The Fashion History Pages- A note from the Author

Fashion History
The Fashion History Pages

I developed The Fashion History Pages (FHP) WAY BACK in 2002 in response to a need for reputable online information regarding the history of Western fashion. These pages were initially designed for educators and students as a place where each could come to gain broader insight into how fashion played a role in history. Over the years, The Fashion History Pages have reached a far more diverse audience than I ever could have imagined.

Over the years, The FHP have undergone multiple revisions (the latest being in 2020) to represent a more concise overview of the history of fashion. The time periods discussed are organized according to dominant fashion silhouettes and the exact years are generalized. Additionally, each time period focuses on a central theme. For example, The Romantic Era focuses on Romanticism whereas the Crinoline Period focuses on Victorian Era technology.

Each time period begins with a brief discussion of major historical themes followed by descriptions of both womens and childrens clothing. Admittedly, these pages are Euro-centric and are written from an American perspective. 

The newly updated FHP draws from over 40 scholarly texts and contains a variety of images from museums, art collections, and private clothing collections around the globe. These pages are purely educational and strive to represent both an accurate and objective view of the history of Western fashion.

Culture, political movements, religion, and economics all play a major role in the history of fashion. The culture of clothing has a wide variety of nuances too numerous to discuss in pages like these. Therefore, additional publishings on specific historical clothing topics will also be available in our collective.

Whether you are an educator, student, scholar, or enthusiast- it is my sincerest hope you will find these pages of assistance in your quest toward gaining a broader understanding of the history of fashion! 

Susan Jarrett

A note about researching on the web (c. 2002):
With the advent of social networking and the popularity of web publishing, there is now more information than ever regarding fashion history. However, unlike traditional publications, no one has to approve or verify the content of this information before it is made public. Therefore, it is your job as a researcher to evaluate the information you find and determine whether it is reputable, accurate, and unbiased. Information from museums, educational institutions, and individuals with training in the historical clothing and textiles field are the most credible.

Selected Bibliography:
Agrawal, Yoshodhara. Silk Brocades. Lustre Press, 2004.
Amphlett, Hilda. Hats: A History of Fashion in Headwear. Dover, 2003.
Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion: Books 1&2. QSM, 1972.
Ashelford, Jane. The Art of Dress: Clothes and Society 1500-1914. National Trust Enterprises, 1996.
Barreto, Cristina and Martin Lancaster. Napoleon and the Empire of Fashion 1795-1815. Skira, 2010.
Bernstein, Aline. Masterpieces of Women’s Costume of the 18th and 19th centuries. Dover, 2001.
Blum, Dilys and H. Kristina Haugland. Best Dressed. Philidelphia Museum of Art, 1997.
Blum, Stella. Fashions and Costumes from Godey’s Lady’s Book. Dover, 1985.
Blum, Stell, Ed. Victorian Fashions and Costumes from Harper’s Bazar 1867-1898. Dover, 1974.
Bradfield, Nancy. Costume in Detail, 1730-1930. QSM, 2001.
Brinton, D.G, MD and G.H. Napheys MD. Personal Beauty. Applewood Press, 1994. Original publication date 1870.
Burnston, Sharon Ann. Fitting and Proper. Scurlock Publishing Co, 2007.
Cunnington, Phillis and C. Willett. The History of Underclothes. Dover, 1992.
Divine, Robert A et al. America: Past and Present: 4th edition. Harper Collins College Publishers, 1995.
Dover Publications. Old Fashioned Chidren’s Photos, 2006.
Downing, Sarah Jane. Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen. Shire Publications, 2011.
Ewing, Elizabeth. History of Children’s Costume. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1977.
Field, Jacqueline et al. American Silk, 1830-1930. Texas Tech University Press, 2007.
Fontanel, Beatrice. Support and Seduction: A History of Corsets and Bras. Abradale PRess, 1997.
Fukai, Akiko et al. The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute: Fashion- A History from the 18th Century to the 20th Century. Taschen, 2002.
Garfield, Simon. Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color that Changed the World. WW Norton and Co, 2001.
Gernsheim, Alison. Victorian and Edwardian Fashions. Dover, 1981.
Gorsline, Douglas. What People Wore. Dover, 1980.
Harris, Kristina. Victorian and Edwardian Fashions for Women: 1840-1919. Schiffer Publishing, 1995.
Harris, Kristina, Ed. Victorian Fashion in America. Dover, 2002.
Hollander, Anne. Seeing Through Clothes. University of California Press, 1993.
Johnston, Lucy. Nineteenth Century Fashions in Detail. V&A Publications, 2007.
Kohler, Carl. A History of Costume. Dover Publications, 1963.
Langley, Susan. Vintage Hats and Bonnets 1770-1970. Collector Books, 1999.
Laver, James. Costume and Fashion- A Concise History: 4th Edition. Thames and Hudson , 2002.
Leisch, Juanita. Who Wore What? Women’s Wear 1861-1865. Thomas Publications, 1995.
MacDonald, Margaret et al. Whistler, Women, and Fashion. Yale University Press, 2003.
Murray, Maggie Pexton. Changing Style in Fashion- Who, What, Why? Fairchild Publications, 1990.
North, Susan and Avril Hart. Historical Fashion in Detail- 17th and 18th centuries. V&A Publications, 2007.
Perrot, Philippe. Fashioning the Bourgeoisie: A History of Clothing in the 19th century. Princeton University Press, 1994.
Ribeiro, Aileen. Ingres in Fashion. Yale University Press, 1999.
Ribeiro, Aileen. The Gallery of Fashion. Princeton, University Press, 2000.
Shep, R.L. Civil War Ladies Fashions and Needle Arts of the Early 1860s. Mendocino, 1987.
Shep, R.L. Corsets: A Visual History. Mendocino, 1993.
Shep, R.L. Regency Ettiquette: The Mirror of Graces by a Lady of Distinction. Mendocino, 1997. Original publication date 1811.
Snyder-Haug, Diane. Antique and Vintage Clothing. Collector Books, 1997.
Tortora, Phyllis and Keith Eubank. Survey of Historic Costume: 3rd Edition. Fairchild Publications, 1998.
Trestain, Eileen. Dating Fabrics: A Color Guide 1800-1960. American Quilter’s Society, 1998.
Weber, Caroline. Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution. Henry Holt and Company, 2006.
Wilson, Carrie. Fashions Since Their Debut. International Textbook Co, 1940.
Waugh, Norah. Corsets and Crinolines. Routledge/Theatre Arts Books, 2004.
Weiner, Annette and Jane Schneider, Ed. Cloth and the Human Experience. Smithsonian Institute Press, 1989.
Worrell, Estelle. Children’s Costume in America: 1607-1910. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1980.
Wright, Merideth. Everyday Dress in Rural America, 1783-1800. Dover, 1992.

