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In the Swan's Shadow
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Focusing mainly on topics of interest to American Civil War living historians, reenactors, or history buffs in general, this also has a habit of wandering onto seemingly random topics such as my jewelry business and anything else that crosses my mind
Recent Posts Tagged With 'clothing'
Have you seen Victorian Times lately?
Sarahanne has been busy! She has recently completed a gown that is based off the velvet dress belonging to Mary Todd Lincoln, currently on display at the Smithsonian. I had posted photographs of the dress (and other parts of the exhibit) earlier in...
More photos from my stash...
I really like the pose in this one. I know it's just the fact that the woman's dress is obviously of a light fabric which then shows up in white here, but something about it just makes me think that the dress is more suited to a much younger girl. Da...
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book December 1863
Are they not gorgeous? This is an illustration of fashions, but not a fashion plate proper. No ladies are drawn modeling the clothing, and these are not colored. So while in the descriptions that would probably be on the facing page tells you what...
Quickie: Harper's Magazine 1860
Now, maybe it's just me, but I think I'd leave the bird at home. This ballgown has some very interesting lines in the bodice however, and the classical style sleeves I'll confess I've never seen on a gown like this before. Also, get a look at her h...
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book Fashion Plate, 1862
Well, ok. Technically this is half a plate. But NYPL does date it to 1862, and from the looks of things it's for the summer months. I must say that I adore the hats the second and third ladies are wearing, but the only dress I can see myself weari...
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book Fashion Plate, May 1860
Source: NYPL Digital Gallery...
Now featuring: Victorian Times
For those of you in the market for Civil War period clothing, an excellent choice is Victorian Times, who has a shop on Etsy.com. Not only does she offer beautiful clothing that is excellently researched and constructed, but she also occasionally o...
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book Fashion Plate, 1861
Fashion plate from Godey's Lady's Book, 1861. Date undetermined. From NYPL Digital Gallery. I'm taking a wild stab at the time of the year here, but I'm going to say autumn because of the colors of the dresses and the preponderance of heavier fash...
Quickie: Ladies' Gazette of Fashion, 1860
Ladies Gazette of Fashion, 1860. Image from NYPL Digital Gallery. This is a plate from a British publication, known simply as the Ladies' Gazette of Fashion. Like other fashion magazines of the time it also puts lots of smaller images together to ...
Quickie: From Peterson's Magazine: The Eurdora Mantle, 1868
The Eudora Mantle - Peterson's Magazine, 1868. From the NYPL Digital Library.Yes, I realize it's out of (Civil War) period, but this is a beautiful mantle. Plus, it shows the exact pattern of the beaded fringe. Doesn't get any nicer than that for ...
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book Fashion Plate, February 1863
Godey's Lady's Book Fashion Plate for February, 1863. Image from NYPL Digital Library.What I love about these fashion plates is not only their representations of fashion, but how they depict colorways with a given outfit, mix indoor and outdoor fas...
Are these vivandieres? What's a daughter of the regiment anyway?
Look carefully. Are these real vivandieres? Many times photographs like these are identified as being representations of vivandieres, the obvious tip-off being the military(esque) uniforms worn by the girls. But are they?The short answer is "no." ...
Quickie: Clothing Detail; March 1864 Peterson's Magazine
March 1864, Peterson's Magazine. Image from NYPL Digital Library. ...
Quickie: Clothing Worn at Lincoln's Inaugural Ball
From the New York Public Library Digital Gallery. Media source unknown....
Vivandieres - a short overview
Before the Civil War, there were vivandieres.The role of the vivandiere reaches back to France, in the Imperial Army and became a fixture with the Zouaves. In truth mention of them goes back to the 1600s, but the role interpreted and taken up by tho...
Fashion Plate Quickie: from Musee Des Familles, 1864
This is from a French publication, highlighting Parisian styles of dress, which were still popular to American female audiences. Notice that in this 1864 fashion plate, the woman at right's dress hoop "footprint" is beginning to move to the back rat...
Another Quickie: Fashion Plate from Godey's April 1861
There's a lot to look at in this single fashion plate. Not only are there styles for indoor and outdoor wear shown for the ladies, but also for children and infants. Note that most of the sleeves are wide "pagoda" or "carriage" sleeves, with unders...
A Special Treat!
A reader here, Claudia, has been in contact with me for the last couple of weeks now, and she surprised me greatly by showing me a day dress that has been passed down in her family as an heirloom for several generations now, and is currently in her p...
Quickie: Godey's Lady's Book Fashion Plate, February 1860
Fig. 1. -Evening-dress of white silk, with two skirts; the lower one has a flounce of lace, headed by a puffing of silk, caught at intervals with sprays of crimson salvia; the upper skirt is in longitudinal puffs, finished in the same manner; puffe...
For Harvest Textiles: Spinning, Weaving and Dyeing in Colonial America
Since Harvest Textiles commented on wanting to know what Colonial Williamsburg had on dyeing and such, I figured I'd just make a post out of it since it's really interesting stuff.While I couldn't find a podcast or article that just dealt with dyes, ...
Clothing Speaks: Another Colonial Williamsburg Podcast
If given half a chance I would probably wind up putting all of these podcasts into my blog...the sheer amount of information gleaned from just one of these is sometimes more than I've received from entire classes on a subject.This time it's another o...
Quickie: Godey's, June 1862 Fashion Plate
Is it just me, or does the pony look like a dog when you first look at it? Anyway, here's several fashion plate examples of women's clothing in June 1862, including a riding habit and a jacket meant for outdoor wear. Enjoy! ...
Fashion & Function: A Podcast on Corsetry and Clothing in the 18th Century
This podcast is just fabulous for learning about clothing in the 1700s. This comes from the Colonial Williamsburg website, where they have weekly podcasts on a variety of topics.The link to the podcast itself is here (requires Quicktime 7, available...
Anatomy of a Day Dress: Part 1
As promised, I've (finally) taken a few pictures of one of my dresses to give an example of how a day dress is put together. Keep in mind that my camera hates me with a searing passion. Yes, I know it needs ironed.Here is a photo of the dress as it ...
Ok, So Which Dress Do I Get?
I've been sitting her staring at my screen for a while now, trying to put a ton of information into something clear, without much fluff or conjecture, that would be easily digestible for someone just starting out with living history, that hasn't been...
Does This Hoopskirt Make My Butt Look Big?
...yes. And it's supposed to, in a manner of speaking. The fashion norm of the time was worlds away from what the modern aesthetic would consider to be attractive today, or even practical. Maybe its saving grace in today's world is that the Amer...
Are You Sure This Corset Won't Kill Me? Part 3
What luck! In perusing some varying places and seamstresses online that specialize in costuming and historic clothing, I happened to have stumbled upon a lady on Etsy who had in her arsenal of wares a beautifully made corset that is excellent for o...
Are You Sure This Corset Won't Kill Me? Part 2
Ok, so. You've shopped around, found a corset maker to your liking, ordered one to your measurements, and it's sitting in front of you. It's not a snake, it's not going to bite you. :)For the first fitting, you should ideally already have your che...
Are You Sure This Corset Won't Kill Me? Part 1
Yes. I'm positive. While I don't think it will be one of those things you'll end up wearing around the house, a corset isn't nearly as bad as popular culture has made it out to be. All it takes is a little planning, a good corset that fits you well, ...
From the Inside Out
Any good impression by necessity has to start from the skin out. What you wear beneath your clothing is going to shape your overall look, and hence provide a good foundation to your impression. They also are going to make your clothing not only lo...
