Shop Pioneer Dresses

Pioneer dresses harken back to the time of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie. While they may not be as extravagant as other dresses featured on our website, the simplicity of pioneer clothing is historically accurate.

The simple designs were practical and made it easy for women to sew their own clothes, since for many of them, an experienced dressmaker was hundreds of miles away. The sleeves were looser on these dresses than on other gowns of the era because women also had to participate in much of the labor around family farms, and more constricting dresses simply didn't allow for the movement necessary for physical labor. The hems were also slightly shorter to prevent too much mud from ruining the bottom of the dress.

Many times, families would have to dress in the same fabric because on the prairie, carts with bolts of fabric only came around every so often. Historic accounts note that you could know which family a child belonged to just from the clothes he or she was wearing. This also became a time when waste was unacceptable, and fabric scraps were saved. These scraps were then sewed together in quilts, which is a uniquely American tradition.

If you have any questions about our pioneer clothing, please contact us. Our customer service representatives will be happy to assist you. Choose a sweet and simple pioneer dress for your next historical look. Browse our selection below to find the dress that is perfect for you today.