Fashion History

Calico Ball historical collective

Welcome to CalicoBall’s Fashion History pages! Your source for all things history of fashion and textiles! Scholarly research on all aspects of women and children’s clothing from the late 18th century, 19th century, and early 20th century!

Love History? So do we! Join our Tribe!

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CalicoBall is a grassroots effort to document, preserve, and present rural America’s diverse historical traditions. CalicoBall is an educational extension of Maggie May Clothing.©2020 Maggie May Clothing

Fashion History: A note from the Author

Image courtesy Queen’s University Library
I developedThe Fashion History Pagesin 2002 ago in response to a need for reputable online information regarding the history of Western fashion. These pages were initially designed for educators and students as a place where each could come to gain broader insight into how fashion played a role in history. Over the years,The FHPageshave reached a far more diverse audience than I ever could have imagined.

TheFHPagesunderwent a full revision in 2019 to represent a more concise overview of fashion. Each page begins with a brief discussion of major historical themes followed by descriptions of both women’s and children’s clothing. Admittedly, these pages are Euro-centric (as France and England were primarily setting the fashion trends during the 18th and 19th centuries) and are historically written from an American perspective.

The newly updatedFHPagesdraws from over 40 scholarly texts and contains a variety of images from museums, art collections, and private clothing collections around the globe. These pages are purely educational and strive to represent both an accurate and objective view of the history of Western fashion.

Culture, political movements, religion, and economics all play a major role in the history of fashion. American clothing in particular has a wide variety of nuances just too numerous to discuss in pages like these. Therefore, additional information on specific historical clothing topics will be available onour blog. Just search for fashion history.

Whether you are an educator, student, scholar, or enthusiast- it is my sincerest hope you will find these pages of assistance in your quest toward gaining a broader understanding of the history of fashion!

Susan Jarrett

A note about researching on the web:
With the advent of social networking and the popularity of web publishing, there is now more information than ever regarding fashion history. However, unlike traditional publications, no one has to approve or verify the content of this information before it is made public. Therefore, it is your job as a researcher to evaluate the information you find and determine whether it is reputable, accurate, and unbiased. Information from museums, educational institutions, and individuals with training in thehistorical clothing and textilesfield are the most credible.

