Ellen Demorest: Victorian fashion icon

By | November 27th, 2021|Categories: Civil War, Fashion, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions, Women's History|

Because I know so many of our customers love costuming, I have wanted to write a post on the early history of sewing patterns for a while now. Little did I know that the printed pattern industry can be traced back to the innovations of a forward-thinking activist who stood at the top of a [...]

Elegance at home: Victorian wrappers

By | November 21st, 2021|Categories: Fashion, Underpinnings, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions, Women's History|Tags: , |

I have had a lot of fun exploring nightclothes from the past for the blog this year. And as always, I am a true lover of all things Victorian. As such, the topic of Victorian wrappers has been on my mind for some time.  I love that they mimic the shape of the popular dress [...]

A brief history of dollhouses and their influencers

By | October 24th, 2021|Categories: History of the home, Women's History|

If you follow the Recollections blog, you may have noticed that I enjoy writing about dolls and novelty items from history. It’s true, I like all things cute. The history of dollhouses has been a topic I’ve looked forward to covering here for some time. I collect dollhouse furniture and have said for many years [...]

Fanny Fern: celebrity journalist

By | October 21st, 2021|Categories: 19th Century Literature, Victorian Era, Women's History|

I love antique etiquette manuals and advice columns. I collect both digital and hard copies and enjoy the beautiful way things are written and seeing how things have changed. There is a really interesting mix of advice that I think is quite timeless and standards that have been outdated for decades depending on the book. [...]

One hundred years of nightgowns: from the Victorian era to the 1950s

By | October 3rd, 2021|Categories: 1920s fashion, 1950s fun, Edwardian Era, Fashion, Roaring 20s, Underpinnings, Victorian fashion, Women's History|Tags: , , |

There is something about cooler temperatures that always gets me thinking about pretty and/or comfy sleepwear. Even though it has been just one week of fall here in Denver, I am already dreaming about flannel nightgowns, terry cloth robes, and Uggs. As often happens, I started to think about the evolution of the clothing item [...]

Polly Pry: daring journalist of the Wild West

By | September 26th, 2021|Categories: American West, Old West, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , |

Polly Pry is a bit of a legend in Colorado. That is because she is directly tied to the notoriety of the most famous people from the state’s history. How so? She is responsible for much of their fame due to being the reporter who put them in the papers. When I first began my [...]

The women behind The Wizard of Oz witches

By | September 23rd, 2021|Categories: Entertainment, Halloween, Holidays, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

Few movie main characters are as different as The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch The Wizard of Oz. And few are as beloved, with both of them being entrenched in the American consciousness 85-some odd years since the film was released.  The characters would not have become so iconic without [...]

Ideas for great Victorian Halloween costumes

By | September 19th, 2021|Categories: Halloween, Holidays, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

A memorable Halloween starts with a memorable costume. Why not make it one to remember by dressing as a woman from history who deserves to be remembered? Victorian Halloween costumes are always a part favorite because they are striking and great conversation starters. But who to choose? A lot of women from the Victorian era [...]

Women's aprons through time

By | September 16th, 2021|Categories: 1950s Fashions, Downton Abbey, Fashion, History of the home, Victorian Fashions, Women's History|

It occurred to me some months back that there are some very distinct trends when it comes to women’s aprons. We see them come and go through history and with specific styles when they do. Though we call anything meant to protect a woman’s clothing from harm caused by domestic duties an ‘apron’, they are [...]