Creatures of Habit Background Creatures of Habit is a true costume emporium offering more than 19,000 costumes and 500,000 authentic period garments and accessories for rent or purchase. They are much more than that, too! Jack Cody and Natalya Haden opened Creatures of Habit in 1987 with the intent of costuming Paducah and the surrounding [...]
Victorian dresses were different depending on the occasion. Women had dresses for the morning, for daytime calling, and for dinner. And that isn’t even counting the intricacies in even just those categories. In addition, wealthier women had access to stables, which means that Victorian dresses for riding horses were not uncommon. These dresses were called [...]
Sea Change Theatre Company's Story Sea Change Theatre Company is a semi-professional nonprofit theatre company that presented its first season in 2012. This new troupe is located in Beverly, Massachusetts, on the Atlantic coast about one half hour's drive north of Boston. The company offers a series of four thought-provoking theatrical works, including [...]
Victorian dresses changed throughout the Victorian era, which spanned from 1840 to about 1901. Beginning with full skirts and patterned cloth and ending with the bustle, the entire Victorian Era included many different styles and variations of dress. The bustle style appeared in the 1870s, and was the result of the crinoline of wider dresses [...]
A short history of the waistcoat (up to the Victorian era) The waistcoat (commonly called a vest in American English) is a sleeveless upper-body garment. For men, this item is usually worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear. It is also sported as [...]
It’s crazy to think about where our traditions come from. The unexplained reasons behind why we do what we do sometimes bring us comfort, but when we learn their origins, they become even more meaningful . Many of the traditions that we still hold in weddings today are from the Victorian Era, over 100 years [...]
When you imagine the Victorian era, you probably imagine huge sunhats, enormous dresses, gloves, lace, jewels, and decadence. In fashion, when an era is simplistic, the era after it usually is extreme. The simplicity of the Regency era meant only that the Victorian Era would be grander than ever. However, a part of the outfit [...]
Valentine's Day History Robert McNamara, and expert in 19th century history relates that St. Valentine's Day celebrations date back to at least the Middle ages when the day was observed as Choose Your Romantic Partner Day "because it was believed that birds began mating on that day." (McNamara "History of St. Valentine's Day [...]
If you are taking a trip to Europe, London is probably one of the destinations you hope to hit. While you are there, in between visiting Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, make sure to stop by the Victoria and Albert Museum and look at their extensive collection. Not only is admission free (yay!), the museum [...]