What Era Do I Want to Wear?
Hello fellow historical enthusiasts!
In this post, I want to take a pause from technical talk and just chat about dressing historically.
How do you decide what you want to wear? What era? The sleeves in the 1890's are unrivaled, but the drape and deep pleats of the 1880's are calling to you. And who can forget the delicate bell shaped skirts of the 1840's?
I could go on and on, showcasing each of the beautiful sewing techniques and styles seen in each decade of the nineteenth century. How do we decide which one we like best? Or if that doesn't help, which dress do you make? After all, you're only one person who can make one gown at a time.
A good place to start is in your own, twenty-first century closet. Do you like bright, vibrant colours with bows and frills? Do you usually have ornate or complex hairdoes? Then definitely consider the tantalising gowns of the eighteenth century. Perhaps you prefer to dress more plains, in dark, rich colours. Then the elegant, somber colours of the 1850's before the excess of the 60's and 70's would suit you more.
This isn't a hard and fast rule. Maybe you want to branch out and try something you don't normally wear, as if you aren't already. But if you normally wear almost exclusively black and dark blue (guilty!) then a bright yellow, frilly 1870's bustle dress isn't your speed. Remember, you want to be comfortable and enjoy what you create. You want to create a dress you'll want to wear, and even wear more than once!
You can also dress in transitional periods. If you like the large skirts of the 50's and 60's, but the decorations and trims of the bustle eras, consider the late 1860's with their gorgeous skirts and endless lengths of trims and ribbons. Or if you like the smoother, more modern Edwardian skirts but those 1890 sleeves, look into 1900 era fashion, or 1910 ball gowns with their majestically gathered sleeves.
In the end, it's whatever you want to wear. And whatever you decide to make and wear will look lovely, and you'll have fun making it, and we in the historical costuming population will have fun watching it be made and you wearing it!
I hope this post encourages you to push yourself and try something new. And when in doubt: research, research, research! If they did it, even once, you can do it, too!
Sincerely, The Victorian Alaskan
In this post, I want to take a pause from technical talk and just chat about dressing historically.
How do you decide what you want to wear? What era? The sleeves in the 1890's are unrivaled, but the drape and deep pleats of the 1880's are calling to you. And who can forget the delicate bell shaped skirts of the 1840's?
I could go on and on, showcasing each of the beautiful sewing techniques and styles seen in each decade of the nineteenth century. How do we decide which one we like best? Or if that doesn't help, which dress do you make? After all, you're only one person who can make one gown at a time.
A good place to start is in your own, twenty-first century closet. Do you like bright, vibrant colours with bows and frills? Do you usually have ornate or complex hairdoes? Then definitely consider the tantalising gowns of the eighteenth century. Perhaps you prefer to dress more plains, in dark, rich colours. Then the elegant, somber colours of the 1850's before the excess of the 60's and 70's would suit you more.
This isn't a hard and fast rule. Maybe you want to branch out and try something you don't normally wear, as if you aren't already. But if you normally wear almost exclusively black and dark blue (guilty!) then a bright yellow, frilly 1870's bustle dress isn't your speed. Remember, you want to be comfortable and enjoy what you create. You want to create a dress you'll want to wear, and even wear more than once!
You can also dress in transitional periods. If you like the large skirts of the 50's and 60's, but the decorations and trims of the bustle eras, consider the late 1860's with their gorgeous skirts and endless lengths of trims and ribbons. Or if you like the smoother, more modern Edwardian skirts but those 1890 sleeves, look into 1900 era fashion, or 1910 ball gowns with their majestically gathered sleeves.
In the end, it's whatever you want to wear. And whatever you decide to make and wear will look lovely, and you'll have fun making it, and we in the historical costuming population will have fun watching it be made and you wearing it!
I hope this post encourages you to push yourself and try something new. And when in doubt: research, research, research! If they did it, even once, you can do it, too!
Sincerely, The Victorian Alaskan
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