Here is the Historical Research on which we base your customized costume design. Start with the introduction, OR click on your timeframe! Check out special sections on Nursing through the years, Celtic/Highlander, & Colonial specific , Stays & Corsets Overview, History of Stays 1740-1780, History of Corsets 1780-1912, Dyes & Colors, Regency Specific 1780-1836 and Victorian Specific 1837-1889 (including the people of) fashions.
Each project also has areas of specific interest such as Men’s Colonial Dress, Men’s Victorian Waistcoats, Women riding astride or sidesaddle (riding skirts & western fashion), Domestics in the late 19th Century, Children & Orphans 1862, Homesteaders of 1887, “Mill Girls” (1836 Ensemble), and many, many others by date.
THE ERAS – INTRODUCTION TO ERAS
1740-1760 (end of 2nd Georgian/Colonial)
“Age of Enlightenment”: old orders change to new
1761-1778 (Early & Mid 3rd Georgian/Colonial)
“Years of Abundance”: European aristocracy & American wealth lead fashion
1779-1793 (Late 3rd Georgian/Late Colonial)
” The Independent Spirit”: world in conflict, with a self-sufficient America
1794-1807 (Early Regency “Society” era)
“The Steel Age”: technological advancements worldwide, with American growth & heroes
1808-1814 (Mid Regency)
“The Empire Age”: French & worldwide influence on fashion, with fondness for the ancient past
1815-1823 (Late “Regency Belles”/Rococco)
“Renaissance of the Renaissance”: liberation for women with the fast pace of industry creating desire for “the simple life”
1824-1836 (Romantic)
“Age of Romance” in a world of peace & prosperity: return to a chivalrous & innocent time contrived by strong corsets & legal reforms
1837-1851 (Early Victorian)
“Age of Expansion”: of ideas, inventions, & dresses
1852-1867 (Mid Victorian)
“Pre-Raphaelites & Crinolines”: ready-made rules from mourning to evening
1868-1880 (Mid-Victorian)
“New World for Women”: Wild West discovered among monarchies, & bustles
1881-1887 (Late Victorian) – “Cult of Beauty”: bustles, & books on their heads
1888-1898 (Early Edwardian)
“Naughty Nineties”: strong women in a fast-paced world of work & play
1899-1914 (Edwardian Classic)
“A Peaceful Golden Age”: of huge ships (that hit icebergs), “Grand Dames” presiding over High Teas, & Gibson Girls with their perfect figures (who didn’t exist) inside a frenzied & fast-paced world
1899-1914 (La Belle Epoque)
“The Lost Golden Age”: an isolated pocket within the Edwardian Era; defined a MOOD in France that was the epitomy of beautiful dress & luxury for those who could afford it
1899-1914 (Art Nouveau)
“Fin de Siecle”: (only theoretically “end of the century”) another sub-category of the Edwardian era; embraced the place “where technology meets nostalgia”
1899-1914 (Work & Sport)
“The New Woman at Last”: yet another sub-category of the Edwardian era, was when the “normal” woman went to work & escaped the house at last
1840-1914 (The American West)
“Pioneer Spirit”: starting with photographic records, women who settled & worked the American frontiers influenced others worldwide
1840-1914 (American Notables)
“The American Spirit”: apart from European & world influences, unique American women were a force unto themselves who played a different part in the history of fashion due to their independent attitudes, professions, & styles
SPECIAL FOCUS
Colonial Specific 1740-1780 America
(People & factors making fashion)
(People & factors making fashion)
