Swift-Coles Historic Home

By | July 8th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|

Swift-Coles Historic Home History   Just past the Tin Top Restaurant, near the intersection of County Roads 10 and 49 in Bon Secour, Alabama, lies the Swift-Coles Historic Home. Charles Swift built a four-room dogtrot home for his bride in the latter part of the 19th century on the point of land where Schoolhouse Creek [...]

A History of Victorian Hats

By | June 28th, 2015|Categories: Victorian Era|Tags: |

When we think of Victorian hats, we tend to think of extravagant hats with feathers and lace and ribbons. However, these hats are more indicative of the late Victorian era instead of the era as a whole. Remember, the era itself was almost one-hundred years long, and the styles were bound to change throughout the [...]

5 Movies to Reenact with your Civil War Dresses

By | June 26th, 2015|Categories: Civil War|Tags: |

We all love Civil War dresses, with their hoop skirts and frills and lace. But, sometimes we like to reenact scenes from movies, and following a particular pattern from a movie can be helpful in choosing the kind of Civil War costume we want. Here, we have listed our five favorite Civil War movies that [...]

Selma Arts Center

By | June 25th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Raisin' Cain for the Selma Arts Center   Selma, California is a town of approximately 23,000 residents located southeast of Fresno. Selma started out as a railroad town and today is a bustling community proud of its dedication to the arts and its importance to area residents. The arts intersect at the Selma Arts Center. [...]

Going Under the Dress: Victorian Undergarments

By | June 24th, 2015|Categories: Victorian Era|Tags: , |

Today our underwear is glorified in events such as the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and billboards by the road. But, let’s take a trip back to a time when a G-string wasn’t dreamed of and a woman’s undergarments were as secretive as her heart. That’s right—we’re going to the Victorian Era. Victorian undergarments were [...]

Another Period on Comedy Central: Recollections Stars Again!

By | June 23rd, 2015|Categories: Accessories, Downton Abbey, Edwardian Era, Entertainment, Recollections, Victorian Era|

Another Period airs tonight on Comedy Central at 10PM, right after Amy Schumer. This looks like a night of serious laughs. Another Period follows the Bellacourts, a ridiculously wealthy family in 1900s Rhode Island. Think of it like Downton Abbey meets Keeping Up With The Kardashians—a spoof on reality TV with an all-star cast in [...]

What exactly is a Polonaise?

By | June 22nd, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: |

We have plenty of polonaise ensembles on the Recollections website, all of which are beautifully handcrafted outfits with enormous amounts of fabric. But what exactly is a polonaise? Well, it isn’t the traditional Polish folk dance, even though the outfits are inspired by this. The polonaise is taken from Polish folk costumes and consists of [...]

Elks Opera House

By | June 21st, 2015|Categories: Pioneer Dress, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Elks Opera House Backstory   More than 110 years ago the cornerstone the Elks Opera House was laid on East Gurley Street in Prescott, Arizona. The local Elks Lodge saw a need in the community and decided to incorporate a theater into the plans for their new building. Residents and lodge members raised the necessary [...]

Victorian Fashion as Inspiration for Steampunk

By | June 20th, 2015|Categories: Steampunk, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions|Tags: , , , , |

From the movies and pop culture, most of us know what parts of Victorian fashion were important. For instance, women’s ball gowns and bustles and men’s top hats and jackets are all recognizable elements of a Victorian wardrobe. However, a relatively recent innovation takes these iconic Victorian images and morphs them with a modern, sci-fi [...]