18th-Century Court Suit: Behind the Scenes at The Costume Institute Conservation Laboratory

This is a man suit from the 18th century that would have been worn to court in the final days of the French monarchy. This is the white tie of its time period. The silk velvet is woven with stripes so you see this pink ground fabric behind. My job is to make it strong enough that it can be exhibited. The lining gets a lot of wear and tear as it goes on and off of mannequins and so I'm using new fabrics and new stitches to make it structurally stable and strong. Then there's an overlay of sheer fabric that will protect the original material from any abrasion and future researchers can still see that original material even through the conservation work. On the waistcoat the fabric around the buttons split so I sewed them closed. A lot of the needles that I used are curved needles designed for eye surgeons. The tailor and the embroiderer used fabric needles and threads. I'm using the same three materials so I see myself as the continuation of the work that went into the suit and now I'm just helping it travel into the future.