If pickleball were trending in the Victorian era rather than today there would have been a very prescribed outfit for playing it. Instead, we ladies throw on whatever is clean and comfortable and then head to the park. Sporting and outdoor leisure for females was a new concept in the 1800s, and etiquette experts scrambled [...]
There is nothing like a summer BBQ or a warm night out on the town. A few weeks ago I explored how Victorian women altered their clothing to make their long-sleeved dresses and multiple layers more tolerable during the season. While the dresses I shared were stunning, it did make me thankful that we have [...]
A few weeks ago I did a post on the history of the corsage. While researching, I came across references to the most delightful accessory 18th and 19th-century women used to carry small bouquets with them. Sometimes called a tussie-mussie and sometimes simply a “bouquet holder,” it is a trinket that I hadn’t given much [...]
Summer is here! It is a great time for freshening one’s wardrobe, with so many opportunities to be seen and to get creative. This year I am enjoying pairing my light sundresses and skirts with the cowboy boots and Western-style accessories I have been collecting over the past couple of years. I enjoy the fact [...]
I am a huge sunglasses freak! It is so much fun to have a pair for every occasion and mood. I am also quite fired up about summer finally arriving and have been doing a lot of thinking about how people from the past may have celebrated the beginning of this fun, sunny season. I [...]
“It is not the material worn, but the judicious choice of colors, which indicates the true lady.” ~Color in Dress, 1841 Victorians were nothing if not prescriptive. They were (in general) also very concerned with aesthetics and beauty. The overlap of the two created an emphasis on the “rules” of female dress, including discussions about the [...]
Clothing colors looked a lot different in the Victorian era. For women, for instance, a “little black dress” would have referred to a no-frills mourning gown. Strict rules, some unspoken and some quite explicit, governed what colors went together, and in what ways. Over the next few months, I will be taking a look at [...]
A couple of weeks ago I have the privilege to learn more about 1960s fashion designer Mary Quant and the legacy she left when she left when she passed last month. Over the course of my research, I was reminded of what a dynamic decade the 1960s were for fashion. It had so many unique [...]
England lost one of its most notable fashion designers this month with the passing of Mary Quant, the Swinging 60s creator who is often credited for popularizing mini skirts, hot pants, and clothing whimsy. I am a big fan of both mini skirts (I bought two this weekend!) and 1960s fashions so began to read [...]