A career in Fashion History

I recently responded to an inquiry from a college graduate who is interested in pursuing a career in historic costume and fashion history. She asked me several great questions about careers in historical costume. I thought I would share our Q&A for anyone who might be interested in getting into“the business.”

Q: First of all, what are your recommendations for pursuing my interest in fashion history?As you have already realized, compared to other professions, careers in fashion history are far and few in between. However, they are not nonexistent. Fashion History careers range from living history interpretation to museum curatorial work to teaching. I would suggest joining The Costume Society of America. They have lots of great academic/professional conferences and do list job openings in the field of fashion history across the nation.


Q: What are your recommendations for pursuing my interest in fashion history? I have not found many graduate programs in the country for this subject. Do you know of any programs out there that I may have missed?
UNC- Chapel Hill has a great program in costume. You may wish to check out Kent State University in Ohio. And, Ohio State has a a highly reputable film school.

Q: And if not, are there certain books that you could recommend to me (I’m sure there are hundreds) that would give a good general overview on fashion history?
Survey of Historic Costume by Phyllis Tortora and Keith Eubank. It is a very broad overview, but it is a great introductory to the history of western fashion. The Janet Arnold pattern books are great for looking at historic garment construction. But my favorite is Costume in Detail 1730-1930 by Nancy Bradfield.

Q:Your website mentions employing ‘historical sewing techniques’. Can you expound upon that for me? You also mentioned in your artist statement that you are a self-taught seamstress, so I was wondering if you had taught yourself all of these methods or if they were learned at some sort of institution.
Historical sewing techniques primarily refers to the cut and draping of a garment that is consistent with the period from which it originates. I do also try to use as many actual period stitch applications as possible when making historical garments. However, there is a fine line between “sewing historically” and making reproduction historic garments. Many historic sewing techniques require hours and hours (and hours….) of hand sewing. This is OK if you have lots of time and are creating say a couture art piece. However, when making garments for resale (or under deadlines), this is just not always feasible. Therefore, I try to replicate historic construction techniques as closely as possible when appropriate.

I learned about period sewing techniques by looking at original garments (in person and in books) and then I just went into my studio and tried to replicate what I saw. As for sewing in general, my mother taught me to sew when I was 13 and in college I worked in the University costume shop.

Q: Do you purchase the fabric for your garments at a general fabric store? Or do you go to a specialty store or order online?
Finding appropriate fabric is a big issue. Cities like NYC and LA still have viable fabric markets. However, in my part of the world, garment sewing is becoming an obscure hobby and domestic fabric suppliers are drying up faster than you can say “Welcome to BigMart.”

In the past I experimented with purchasing materials online and have had a mixed experience. Sometimes I got what I expected, sometimes I did not. Many online retail fabric stores purchase lots of discontinued fabrics and tend to run out of your fiber before they can process your order.

Right now I work exclusively with two wholesale distributors here in the US. One specializes in reproduction cotton prints.

Q: Are they worth the time and money when constructing a period garment, or can they easily be replaced by modern-day substitutes? It depends upon your intended end use. I am a historical costumer who specializes in authentic period attire. My primary clientle is museums. If I were creating something say for theater, I might be able to use substitutes.

However, it is my personal opinion that spending the extra money to purchase high quality, period appropriate fabric is worth it. I am serious believer in doing things right the first time because if you don’t, you will only have to go back and redo them again later.

Q: As for your patterns, do you draft them yourself? Are they altered from patterns you have collected over time? Or do you use patterns you have found in books, on the web, or at stores?
When I first began over 17 years ago, I primarily altered commercial patterns I had in my collection because they were already graded to fit different sizes. Now, I have a more in depth understanding of pattern drafting/size grading and am able to work from my own patterns. This has allowed for greater creativity in my designs.

Q: How did you began this career as a freelance historic costumer? I realize it is not your only method of income, but how did it all begin?
I do not think I chose a career as a historic costumer as much as it chose me. My fascination with historic clothing began when I was about five or six. In elementary school, I used to sketch Edwardian style dresses instead of doing my lessons.In middle school I made my first dress. In high school I sold my first dress. In college I studied History and Historic Textiles. I also studied abroad and worked in the theater’s costume shop.

