A fair number of historical costumers I’ve talked with have no problem when it comes to sewing a dress for an upcoming event. They can get the right pattern. And they’ve got the routine down of selecting fabrics.
Despite the fitting challenges, after some hard work they manage to produce a creation they love. Then… The Brick Wall.
Now that the dress is done, they get stuck with what to do with it. Do I wear a hat? What kind of hat? Shoes – black or white? Brooch or necklace? Short gloves? Is a shawl ok?…Perhaps you’re this way.
Follow these quick tips when you get to that drastic moment, “I have no freaking idea what accessories to wear with this!!”
Tip #1: These suggestions are in general, meaning not all accessories can span time periods and still look “right.” The best way to know what to add to your costume is to study what they did. Do your research.
The internet has helped us more than we can imagine in studying original sources. Even a quick 10 minute Google image search will reveal a general glance into what was done back then. Now go forth with imitating what you find.
Whatever your time period, study paintings and original accessories so you get a feel for general styling and colors. How is a Regency reticule different than a Victorian purse? Do we see more bonnets or hats on the ladies in the fashion plates?
Tip #2: ALWAYS be on the lookout for accessories. You never know when that Christmas ribbon will turn into a lovely 1840s bonnet tie, or those $3 Goodwill shoes go perfectly with your Edwardian gown.
In addition, observe other costumers who are accessorizing how you want your costume to look. ASK them what they did, what patterns they used, where they went shopping. (And if they snub you for asking, you don’t need to draw ideas from them anyway.)
Tip #3: Use common sense. I know this seems rather prosaic, but it’s true. I’ve seen costumers leave their brain behind when going out the door. It’s not the biggest mistake they can make, but seriously… go-go boots under that hoop skirt you think no one will see, will be seen. Trust me.
Shoes
Speaking of boots… what do you think you’d wear with that ball gown? Obviously the 6″ clear heel pumps are out…. What to do?
- When in doubt, simple black or ecru leather (faux or real) flats span the ages and will go with many of your costumes. I have a pair of them from Payless Shoes that have time traveled from the Regency to the 1870s and back again to the 1830s.
- Choose small heels – under 2″. Keep the heel size small – no chunky “granny heels” or stripper stilettos here. A basic pump covers many day and evening costumes. A rosette shoe clip can spice it up for later Victorian years.
- Ankle boots are great for daywear throughout the 1800s. Look for cast off sales from the winter selections and pick basic brown or black leather.
- Avoid open toed shoes like heck. Keep those for your 1930s dresses.
- Don’t be overwhelmed by the gorgeous originals you see with straps and cut-outs and embroidered beading. Those are fabulous which you can duplicate by covering a basic modern pump or flat. But when in doubt, go for classic styles.
Hats & Headwear
If you are wearing any outfit from the 19th Century, you need to have something on your head, especially when in public. Research photographs and fashion plates to get an idea of the styles especially for your age group (really important!).
- Day dress or event: a hat or bonnet. Buy ready-made, make one yourself or re-make a store-bought straw. (I know many costumers who’ve successfully taken those cheap decorative straw hats from craft stores and wet them and mold them into a period shape.)
- Bonnets (a crown portion that covers the back of the head with a brim that frames the face) were popular from the Regency Era (1795-1820) clear through to the early 1880s. Trim with ribbons and silk/fabric flowers.
- Do not, under any circumstance, wear a bonnet with an evening or ball dress. Please. Thank you! Use common sense here! Would you wear a hat with a modern cocktail dress for an evening out with your friends? Bonnets & hats protect the head from the sun. Wear them only when the sun is out.
- For evening wear, a voile or organdy lace cap works for older ladies.
- Flowers or some sort of headdress with ribbon should be worn at night. Fancy combs and mantillas are great for Late Victorian (1890s).
- Shun obviously plastic flowers, stamens and stems. You can find many terrific florals at big box craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s that work for headwear. Stick to soft fabrics (even though the flowers aren’t made of silk any more) and colors found in nature.
Jewelry to Adorn
Do you have a character you play? Would they have money for jewelry? Did they inherit it?
- When in doubt, wear little jewelry. But small hanging earrings and delicate brooch can go far.
- Earrings are only on wires in the 19th C. If you have studs or hanging earrings with a stud clasp, break it off and add wires with jump ring findings.
