Historical Dresses

At Maggie May Clothing, we have been designing historical and historically inspired dresses for over 25 years. All of our designs are inspired by extant garments in museum collections, private collections, and in books such as Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion, Peterson’s Ladies Magazine, and Nancy Bradfield’s Costume In Detail. Each design is original and was drafted exclusively by Maggie May Clothing. None of our designs have been constructed from existing patterns. Each of our historical dresses are part of a larger collection and are based on popular silhouettes from different time periods. We offer both a special order collection and a ready made collection. The garments you see pictured in our special order collection are prototypes. Special Order garments are “made to order” or “bespoke” using fabrics selected from our fabric collection.

Regency

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Romantic

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Victorian

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Edwardian

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WW1

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One has the option of ordering from our special order collection in either standard sizing (see our sizing chart) or custom sizing (using our custom order PDF). Standard sized garments are best suited for museum display and/or interpretive pieces (or when there is a no need for specialized fit.) Custom sizing is best suited for those seeking a more precise fit, no need for alteration, or do not necessarily feel our stock size measurements are optimal. Special order garments typically take 2-6 weeks to create depending on our current commission schedule. Always check with us before ordering to be sure we are not heavily booked. For clients working on a quick deadline or need garments immediately, our ready made collection consists of ready to ship garments. These garments are NOT part of our special order catalog and CANNOT be made to order. Ready made garments are made to stock size unless otherwise noted. These are one time garments added to our collection to meet the diverse needs of our clients.