Here is a photo of a Pompeii, Italy street after excavation & renovation.  Women of the Regency era were intrigued by ancient civilizations & their fashions & details.

In 1748, excavation of the ruins of Pompeii, Italy began.  With improved communication worldwide due to fast ships, the ability to travel, & printed news, women embraced new discoveries. From 1790 to 1815, this thirst for knowledge about countries such as India, Greece, Italy, & Egypt in particular, had the …

Fashion is one area of history where we have real documentation existing to this day.  In the 18th century (1700’s) there were hand sketched fashion plates, plus the king of France sent pattern dolls around the world. The 19th century had photographs, advertisements, & catalogs.  Museums contain ancient samples of …

… which cover Georgian/Colonial, Regency, Romantic, Victorian, & Edwardian Fashion eras from 1740 to 1914: Eras we focus on are: 1740-1760 (end of 2nd Georgian/Colonial) 1760-1790 (3rd Georgian/Colonial) 1790-1825 (Regency) 1825-1837 (Romantic) 1837-1895 (Victorian) 1895-1914 (La Belle Epoque/Edwardian) We depict women in American history, although because American women got their …

Like all eras we discuss, what was going on in the world affected even the fashion of Carnival.  Carnival was affected by politics & conquer – it started & stopped depending on who was in charge of a country; e.g. Germany had a huge Carnival celebration in Cologne, but when …

Notice how similar these costumes are to our authentic reproduction garments.  Many seem to represent the most dramatic part of the Georgian/Colonial era of the 18th century (1740-1770) – with huge paniers, elaborate decoration, & headpieces. (photo: modern feature costume based on 18th century fashion (left); sketch of 18th century …

Carnival is celebrated by many in consuming alcohol & food.  Grotesque costumes emphasize the body in a way that “reverse” the “rules” of every day living. Villas & estates are rented out for huge, elaborate parties & balls.  If you travel to Venice at this time, you are expected to …

Every February & March in many places in the world, “Carnival” takes place.  This is the season before the Christian season of Lent.  Rio de Janeiro & Reufe, Brazil, Venice, Italy, and Columbia hold the largest celebrations. Wearing costumes, historically the festival was to express social unity.  Masks hid the …

… in coaches to make extended visits to friends to gossip about the latest news around the world.  Word of mouth was a key way for information to spread in the Regency era. (photo:  1800’s English news flyer advertising coach services for hire.  A sign of wealth was to own …

… was a big way to share fashion news from around the world… if you were a man in the late 18th century. (sketch: English 1800 coffee house)