How exciting! Yes, definitely shorter length – mid-calf is good. But include wide tucks in your skirt so you can let it out as you grow taller (if you do). In my research, hair would be half up – the top in a bun at the crown with the rest long and loose. Or you can braid the hair and leave it down. Below are some links for your reference.

This one is a 1898 catalog. I’d recommend flipping through the whole of it as it’s a wonderful resource.

Mid-1890s plate for girls. (Ignore the incorrect 1889 date.)

Although earlier 1880s, here’s a photograph of teen girls. Notice the hair and skirt lengths.

I agree with the Linsey-woolsey comment. It’s too rough and basic for alpaca or maybe even for marino, although linen is a possibility. I have a linen suit that looks very similar. One thing you could try is to clip just a few threads from the frayed section and burn them. We do this a lot with vintage yarn and such. Plant fibers and animal fibers burn differently and smell different while burning, although the dye used can affect the smell even in something that old. Another thing to try is to “pull” a thread from both ends and see how it stretches before breaking. Wool has a lot more stretch than cotton or linen.

You are quite welcome, Ilse! So glad you found it helpful. It’s neat looking at original construction details.

I hadn’t planned on it. I did post a couple in the comments of the Facebook Live video I did on that one. But I’ll make a note to add it here and on the blog schedule.