- Victorians loved their jewelry. A brooch is seen quite often at the center bust line or collar.
- Be attentive to avoid ghastly plastic-looking costume pieces. A mid-20th Century bakelite brooch is not Victorian. Be careful in your use of vintage pieces.
- Stay with natural elements – glass, pearls, jewels (real or paste ), gold metal.
Gloves
- Of course, wear leather ones if your budget allows for it. Historical colors include black, white, ecru/cream, dull yellow, red and navy.
- If you want to be fully dressed or are going “visiting,” put your gloves on. Otherwise, leave them off. You can find many photographs of women wearing no gloves.
- Full hand gloves are found throughout history. Mitts, those fingerless or half-finger gloves, were widely seen in the late 18th C. and were quite popular in the 1830s. They fell out of favor by mid-century and you hardly even see them in the Bustle and Late Victorian decades.
- Although they are immensely popular, those run-of-the-mill crochet gloves are a bit cliché and modern for a historical look. Try silk or cotton net gloves & mitts instead. Or look for a crochet glove with very fine thread.
A Bag to Carry
- It always seems that we forget to plan where we will carry our modern items like our cell phone and keys. I highly recommend putting a pocket in your skirts to start with. Keeps your hands free and you won’t spend time putting your bag down when someone want to take your picture.
- A small bag, known as a reticule, is perfect for nearly the entire 19th Century. Keep the size small – no more than 9″ tall or so.
- Avoid matchy-matchy bags. It may be fun to use your dress fabric, and you can do so. Although, for a historical look, go with another practical, but complementary, fabric.
- Reticules and purses made from velvet/velveteen, cotton or silk crochet, and silk fabrics are lovely. Use embroidery, ribbons or braid trim to add pizzazz.
- Victorians used metal clasps to close their bags. Find them online to make your own.
- Sturdy basket purses (even those from the mid-20th C.) will translate well for your costumes (but pull off any plastic flowers).
Sometimes you just have to try out a particular accessory and see if it works. Remember every costumer stumbles in picking accessories – and remembering to wear them!
One last tip: dress yourself on paper before your event. List *everything* starting with your chemise and drawers. Write out each piece as you go through how you will get dressed. Finish with your hair, hat, hat pin and other accessories like a belt and reticule.
Where do you get caught up in accessorizing your costumes?
Last tip is perhaps the best– to make a list of everything from inside out. I would do this with my dance costumes when performing to make sure I pack everything needed–and also found using this list especially helpful when making quick costume changes.
Forgot to do this for an evening event at a Con, and even though I had everything laid out ahead of time, it was only after I packed to go home that I realized I spaced out the evening gloves!
I was wondering if anyone has any good patterns for purses? I’m going to the Lestat Vampire Ball on Halloween and was planning on wearing something period-inspired. I want to make the purse to match. I have the perfect idea of what I want to embroider on it, but I need a pattern. I was thinking Late Victorian for the purse.
This time of year as Fall clothing and shoes come into the stores is a great time to look at short ankle boots. I have two pairs from JC Penneys I bought a few years ago that I love. They lace up, have a short flat heel, and are very comfortable. These are only good for day dresses, not evening, and are priced reasonably.
Val
I would like to try to make a pair of fingerless gloves. I would like a pattern and any help with this project . I am a civil war Reenactor and have just found this site. I appreciate any help. Thank you
Gloves.org will help you make your own pattern, L. Just mark on the pattern where on each finger you want them to end and you’ll have that done.
Sorry, that link has expired…maybe try the CWneedleworkers Yahoo group…or Ravelry…with the caveat that not everything that Ravelry has listed as Victorian IS actually Victorian…fair warning.
Oooh, that’s a mybad, quite belatedly. It’s Glove.org
I’d meant to add: if you’re looking for modern made but authentic-looking glasses instead of vintage, which can often be very delicate, try this online store.
Marie,
As a fellow wearer of glasses(although I wear contacts as much as possible when wearing historic dress)having done some research for personal wear, I would recommend an inconspicuous pair of wire rims in a metal,ie gold or silver in a round-ish to oval shape.I have a VERY high correction ,so thick lenses ,and even at this thickness the lenses are okay in a fairly small thinner frame.I got a pair from my regular optometrist.The ear-piece is elasticized so that it can be pulled out straight,but curls behind your ear when worn so they stay on really well.I can’t speak to the period correctness of this feature,but it sure is handy.
