The new school year is starting soon. Many children in grade school will have the opportunity to visit Pioneer or Historical Villages on field trips or as part of their curriculum. Often they will be asked to dress up in period clothing. Creating a Victorian outfit at the last minute can be a daunting task given our busy schedules. I find it helpful to look … Continue reading Victorian Children’s Costumes
The fabric you choose for your reproduction outfit is as important as finding the right pattern to ensure it looks authentic. This is especially true if you are participating in Civil War encampments, working at living history museums or demonstrating your skills at SASS events. The type of material available during the 19th century was various weaves of wool, silk, linen or cotton. Synthetic fabrics … Continue reading Finding Reproduction Cotton Fabric
Victoria and Albert Museum – Item #T.128-1923With the expansion of the railroads and the rising middle-class during the 1870’s and 1880’s, more Victorians were vacationing at resorts by the ocean or inland lakes. Fashionable dresses worn at these resorts were more casual than at home. Charming dresses in lively stripes, colorful chintzes and cool muslin graced the boardwalks as women donned their seaside wardrobes. The … Continue reading Victorian Vacation Dress
Last week I came across an interesting article about how a small town in Iowa became the Pearl Button Capital of the World. During the Victorian age and earlier, people used natural materials for buttons – such as wood and horn. Pearl buttons on clothing were considered a status symbol and prized for their beautiful luster. They also brought in a sizable profit for the … Continue reading Pearl Button Capital of the World
John Bright Collection – London, England One thing that comes to mind when you think of Victorian Era clothing, is all the layers and yards of fabric that went into making each dress. How did the ladies survive the hot, humid summers with all that clothing on – especially if they were wearing long sleeves? The answer is that they used sheer and lightweight fabric. … Continue reading It’s Hot – Sheer Civil War Gown
We found this image of a lovely ballgown in the Costume Institute archives of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The dress was created circa 1860-1864 and is very typical of that time period. The fabric for the dress and trim is silk. The bodice fits just off the shoulder for evening wear. The bodice comes to a point at the waistline … Continue reading Civil War Ball Gown
For much of history, the color of clothing was limited to plant-based and other natural dye colors. The first synthetic dye was accidentally discovered by an eighteen year old student attending the Royal College of Chemistry in London in 1856. Sir William Henry Perkin (1838-1907), was experimenting with a synthetic formula to replace the natural anti-malarial drug quinine. He produced a reddish powder instead of … Continue reading In Vivid Color
After hoop-skirts started to go out of fashion, the next major style to emerge was the Bustle Dress. Often the front of the dress laid flat and the emphasis was on the drapery in the back of the dress. Fabric could lie gracefully upon the rounded bustle or be bunched into elegant drapery by using vertical tapes that were tied at irregular intervals to hold … Continue reading The Bustle Era (1870s – 1880s)
Ladies fashion during the American Civil War and the years leading up to it were known as the hoop-skirt era. The desired silhouette was focused on the hourglass figure. A corset was worn to pull in the waistline while the skirts were extremely full. Most of the skirts featured a hoop around the bottom to help create a fuller, more flared out appearance. The dresses … Continue reading Crinolines and Hoopskirts
The clothing of the early 1860’s held an air of refinement and elegance. During the daytime ladies did not expose their arms or shoulders; necklines were very prim and proper. The classical silhouette was a snug bodice, full sleeves, and wide skirts which helped to emphasize a small waistline. Outfits consisted of a very full skirt and a waist-length bodice that were made separately and then … Continue reading Civil War Era Day Dresses (1860-1865)
The Victorian Shoppe 