Mackinac Island’s Victorian Connection

By | July 19th, 2016|Categories: Fashion, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Mackinac Island and the Gilded Age Mackinac Island and the Grand Hotel are famous for being movie backdrops. Perhaps, Somewhere in Time is its most enduring legacy. Each autumn, a weekend is dedicated to experiencing the Edwardian-era as it was in the film. But, Mackinac Island was a Native American settlement before European exploration started [...]

It’s Nutcracker Ballet Time

By | December 11th, 2015|Categories: Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

by Donna Klein   I love non-commercial radio, which means WCMU where I live. As I was driving earlier this week, the station was conducting a fundraiser for heating assistance. Fundraisers usually mean the more popular selections of classical music are played. It was no surprise that holiday music was the fare of the day, [...]

Halloween is Just Around the Corner!

By | September 3rd, 2015|Categories: Ball Gowns, Civil War, Downton Abbey, Edwardian Era, Fashion, Old West, Pioneer Dress, Roaring 20s, Uncategorized, Victorian Era, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Halloween is Just a Hop-Skip-and-a-Jump Away!   Yes, the calendar just flipped from August to September, and the thermometer is still registering summer temperatures. But, make no mistake, it's almost heeeeeerrrrre! It's time to start thinking about autumn and one of its highlights - Halloween.   Themed parties, no theme parties, and everything in between [...]

Costume College 2015

By | August 21st, 2015|Categories: Ball Gowns, Civil War, Destinations, Edwardian Era, Fashion, Old West, Pioneer Dress, Roaring 20s, Steampunk, Uncategorized, Victorian Era|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

By Sue McDonald   Costume College - Whirlwind of Classes and Special Events   If you haven’t heard about Costume College, then you haven’t been paying attention! After hearing about it for years, a friend convinced me to enroll last year, and I am now positively addicted to the excitement, the many opportunities for learning [...]

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 [...]

5 Most Popular Victorian Dress Patterns

By | May 1st, 2015|Categories: Victorian Era|Tags: , |

Victorian dresses are known for their long hoops and their poofy, leg-o-mutton sleeves. These dresses, especially the dresses of the Civil War, became iconic for the entire era, and are now are some of the most popular dresses we have on our entire site. We’ve compiled a list of the 5 most popular Victorian dress [...]

Pickwick’s Mercantile

By | December 8th, 2014|Categories: Fashion, Victorian Era Celebrations|Tags: , , , , |

Near the new Memorial Bridge sits an eclectic Victorian storefront.  Situated a comfortable stroll from the center of downtown, not far from Prescott Park on the banks of the Piscataqua River, Pickwick's Mercantile is part of an economic rebirth in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.   Rita Fabbricatore and her staff opened the doors on Black Friday, [...]