Heidi in L.A.
The curved back temple – that goes behind your ear – was available in the later Victorian era, but not during the 1860s. I believe it came about in the late 70s or 80s but I might be misremembering that. I wear contacts at most events but I do wear a pair of UV protective clear glasses to help with glare. Round, oval or square would be appropriate but the size of the lens is basically the size of your eye, which is very difficult to find in a modern eyeglass. Also, the glasses did not have the nose pads. Once upon a time I knew of a website that had tons of vintage glasses but I have lost it. If I ever find it again I’ll post it here. He talked about people buying the vintage frames and having modern lenses custom fitted to them.
Try this link. I haven’t bought from here yet, but it looks pretty legitimate and rather period correct (for Civil War era, anyways).
Which type of glasses would be worn in the Regency and Victorian eras? Without my glasses, I cannot see and my current glasses look way to modern. Any suggestions.
Heh. I feel your pain, my friend; I can’t see to walk–spent some time legally blind until I had surgery to correct it, in fact–and can’t wear contacts. Only my period of preference is Renaissance, which is WAY harder to get hold of! But I do know that if you get one of those reproduction pairs mentioned below and take it and your prescription to Lenscrafters, they’ll set the frames with the right lenses for you.
Very useful:) Although to tell you the truth, the “main part” of the outfit is most problematic for me. I just can’t sew big stuff :). And accessories is something you can deal with without great sewing skills.
Ginger,
Well said. Just because it was invented doesn’t mean it was available to the masses and when I am doing an historic impression for the public I attempt to show them the norm of the population.
Kiyoshi,
I can’t begin to tell you how many times a curious visitor to an event has dissected my impression. Weather just curious or a threadcounter they will ask you about every piece of your look. Including earrings or underwear so be prepared to justify!
I think certain exceptions to the earring rule may apply.
I never had my ears pierced when I was younger, and now that I’m a senior in high school, I keep them that way for personal reasons. However, I believe that earrings can be a very important part of an outfit, so I try to look for clip-on earrings that would work for a dress.
Plus, I think it would be odd if someone came up to me and examined my ears, of all things, for historical accuracy. And I don’t particularly care to have strangers come up to me and go for my ears, haha!
Same here, I don’t have my ears pierced (but more because I can’t or it’ll leave nasty scars). So I’ve been wearing clip ons too. But when I was looking through some of my grandmother’s old jewelry (some of which she interited from her mother) I saw pairs of screwback earrings. They’re not that common nowadays, and the ones you do find usually are for men or children (though if you make your own jewelry, you can find the findings easily on ebay). So that’s an option too, to make it less modern looking. Anybody know if screwbacks existed during the Victorian Era? They were popular in the 1920s (so says my quick research), but were they created then?
Answered my own question. The screw back was invented in 1894. The clip on was invented in the 1930s (hints why my great-grandmother would have had screw ons but my grandmother would have had clip ons). That still doesn’t answer the question as to what women wore if they didn’t have their ears piecred. Or maybe they were fashion outcasts until the 1890s, I don’t know.
I think they just didn’t wear earrings if their ears weren’t pierced. Earrings don’t seem to be nearly as common as brooches, necklaces, bracelets, and belt buckles throughout the 19th century. I’ve seen one throwaway (period) reference to using ribbon, supposedly to “tie” them on; maybe, depending on the hairstyle, a woman could get the look of ear-bobs without actually having piercings; but that needs more research! From what I can tell, though, you’re in *excellent* company and are just fine going without, and focusing on the more common jewelry. It’s rather a hassle, actually, for those with pierced ears who must find period earrings, because empty holes sure look bad!
Just like today, some people wanted pierced ears, others didn’t. Earrings were never a requirement and I doubt anyone said anything one way or the other. 🙂
I seem to remember Meg in Little Women–who lacked pierced ears–wearing earrings “tied on with a bit of pink ribbon, which did not show!”
I remember this too!
Don’t know about earlier periods, but in the 1920’s when very very large earrings were in vogue for a while, some women used ribbon or other clever little ways of distributing the weight of earrings on hooks or posts, because otherwise they might have harmed the earlobes when worn for many hours at a time. I don’t think they were the first to do so, especially when looking at the size of some of those pricier earrings and imagining how much they must weigh…
I don’t know if tying on earbobs was done historically. I do know that drag queens have worn those gargantuan crystal earrings by looping them on with narrow elastic bands. Spares the drag on pierced lobes, and it is hidden by their wigs.
