Last October, with the enthusiastic encouragement of several friends who love to dress in period attire, my husband and I made the 6-hour trek from Prescott, Arizona to the lovely old western town of Durango, Colorado for the third annual Durango Heritage Celebration. We stayed at the beautifully restored Strater Hotel, and immersed ourselves in [...]
When you hear that Nancy Perzo and Karen Patton are known as “The Tea Ladies”, and that they preside over tea events at a lovely historic mansion, it might be easy to assume that they are living a life of ease and indulgence; but you would be sadly mistaken. With all of the varied programs [...]
My love affair with gloves began shortly after my husband and I joined a re-enactment group who dressed in 1800’s period attire. While looking for ideas for clothing I came across a picture of an outfit that stopped me in my tracks. What was so stunning? Her gloves! This lady’s gloves were the richest shade [...]
Queen Victoria goes into mourning In December of 1861, Queen Victoria’s beloved husband Albert died. Her response to his death would forever change Victorian mourning clothing and customs. It had been the custom for a widow to wear black for a period of one year; other relatives were in mourning for lesser periods, depending on [...]
Pantaloons, drawers, knickers, and bloomers. What do all of these items have in common? During the 1800’s all were adopted by women as a necessary article of clothing. During the early nineteenth century women did not typically wear anything under their skirts and petticoats. However, during the empire period early in the century, women’s clothing [...]
When my husband and I moved to the relatively small town of Prescott Arizona several years ago, I never dreamed that I would soon be spending all my time (and a great deal of money) in an effort to look as though I lived in the late 1800’s. For my husband, the transition was fairly [...]
With the Steampunk subculture recently being featured on the current TV series “Castle”, in the comic strip “Luann”, and in Steampunk-inspired gadgets and machines featured in the current “Warehouse 13” series, Steampunk is poised to emerge as a mainline culture and lifestyle on the world scene. While the movement has its roots in many works [...]
Many of us tend to think “Victorian” whenever we see certain floral prints, or a vintage-looking Valentines card. However, when applying the term to clothing we must follow a very specific set of guidelines. The “Victorian period” of history coincides with the ascension and reign of Queen Victoria from 1870 to 1900. Young and lovely, [...]
Just as most of us will not venture forth from our houses without makeup and earrings on, just so no self-respecting Victorian lady would leave home without a hat. For the purposes of this discussion, we divide the Victorian period into three parts; early (1844-1855), mid (1858-1870) and late 1872-1897 Victorian. Because we are [...]