Downton Abbey E9 S9: Lord Grantham gets really drunk and Tom makes a run for it

By | March 1st, 2015|Categories: Downton Abbey|

Before we begin, if you missed last week’s episode, you can find the recap here. And, this episode was truly jam packed with scandal, love, and forgiveness. The episode picks up with Anna being in jail and Mary descending from her high horse to visit her. Anna doesn’t think her luck will get much brighter, [...]

The Victorian Vest aka: The Waistcoat

By | February 24th, 2015|Categories: Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions|Tags: , , , , , |

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 [...]

The Victorian Wedding Dress: Belle Epoque

By | February 24th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: , |

The late Victorian Era in Europe went by many names—but the most beautiful was the term the French used. “Belle Époque” means Beautiful Age, and the fashion from this era didn’t disappoint either. Keeping with the name for the era, the wedding gowns of the Late Victorian Era still retained much of the style that [...]

Downton Abbey S5 E8: I Can Hear the Bells!

By | February 23rd, 2015|Categories: Downton Abbey|

Before we get started, if you haven’t seen last week’s episode, get caught up with our last recap here. Well, love is in the air and wedding plans are in full swing. Rose and Atticus are still head-over-heels, and they need all the loving they can get, because there are plenty of people trying to [...]

Victorian Hats: Bonnets, caps, and more!

By | February 20th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: |

Throughout the entire Victorian Era, hats were a major component to wardrobes. A hat could make or break an outfit in the same way that dress colors and hairstyles could. However, because the era lasted so long, the style of hats changed just as drastically as the style of dresses. Just as there were bustles [...]

Wedding Traditions from the Victorian Era

By | February 18th, 2015|Categories: Victorian Era|Tags: |

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 [...]

Victorian Shoes: Booting the boot and bringing in the heel

By | February 17th, 2015|Categories: Victorian Era|Tags: , |

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 [...]

Downton Abbey S5 E 7: Everybody’s got a boyfriend

By | February 16th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized|

Between Rose, Isobel, Mary, and the Dowager, everybody this episode’s got a boyfriend! But before we go too far, if you've missed out on the last episode, check out our recap! The Dowager and Aunt Rosamund try to catch Cora and tell her the truth about Edith and the mysterious Marigold, but Mrs. Drewe beats [...]

Valentine’s Day and the Victorians

By | February 13th, 2015|Categories: Civil War, Fashion, Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , |

  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 [...]