Ah, I am a doll person who does not wish or seek to be authentic. I am just a retired, old lady having fun. I do deeply appreciate the info on all the finishing touches. Especially nice for dolls, too. I am fairly quiet person about adding comments; however, I am truly enjoying class and everyones comments and pictures which are lovely and eductional. Thanks to all.
Very nice article! Just what I was looking for to complete my Halloween costume. 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Jennifer!
Thanks so much for the fantastic newsletter and website, you are a tremendous reference and inspiration. I dabble with the Civil War period and while I try to be as accurate as possible (as most do) we all have to fudge things a bit. As we all know, there were some pretty common standards for the mode of dress back in the 1860s, conventions that were pretty uniform throughout society, but I would argue about those conventions being considered hard and fast rules. Just like today, not everyone is going to follow the same fashion etiquette, either because of personal taste, inclination or resources. That being said, I challenge the statement that all earring were on wires. Common sense tells me that if they had the ability to create steam engines they definitely had the technical skills and equipment to make earrings that had post backings as well as the wires. A perfect example of this can be seen at the Victoria and Albert Museum in a parure (set) of jewellery from France made in 1806.
The three pictures of the set show it in detail, the most interesting picture being the third one, where it shows the backside of the necklace and earrings. Here it clearly shows that the main center earrings have post backings, and the emerald drops at the back of the necklace, which were made to be detachable (in 1820,) those have the wires.
For me that is clearly proof that both options were available, even if one was more predominant than the other. I raise this point in hopes of reminding people that no matter what period you are representing, what you consider to be de rigueur may have only been a small portion of what was actually available in society.
Thanks for such an informative newsletter and website. Keep up the good work!
Hi Susan,
I’ve done 1860s reenacting for a good many years, so I’m very interested to see your input! The link to the V&A partial parure is a good one, although I personally would like much more information. I’ve been looking for information on earrings in particular from the 1700s onward, and what I’ve turned up particularly from the 1700s is very interesting: (1) solitaire type earrings set on a twisted spiral that “screwed” through the ear, instead of being on posts with a separate back, and (2) true post earrings, requiring a separate back, that were modified from the 1700s originals at least 100 years later.
I don’t think there’s a single 100% accurate answer at this point. Original earrings that can be precisely dated AND proven to not be altered in later years are quite uncommon. For 1860s, I also look at CDV evidence, because there are thousands out there, and they show not only what was worn, but who wore it. Overall, there are relatively few earrings visible in CDVs. Of those, I’ve only noticed either on wires or hoops. (And the hoop earrings are predominantly from the 1840s/50s, or rarely in the 1860s on older women.) Therefore, I choose to wear earrings on wires, since from CDV evidence I know they were worn by many classes of American women. (Or sometimes I wear hoops when I don’t mind being old-fashioned.)
The V&A set is a good example of what an extremely expensive, extremely skilled jeweler could come up with. I hesitate to assume from a single example, though, that post earrings were widely available to all classes of women for all decades from then on. I would love to see other examples! Until then, and particularly for the scope of Jennifer’s article, I agree that earrings on wires are the safe and accurate recommendation. I would avoid post earrings unless I was portraying an extremely wealthy French woman in the 1820s or 1830s.
I was just recently looking in the Bloomingdale’s 1886 catalog reprint and as I recall, all the earrings were wire hooks. I don’t think it’s an argument of what was available, meaning what had already been invented and produced, but an argument of what was available in stores for the masses to purchase easily. Wire hooks were probably cheaper and only required one piece rather than two. For mass production, these are two desirable traits.
Under reticules: could you clarify “sturdy basket purses”? I’m afraid there are some who use baskets as purses, and not at the appropriate times.
Great post.
I was meaning small straw woven baskets with lids, about 6″ or 8″ long and about 4″ high. You’ll see period sketches of these types of small purses. However, in my research I’ve only seen them in late Victorian – Bustle Era & 1890s. Larger, open baskets are more for a “shopping bag” and not a purse accessory. Purses/reticule/bags in the earlier decades were made of soft fabrics. Does this clarify a bit?