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1950s housewife fashion

By | April 30th, 2021|Categories: 1950s Fashions, 1950s fun, Fashion, History of the home, Women's History|Tags: , , |

If you look for information online about the fashions of the 1950s, you will be bombarded with blog posts and photographs about Dior’s iconic “New Look” and black and white images from high fashion magazines. What is harder to locate is information about what I consider to be a jewel of fashion history: clothing worn [...]

The Farmer’s Wife magazine: elevating the rural woman

By | April 3rd, 2021|Categories: 1920s fashion, American West, History of the home, Old West, Pioneer Dress, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

I think that I could look at old copies of The Farmer’s Wife Magazine all day long. They are an idyllic time capsule of the past, and of a yearning on behalf of so many Americans to hold onto a way of life that was slowly becoming obsolete. It is also fascinating to see the [...]

Women's History Month Roundup

By | March 22nd, 2021|Categories: Women's History|Tags: |

One thing I love about writing for Recollections is that it gives me the opportunity to write about female figures from the past, and that our readers love it. Women’s History Month is always a fun time for me and I want to make sure to recognize the fun that our customers have had with [...]

100 years of women's hairstyles: 1830-1930

By | March 19th, 2021|Categories: 1920s fashion, Fashion, Roaring 20s, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions, Women's History|

We are in an era of “do what you want” when it comes to women’s hair. I think that it is just as common to see a woman wearing a full up-do or otherwise styled hair as it is to see one with a ponytail and no prep at all. But it certainly wasn’t always [...]

As American as apple pie: The 1939 World's Fair World of Fashion

By | March 13th, 2021|Categories: Fashion, Women's History|Tags: , , |

Fashion today is largely presented to the public by showing how it looks on live humans. But it wasn’t always that way. Before the 1900s, mannequins, dolls, and drawings were used to give buyers an idea of what the final product would look like once on. The first fashion show is believed to have taken [...]

How straw hats became shabby chic

By | March 5th, 2021|Categories: Edwardian Era, Edwardian Fashion, Fashion, Hats, Regency Era, Victorian Fashions|Tags: , , |

Does anyone else feel that it has been a long winter? It really is great to have the sun shining and to know that warmer days are ahead. It has me thinking about afternoons in the sun and relaxing under wide-brimmed hats with Aperol spritzes without a care in the world. All of this daydreaming [...]

Coronation robes: a brief history of an overlooked understudy

By | January 17th, 2021|Categories: Fashion, Women's History|Tags: , , , , |

When I wrote my blog post on the magic of the cape late last year, I at first thought that including some background on the extravagant “cloaks” worn by royals during high ceremonies and coronations would be fitting. However, as I went about gathering more information I quickly discovered that cloaks used for this purpose [...]

Victorian gloves: etiquette for use

By | January 10th, 2021|Categories: Accessories, Fashion, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions|Tags: , , , |

Tis the season for chapped hands! As a Denver transplant from Arizona, wearing gloves regularly has been a hard habit for me to make and I often find myself regretting not putting more effort into covering my hands when I go out. And truth be told, I enjoy wearing gloves. But I’m glad it is [...]

The magic of the cape

By | December 21st, 2020|Categories: 1950s Fashions, Fashion, Victorian Fashions|Tags: , , , , |

We love capes and so do our customers! We carry a wide variety, from the barely-there style seen in the 1950s to full-length-style cloaks similar to those worn in Victorian times. And of all the clothing we create, the cape is perhaps the most historic. Is that a surprise to you? This week we take [...]

A short history of the hand muff, one of history's cutest accessories

By | December 15th, 2020|Categories: Accessories, Fashion, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

Last year I wrote about the various ways that women and families stayed warm during the cold months in Victorian times. I mentioned the little-known use of hot ceramic bottles sometimes placed in a hand muff and said that I’d love to come back to write more about this particular fashion accessory. Well, hand muffs [...]

It's a Wonderful Life: fun facts and setting the record straight

By | December 3rd, 2020|Categories: Christmas, Holidays|Tags: |

Despite being the story of a man down on his luck who is contemplating suicide, It’s a Wonderful Life is considered a feel-good Christmas film for all ages. While I think it has more adult themes than we give it credit for (the black and white tends to cast a quaint impression on a lot [...]

A Victorian Christmas party

By | November 27th, 2020|Categories: Christmas, Holidays, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , |

The Victorians knew how to celebrate Christmas! During the reign of Queen Victoria, the holiday grew more popular with each passing year, becoming a national holiday in America in 1870. A good majority of the traditions we enjoy today were either started or popularized during the late 1800s and early 1900s, though in some ways [...]