18th Century Style Uniform for Ladies?

[HSHPrincessofCarlisne]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for military uniforms or suit outfits that are in the style of the 18th Century for roleplay; frock coat, cocked hat, cravat, waistcoat, epaulettes and all;

Searching for "18th century" in the marketplace under the women's section only produces mostly large gowns and other primly feminine items.

Whereas in the men's section, there are plenty of military and court uniforms to choose from.   

I understand for historical accuracy this is what is most commonly associated with women of the era; 

However, I'm looking for a more masculine outfit I can wear like in the first image below, but fitted for women.

So far, I've made do with a "privateer" outfit for women; there are plenty of pirate outfits for women on the marketplace, but these are often very fantasy-like and scream nothing but buccaneer.

I want to be able to roleplay in some other roles other than a pirate; an admiral, cavalry officer, etc. 

Are there any other particular search terms I should be trying? Does anybody know any stores that sell outfits like that for women? Any particular items?

Thank you,

- Charlotte Sinclair

Edited December 13, 2020 by LottaSinclair

[Skell Dagger]

Hotdog and ContraptioN spring to mind. When they rig for female bodies it tends to be Maitreya and Freya, although since these outfits are usually all-covering then the body rigs aren't all that important, save perhaps the fit at the wrists.

Eaxmples of Hotdog's clothing (ignore the styling; gas masks are not de rigeur!) -

The two above have a slightly futuristic feel to them, but with additional styling you can distract from that.

And some examples of ContraptioN's clothing. Granted, the time period is a little later than the one you're seeking, but there are precious few high quality creators of historical mesh as it is, let alone masculine clothing from past eras tailored for women -

For a tricorne, my favourite go-to has long been the 'Golden Age' tricorne by Senzafine. I can't find it on their Marketplace store, but it may be in the inworld store. I'm wearing it in the image below. There are other tricornes out there but I've always loved the generous fit of the Senzafine one. It goes well over lots of hairstyles, and if you have to size it up to fit over hair it doesn't look ridiculously big (unless, obviously, you really size it up).

You may also want to run to the Warehouse Event. I can't find the original image on Flickr, but Toksik have this amazing outfit (including pants and boots) for sale there until Dec 18th. It includes rigs for Legacy F, Freya, Hourglass, Maitreya & Maitreya Flat -

Lastly, I'm going to tag @Amanda Dallin since she wears a lot of this clothing style when she takes part in SL naval battles, and will probably have more suggestions for you

[Love Zhaoying]

1 hour ago, Skell Dagger said:

Lastly, I'm going to tag @Amanda Dallin since she wears a lot of this clothing style when she takes part in SL naval battles, and will probably have more suggestions for you

Trying to think who else in the Forums dresses in these styles. @Bitsy Buccaneer and @TheEmperorNapoleon come to mind..

[HSHPrincessofCarlisne]

Thank you so much!

I'll be sure to check out Hotdog; I assume most of their items are available in-world. That Navy Uniform Coat looks absolutely on point! I do hope I'll find more items like that.

I'm familiar enough with ContraptioN; I own both those items you posted, Skell Dagger. They're mostly steampunk (obviously inspired by the 19th century) with a few thematic deviations here and there. 

I absolutely love the elaborate, ornate male outfits you can find and I wish their female counterparts would be far more easier to search for. 

With the profile tags, what do you suggest I do? Send them a message asking about their outfits and where they get them from? I see women do indeed wear these outfits; it's just a matter of finding out where they're from.

Skell Dagger, thank you so much for covering this in such detail; and thank you both for posting the profile tags; this is another shining example of the community here on the forums at their finest. 

EDIT:

I've just tried the Navy Uniform Coat from Hotdog; it fits perfectly and certainly matches the kind of thing I'm looking for.

However, it's just a coat and not a full outfit, so I need to find out where I can get matching trousers, boots and perhaps even gloves (cuffed or uncuffed) that can fit with the sleeves.

If someone can point out some of these items too, I would be most appreciative!

- Charlotte Sinclair

 

Edited December 14, 2020 by LottaSinclair

[Skell Dagger]

1 hour ago, LottaSinclair said:

With the profile tags, what do you suggest I do? Send them a message asking about their outfits and where they get them from?

Tagging someone in the forum means they're alerted to the tag by the forum software, which points them to the post they've been tagged in. I would suggest just waiting for them to respond. I wouldn't hold your breath for Napoleon, as he's not been active for a long, long time. Bitsy appears to post fairly infrequently, so I'm not sure how often she checks the forum. It may be a while before she sees the tag. Amanda is fairly active, so hopefully she will respond sometime soon.

1 hour ago, LottaSinclair said:

I need to find out where I can get matching trousers, boots and perhaps even gloves (cuffed or uncuffed) that can fit with the sleeves

ContraptioN includes a notecard with all their coats and waistcoats that lists where to find trousers, so I suggest starting with that. They also usually include a free cummerbund pack (appliers and BoM) so that you can wear their coats and waistcoats with trousers that don't have a high enough waist. In addition, I would suggest activating BoM on your mesh body if you haven't already, and using BoM/system pants layers. In my final image, above, the pants from the Toksik outfit are system layers.

For footwear, take a look at Lassitude & Ennui. They especially have some nice historical boots that are perfect for wearing with BoM pants. And for gloves, Contraption have a nice pair - called Dapper Dandy - that should suffice. Like the pants, the gloves are shown on my final image, above.

Edited December 14, 2020 by Skell Dagger

[HSHPrincessofCarlisne]

Thank you so much, Skell Dagger; I didn't know about tagging until now.

I'll have a look around starting with your suggestions. Any recommendations for BoM system pants?

So far, my modern riding breeches and boots have done the trick, save for the shiny look and a thick, short zipper on the toe, which shouldn't be too noticeable unless you were staring around intently. 

I was mainly looking for boots like yours, they look the part and seem to be à la mode for the era. I especially love the ornate embellishments of your outfit. 

Hopefully I'll find more coats or outfit sets to wear.

- Charlotte Sinclair

 

Edited December 14, 2020 by LottaSinclair

[Amanda Dallin]

The outfits from Hotdog and ContraptioN that @Skell Dagger posted are better than nearly everything else available.  My officers have piece together the best we can find but it's difficult for ladies.  In fact i'm going to suggest the Hotdog Navy Uniform Coat to all of my officers, men and women.  There are some older outfits out there but this one is better than all  of those..  I"ll post some pics of my new uniform soon with this coat.