I earned degrees in History andthe Visual Artsand then went on to earn a Masters degree in Visual Arts Education. In 2000, I launched my website. Since then, I have devoted most of my time to the study of historic dress and began developing my own designs based upon my research. I also teach part time at the local university.

Q: Did you know people in the film industry that would frequently commission costume pieces from you? Also, do you know anything about being a Historic Consultant for films/plays/etc.
My website has been my main source for business. Yes, I do network within the film and theater industry but the majority of my work comes directly from my website. Publishing scholarly articles about historic clothing and displaying images of my work online has been my biggest asset.

In closing, here is some advice:
Get connected– network amongst professionals already working in the field. Find a mentor if possible.

Stay active– Read, research, learn, and create!

Create a portfolio– design and create four or five garments that are exclusively your own and make them available for view by professionals already working in the field.

Promote yourself– Let people know you are out there and are willing to work!

Be business savvy– Knowing how to recreate historic clothing is important, but knowing how to run a business is imperative!

I hope this gives you a little direction in your pursuits!
My Best!
-SJ


(This is a repost from my blog: September 2011)

Fashioning Rugby: They came a’ Visiting

by Susan Jarrett

In this multi-part series, originally entitled- Fashioning Rugby: An English Lady’s Guide to Proper Dress in East Tennessee from 1870-1890, we will use primary source documents as well as period photographs and museum artifacts to build wardrobes for the key female residents of Rugby, Tennessee.

Background

Rugby, Tennessee was the utopian vision of Thomas Hughes- a landed gentleman from Oxfordshire, England and influential lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown’s School Days (c. 1857). Disaffected by the current economic, political, and religious state of Victorian Era England, Hughes envisioned a new society- one in which equality (for men) and the rejection of capitalism could create a more just, pure, and thus blissful existence.

Specifically, Rugby was a rejection of the British custom of primogeniture- or the right of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent’s entire or main estate in lieu of shared inheritance among all or some children.

History tells us that Hughes Utopian settlement within the wild untamed wilderness of Northern Tennessee would ultimately fail. But for the 7 years in which it endeavored, The Rugby Settlement was successful in capturing the imagination of all who sought out and continue to forge a trail into the wilderness.

Sophia and Mrs. Richard Tyson

Mrs. Richard Tyson brought her eligible young daughter Sophia and son Jesse to Rugby from Baltimore in hopes of finding her children prospective spouses with aristocratic lineage. Not quite wealthy enough to offer her children up for royal titles (via the transatlantic marriage trade) but still hoping to trade dowries for royal lineage, Mrs. Richard Tyson spent some time in Ruby during 1886 hosting parties and dances at Rugby.

Like the Tysons, many newly monied American families came to Rugby in hopes of furthering their social ambitions. Marrying an impoverished (or even disinherited) son or daughter of English aristocracy held entirely more social value in middle class Victorian Era America than a marriage to another wealthy tradesman of obscure descent. And herein lies the lure of The Rugby Settlement- a utopia designed for England’s “second sons and daughters.”

Second Tabard Inn, c. 1887-1899

Dressing Mrs. Richard Tyson, Sophia, and Others

A variety of individuals from both America and Europe visited Rugby from 1881-1900. Formal advertisements boasted of Rugby’s rugged beauty and refined amenities. Some early visitors found Rugby too rustic for their tastes while later visitors reveled in the freedom the wide open spaces brought. Included below are excerpts from flyers c. 1881-1887 about the Rugby settlement:

While pleased with their amenities and time at Rugby (for they visited on multiple occasions), we never learn if Sophia or Jesse found marriage partners. We also never learn Mrs. Richard Tyson’s first name. We do know from Emily Hughes letters to her friend in England (Dissipations at Uffington House c. 1881-1887), many matches were made during the early years of Rugby with most returning back to England.

I like to speculate what the wealthy New England ladies’ thoughts were upon arrival in the little British village carved from the Tennessee wilderness. I imagine, like Emily Hughes, many arrived completely unprepared for the rugged terrain, range of temperatures, and isolation of Northeastern Tennessee. I envision these ladies in lavish silk gowns and tiny pointed leather shoes stepping out for the first time onto the streets of Rugby sinking ankle deep into the earthen ground.

I also imagine intimate parties by candlelight and gentle mountain breezes chasing away the day’s heat. I imagine swimming in mountain streams and riding horses in lands untouched by industrialization. I imagine a tiny colony tucked away in the wilds of Tennessee where dreams and reality were a complete juxtaposition.

