to replicate, in particular, the order of construction revealed obstacles encountered at several fitting stages. It was only in facing these fitting challenges in actual practice that the solutions were understood, revealing efficiencies and specific construction techniques that shed light on the skills and expertise of mantua-makers in the Scottish Highlands during this period. Comparing these methods to those employed in other gowns of the period also offers insights into the working life of rural mantua-makers, their knowledge of current fashions and the kinds of work they were commonly commissioned to do.

The collaboration that clearly took place between maker and wearer during the construction of the original gown challenges common views about the ‘backward’ ways in the rural Highlands, especially of the non-elite, and rebuts the devaluation of “women’s work” that has occurred since the death of the female-dominated trade of mantua-making.

Lessons from Isabella MacTavish Fraser’s gown can only be meaningful when examined through a multi-disciplinary lens, taking into account her socio-economic situation in the central Highlands of Scotland in the last quarter of the 18th century insofar as this impacted her access to modern goods, services and expertise and her interactions with the burgeoning consumerism in Scotland during this time. Meanwhile, sourcing reproduction fabric to match the original textile prompted consideration of tartan’s cultural significance and uses in Highland communities forty years after the failure of the final Jacobite Rising.

Rebecca continues to research mantua-making as a thriving female-dominated trade in Scotland, including in rural communities throughout the Highlands, with a special interest in the training and skillsets required and how women ran their businesses and made their living doing this work.

By using our re-created dress as an educational tool, Rebecca’s aim is to initiate discussions about how women's garments like Isabella’s were made in the 18th century, not only with those who already have a particular interest in the period or in fashion history, but with the general public. Conversations that go beyond "what did grandma wear?" to "where'd she get it? could she make that herself? if not, who did make it? and how?" This project is not a careful study of a garment in an isolated backroom in a museum but serves to engage with our own cultural heritage and personal histories as interpretative experiences.

Our research findings are being shared in a number of ways. To date, Rebecca and her project partners have produced:

• a 25-minute mini-documentary covering the live event and the wider contexts of the dress's history and the overall project — on the American Duchess YouTube channel https://youtu.be/43ZTV_YxlgI

• an online lecture delving further into the historical contexts (18th century fashion history, Scottish history, tartan history, economic and social history as relating to women’s clothing) — on the Timesmith Dress History YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/SE1G6ckl9lo

• a 28-page booklet detailing the cut and construction of the original gown by reference to a pattern taken from one of our test dresses — drafted and published by American Duchess and available free of charge at https://www.americanduchess.com/products/isabella-mactavish-fraser-pattern-pdf

• a video demonstrating the detailed making of a gown following the instructions in the American Duchess pattern — on the Timesmith Dress History YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/emeNPnkjsJ4

What’s Next?

Invite Rebecca to bring the project to you!

c  Talk/Presentation

Rebecca would be delighted to present a talk about any aspects of the project that your organisation feels would be both interesting and beneficial to your audience, whether it's the actual dress construction, the tartan fabric (and/or how to go about getting a reproduction fabric like this commissioned), the mantua-making trade and/or the role that mantua-makers played in the lives of women in the period. She would of course bring along the recreated dress to be available for hands-on study, inside and out.

Rebecca is open to suggestions on format - a lecture, panel discussion, Q&A session, combination of any of these, or whatever you consider your audience would find valuable. You may ticket the event however you wish! We hope the event, whatever its format, presents an attractive fundraising opportunity for your organisation.

COST: £300 plus return travel expenses including accommodation if required.

c  Dressmaking Workshop

Rebecca offers sewing workshops to small groups up to 4 people, whereby over the course of 2 days, she teaches the construction of the Isabella MacTavish Fraser gown. A pattern is included, along with advice on suitable fabrics. Participants need to do some work preparatory to sewing (i.e. preparing a bodice ‘sloper’ or making a fitting toile, laying out and cutting fabrics) but it should be possible for all participants to substantially complete their own gowns within the 2 days. The recreated dress is available for personal reference. Costs vary, depending on whether students book individually to attend this workshop at Timesmith Dress History’s studio, or if you wish to organise a local event and have Rebecca travel to your location. Please contact us for more details.

c  A Replica Gown

Rebecca is pleased to acccept commissions to make a replica of the Isabella MacTavish Fraser gown for your organisation’s use as an educational or display tool. Prices start at £1,500 and do not include fabric costs. Depending on your budget and timeframes, it may be possible to commission reproduction ‘hard tartan’ fabric. More details are available on request.

Please note: Rebecca’s current obligations do not allow her to accept commissions to make this gown for PERSONAL WEAR, due to lack of time for the personal consultations, bespoke pattern drafting, fittings and travel that such a project entails. If her schedule opens up to allow for such a commission, an announcement will be posted on our Bespoke Commissions page and sent out to everyone signed up to our newsletter — see below!