Seeing red: colors in the Victorian era

By | November 3rd, 2023|Categories: Colors in the Victorian era, Fashion, Fashion history, Victorian Era, Victorian fashion, Victorian Fashions|Tags: , , |

Red is one of the most striking colors and one of the colors found most in nature. It is especially ingrained in humans with it being the third color that babies recognize. Throughout history, it has also been considered the most alluring, with it showing up as a symbol of sensuality in ancient times and [...]

The rise and fall of puffy sleeves

By | April 10th, 2022|Categories: Fashion, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions|Tags: , |

The Victorian era saw many extreme fashions that came and went relatively quickly. I have covered my favorites for Recollections, including the rise and fall of the bustle, which took place in the 1880s. I have tended to focus on extreme styles that emphasized the various trending silhouettes over the years, but there were also [...]

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 [...]

Victorian riding habits: more than meets the eye

By | June 27th, 2021|Categories: Fashion, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

Last week I wrote about the Victorian home workout and the various attitudes about female exercise of the time. I included illustrations from exercise 19th century fitness manuals which showed women performing various exercises in their full proper dress of the time; corsets, petticoats, and all. Clothing had not yet evolved to a point where [...]

An interview with Joanna Syrokomla of Murdoch Mysteries

By | February 26th, 2021|Categories: Edwardian Era, Entertainment, Fashion|Tags: , , , |

Joanna Syrokomla on set I recently had the opportunity to have a fun chat with Joanna Syrokomla, the costume director for Murdoch Mysteries. Joanna has been in her role since season 12 and is as in love with her job as ever. As a new fan of the show and of course as a fashion [...]

How crazy was the bicycle craze?

By | January 23rd, 2021|Categories: Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , |

Many of our readers will be familiar with “the bicycle craze” of the late 1800s and the idea that the bicycle revolutionized the freedom women enjoyed from day to day and catapulted the Dress Reform Movement into the mainstream. This month I have had the privilege to work on an event for the Molly Brown [...]

Crimes of Fashion: The Civil War Hoop Skirt Smugglers

By | May 9th, 2020|Categories: Civil War, Victorian Era, Women's History|Tags: , , , , |

In my last blog post, I explored the light side of smuggling in the Victorian Era and the innovative ways that female entrepreneurs took full advantage of their women’s-only clothing to advance their position in the marketplace. During my research, I encountered many stories of Victorian women using their skirts for a different purpose: Civil [...]

Caption this! Welcome Victorian and Edwardian Spring 2020 and win $50

By | March 21st, 2020|Categories: Contests and Games, Edwardian Era, Fashion, Recollections, Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions|Tags: , , |

We welcome Spring this week with this caption contest. Your caption can be funny, thoughtful, or even a poem. Our panel of judges will choose from the entries to determine the winners. Each winner receives a $50 gift coupon to use on regularly-priced merchandise at our website! Enter your caption by midnight PT on Wednesday, [...]

Staying warm in the Victorian winter

By | January 14th, 2020|Categories: Victorian Era, Victorian Fashions|Tags: , , , , , |

A few weeks ago I bought my first pair of snow boots and cannot believe the difference that they have made in my overall comfort this winter. I have recently moved to snowy Denver after five years in Australia and had to accept that my Converse Allstars aren’t really the best for walking around icy [...]