Victorian Era Fashion: Exploring the Revival Fans of the romantic style have long awaited the revival of Victorian era dress. As fashion trends are a part of a large never-ending cycle of circulating ideas and inspirations, it’s fitting that the female empowering Victorian style is once again popular. The fashion of the era marks femininity [...]
Updated August 2024. There still may be a bit of summer left on the calendar, but soon the leaves will be changing color and autumn will be in the air. When that happens, all of our thoughts will turn to... Halloween! Here are some interesting tidbits about one of our favorite holidays. Halloween's origins can [...]
Where to start? I have just returned from this year’s Costume College, put on by the Costumer’s Guild West, and held at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, California. Nearly 400 attendees, dressed in every type of costume imaginable (and some highly unimaginable) gather each year at the end of July. We come to [...]
As the 20th century unfolded and the Edwardian era began, fashion was changing and so was the image of the 'ideal woman.' There are many attractive women from the era who thoroughly represented the vision of Edwardian beauty. We've touched on the lives of Evelyn Nesbit and Lily Elsie, two of the most beautiful and [...]
I don't know about you, but I have been enamored with the movie 'Somewhere in Time' since I first saw it. I was already a huge fan of Christopher Reeve (oh, that Superman!). His piercing blue eyes could melt almost every girl's heart! Jane Seymour, a relative unknown at the time, was so beautiful as [...]
The tea gown is the epitome of the charm of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Originally meant as a pretty, fashionable, and comfortable garment to wear at home, it grew into a fashion staple that is still loved today. An 1883 article on hygienic dress describes how indispensable the garment had become. [...]
Clara Bow came into my life when I was a teen. My parents had a coffee table book about actors of the first half of the 20th century. It had a provocative cover featuring many stars of early Hollywood. Some I recognized from the old movies shown on television on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but [...]
It is summertime at Recollections, however, half of the world is experiencing winter even as we bask in the summer sun. But, it doesn't matter whether you live north of the Equator or south of it, it is Christmas in July! History of Christmas in July During the first quarter of the 20th century, before the [...]
Dress Reform - Beyond the Bloomer Although the bloomer dress did not take off as a fashion in the mid-19th century, dress reform didn't go away. Women were still seeking social and political equality. The invention of the hoop skirt wasn't going to change that. Women still participated in sports, and fashion continued to evolve [...]