True, Victorian blouses are a common sight in period films and TV series, but did you know that they weren't in vogue throughout the Victorian era? They emerged in response to the Victorian Dress Reform movement. Tired of the discomfort of bustles, hoop skirts, and painful corsets, women gradually adopted a more refined corset. The [...]
Welcome to the next edition of Color in the Victorian Era! This week we will be taking a look at yellow. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began my research and discovered that it was among the more popular colors during the era, at least according to all of the examples of it [...]
A couple of days ago I set out for a fun winter night on the town. Having been in LA for some time so far this season I haven’t had the change to fully transition to the Denver December. Ten outfits later, I was ready to go. And believe it or not, I had partially [...]
Red is one of the most striking colors and one of the colors found most in nature. It is especially ingrained in humans with it being the third color that babies recognize. Throughout history, it has also been considered the most alluring, with it showing up as a symbol of sensuality in ancient times and [...]
“Purple is the most retiring of all rich colors; it is composed of red and blue, but it is not their medium color, being heavier in its effect than the latter. Purple is symbolical of dignity, state, and regal power; it is color frequently adopted for mourning, and is expressive of gravity, sorrow, and sadness.”-Color [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
“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 [...]