Back: Dressing Margaret Hughes

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CalicoBall is a grassroots effort to document, preserve, and present rural America’s diverse historical traditions. CalicoBall is an educational extension of Maggie May Clothing. All rights reserved.

Fashioning Rugby: Dressing Emily Hughes

by Susan Jarrett

In this multi-part series, originally entitled- Fashioning Rugby: An English Lady’s Guide to Proper Dress in East Tennessee from 1870-1890, we will use primary source documents as well as period photographs and museum artifacts to build wardrobes for the key female residents of Rugby, Tennessee.

Emily Hughes’ notes describing her caterpillars

Background

Rugby, Tennessee was the utopian vision of Thomas Hughes- a landed gentleman from Oxfordshire, England and influential lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown’s School Days (c. 1857). Disaffected by the current economic, political, and religious state of Victorian Era England, Hughes envisioned a new society- one in which equality (for men) and the rejection of capitalism could create a more just, pure, and thus blissful existence.

Specifically, Rugby was a rejection of the British custom of primogeniture- or the right of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent’s entire or main estate in lieu of shared inheritance among all or some children.

History tells us that Hughes Utopian settlement within the wild untamed wilderness of Northern Tennessee would ultimately fail. But for the 7 years in which it endeavored, The Rugby Settlement was successful in capturing the imagination of all who sought out and continue to forge a trail into the wilderness.

Emily Margaret Anna Hughes

Emily Hughes
Miss Emily Hughes c. 1880s

Emily Hughes was the daughter of Thomas Hughes’s younger brother. Emily traveled with her grandmother, Margaret Hughes to Tennessee from England to live in the Rugby Settlement. Shortly after Emily arrived in Rugby, a typhoid epidemic struck the colony and Emily nearly died. But this did not deter her adventurous spirit and she continued to experiment with agriculture, geology, and photography in her Tennessee wilderness home.

During her time in Rugby, she attempted to establish a silk worm colony and grew mulberry trees for them. She also grew grapes, tended chickens, spent time at the stables, and supplied the Tabard Inn with her milk from her dairy cow. Emily lived with her grandmother Margaret Hughes at Uffington House from 1883 until 1887. Her father and brothers rarely came to Rugby and Emily writes in her diaries of continual longing for their visits.

While at Rugby, Emily met Charles Wilson (a geologist) to whom she became engaged in 1887. However, the marriage was not to be as Wilson contracted Yellow Fever while on a geology expedition in Honduras. That same year, her grandmother Margaret Hughes died forcing Emily to relocate to Massachusetts to live with her father and his new family. Emily never returned to Rugby. But in 1902, she married Ainslee Marshall (another early Rugby settler) and the two traveled to South Africa with their son. She died overseas in 1938- her pioneering spirit never subsiding.

Dressing Emily Hughes

Emily Hughes was the daughter of the British gentry class. Like her grandmother, her fashions would have been highly influenced by Queen Victoria’s daughters- most of whom would have been the same age as Emily during her formative years. During her time in England, Emily would have worn gowns made of silk, lace, and delicate ornamentation. However, Emily writes in her letters, colloquialized as Dissipations at Uffington House (c. 1881-1887), how quickly she found her gowns and fancy shoes unsuitable for the rustic Tennessee terrain. She writes, “I find that clothes are awfully dear here, especially ‘little things’ such as gloves, lace, etc. I have bought a pair of top boots as my English boots were beginning to let in water.”

Dressing Emily Hughes

Undergarments

Emily Hughes would have worn under garments that would have supported the most up to date fashion trends. Below we find a cuirass corset, various sets of combinations, petticoats with additional fullness at the back, and wool stockings. During the 1880s, women’s athletic pastimes became en vogue and there is great possibility Emily would have traded in her heavily boned cuirass corset for a sporting corset such as the Ferris Good Sense corset, cycling corset, or another type of mail order athletic corset (not shown).

Dressing Emily Hughes

Dressing for Life in Rugby

Emily Hughes writes in her letters to her English friend Lucy regarding the difficulty in obtaining comfort goods from the Rugby commissary. Instead, she writes of taking the train to Cincinnati for shopping, seeing friends, and for attending the theater. Below you can find a variety of fashions suitable for Emily’s life in Rugby. Starched white cotton dresses for church and picnics, aprons and looser fitting clothing for tending chickens and milking cows. Sturdy boots and straw hats for daily wear. And a camera- which Emily was quite proficient with and said to have with her quite often. Her adventurous spirit makes Emily Hughes the “Annie Oakley” of the rural Tennessee.

Dressing Emily Hughes

Next: They came a court’in. Visitors to Rugby.

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CalicoBall is a grassroots effort to document, preserve, and present rural America’s diverse historical traditions. CalicoBall is an educational extension of Maggie May Clothing. All rights reserved.

Fashioning Rugby: Dressing Margaret Hughes

by Susan Jarrett

This multi-part series, originally presented at Historic Rugby’s Visitor Center in June 2021 and entitled- Fashioning Rugby: An English Lady’s Guide to Proper Dress in East Tennessee from 1870-1890, uses primary source documents (letters, photographs, artifacts) to imagine what key female residents of Rugby, Tennessee would have worn during the heyday of the settlement (1881-1887).

Background

Rugby, Tennessee was the utopian vision of Thomas Hughes- a landed gentleman from Oxfordshire, England and influential lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown’s School Days (c. 1857). Disaffected by the current economic, political, and religious state of Victorian Era England, Hughes envisioned a new society- one in which equality and the rejection of capitalism could create a more just, pure, and thus blissful existence.

Specifically, Rugby was a rejection of the British custom of primogeniture- or the right of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent’s entire or main estate in lieu of shared inheritance among all or some children.

History tells us that Hughes’ Utopian settlement within the wild untamed wilderness of Northern Tennessee would ultimately fail. But for the 7 years in which it endeavored, The Rugby Settlement was successful in capturing the imagination of all who sought out and continue to forge a trail toward a more egalitarian society.

Restored Uffington House (Home of Margaret Hughes)- Rugby, Tennessee. Image Historic Rugby.

Margaret Hughes

Margaret Elizabeth (Wilkinson) Hughes was the widowed mother of settlement founder Thomas Hughes. She is also the mother of famed social reformer, Jeanie (Hughes) Senior. In her late 80s, she relocated to the Rugby settlement from England with her teenage granddaughter, Emily, in an effort to show support for her son’s community. She was a friend of Lord Alfred Tennyson, was painted by George Frederic Watts, and gave up an aristocratic life in a stately English manor for a modest wooden home in rural Northeast Tennessee.

Margaret Elizabeth Hughes by Watts. Watts Gallery.

Margaret Hughes Wardrobe

Born in 1800, Margaret Hughes would have lived two thirds of her life under the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). It is evident, Her majesty’s style influenced Mrs. Hughes sartorial selections- specifically her preference for mourning wear. All of Margaret Hughes formal portraits show her wearing a black French Chantilly mourning veil and black gown. While it was common for women beyond a certain age to prefer darker colored dresses, the majority of images we see of Mrs. Hughes exhibit some type of mourning wear. Surviving Rugby photographs also denote that much of Mrs. Hughes wardrobe was cut in a mid Victorian style (1850s-1860s). Hughes lived at Rugby from 1881 until her death in 1887. Let’s imagine what she would have worn.

Undergarments

Margaret Hughes came from a British gentry class and would have worn all the proper layers of undergarments for the duration of her life. Here we have images of a corded corset as was popular in the 1840s and provided a little less constraint than the steel boned corsets of the 1880s. Her undergarments were most likely made of fine cotton muslin or even linen and she would have opted for petticoats in lieu of cages and skirt improvers.

Gowns and Accessories

Margaret Hughes’ gowns would have been made of dark colored silks- most likely a solid color with little ornamentation- and cut in “an earlier style.” Margaret Hughes was not an ostentatious woman and would have therefore preferred fine quality over fussiness. She chose French textiles and china over English made and was alway photographed with her fine Chantilly lace veil.

Next: Dressing Emily Hughes

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CalicoBall is a grassroots effort to document, preserve, and present rural America’s diverse historical traditions. CalicoBall is an educational extension of Maggie May Clothing. All rights reserved.

Inspired Fashion

Calico Ball historical collective

Welcome to CalicoBall’s Inspired Fashion page- a space where you can find an array of tips and tricks to integrate historical fashion into your everyday wardrobe!

How to wear historical fashion everyday!

How to wear historical fashion everyday!

How to wear historical fashion everyday!

How to wear historical fashion everyday!

Love History? So do we! Join our tribe!

CalicoBall logo

CalicoBall is a grassroots effort to document, preserve, and present rural America’s diverse historical traditions. CalicoBall is an educational extension of Maggie May Clothing. ©2020 Maggie May Clothing.