It’s summertime for most of us – time to debunk the myth that layers of Victorian costumes are so much hotter than today’s clothing.
Gah! It makes me want to scream when I see people talking about how women were “slaves to fashion” by wearing all those layers.
Well… they didn’t know otherwise!
Our ancestors didn’t know about air conditioning, and wearing only a camisole (aka t-shirt) and men’s trousers (aka pants or shorts) would have been beyond scandalous. They couldn’t even imagine NOT being dressed in a proper chemise, drawers and petticoats then the dress (usually skirt and bodice) on top.
That’s simply how clothing was worn in the 19th century.
PLUS…. and people forget this…. the fabric used was natural – cotton and linen. Thin fabrics that breathe and keep you cool in the heat.
Not the polyester/nylon/spandex crap we have our modern clothes made from. They don’t breathe! Ugh.
Yes, if you take modern, warmth-producing, un-breathe-able fabrics and make a full-on Victorian ensemble – YES, you will be hot and miserable! Just as we adjust our own modern wardrobes for summer wear, they did it too with fabrics and other design styles for the clothes they wore.
We don’t wear our long underwear, made for under winter clothes for added warmth, under our summer tops and skirts. We put away the down coat and pull out the light windbreaker jacket (if needed at all) during the hot weather months.
The Victorians, too, wore *more* layers of clothing in the cooler, winter months for protection and warmth. They shed most of those layers when hot weather came.
But know for sure, a chemise, drawers, corset, and *at least* one but maybe more petticoats were worn under even light summer ensembles. People dress to reflect their personality and society mores. This translates to common undergarments and other layers during the Victorian Era.
Be careful in pulling in a 21st century mindset when viewing clothes of the past and how we think they suffered so much. They didn’t.
I’m struggling with this topic as a man, as here in Hungary, summers are usually between 30-43 °C (86-110 °F), but wearing only a shirt seems just inappropriate. I use my waistcoat at least as long as I can, but around 30 °C I start to feel very uncomfortable because of the 2 layers. It would be unimaginable to wear a coat in higher temperatures, but how can we dress properly then?
I’d recommend linen or linen/cotton blend for your shirt, and a linen backing on the waistcoat with cotton (like a brocade or damask) for the front. Although, a summer or tropical weight wool would be nice for the waistcoat front too. You want to at least keep the waistcoat on to be proper around mixed company. For a coat, go for an unlined linen jacket or tropical weight wool with linen lining.
When temperatures get that high, *everyone* is melting. And I think we as modern people feel it acutely because we know and love air conditioning when our Victorian ancestors did not. It’s a struggle to be sure!
Linen.
I do Civil War reenactment. During the summer. When dressing for this period we usually dress from the bottom up:
Typical layers for my work dress are: stockings, drawers, chemise, corset. One under petti, hoop, one over petti. I have reenacted in 90+ degree’s and yes while it is hot, it is not unbearable and it IS largely due to the proper fabrics. They also wore “sheers” in the summer. A very light, gauzy fabric over very pretty undergarments (hence the concept of Victoria’s Secret). Frankly, I’ve stood out in the heat and swung that hoop back and forth and you DO create a breeze under there. It is quite doable.
That is such a wonderful little fact! Thank you
I just did a Harry Potter cosplay mashup for Universal Studios Wizarding World of Harry Potter Orlando. It involved TV110 Victorian corset and a modified version of Simplicity’s 2172 steampunk jacket. Everyone kept saying how hot I must be, but I really wasn’t much hotter than I would be in a t-shirt. I made everything out of cotton, so it was super breathable, and the protection of my skin from the sun actually went a long way in helping keep me cool.
My Grandmother was born in the last years of Queen Victoria’s reign. As a young girl, under her dress, she wore a cotton and a flannel petticoat. She told us, On the way to school in the hot Australian summer, she would remove the flannel petticoat and hide it under a bush, replacing it before returning home.
Hi, last year I started making my 1st historical dress for my school ball (prom) and I had the same question, but I have been converted! I absolutely love historical dresses and will make more. I did notice that having artificial fabrics make you very hot, but if you had a petticoat in between it’s not that bad,but I would not recommend it. Off to more historical dress adventures!
I have never heard anything so silly. Multiple layers of natural fabrics are HOT. Long sleeves are HOT. Long skirts are HOT. Fitted bodices are HOT. Long cotton or wool stockings are HOT. Gloves are HOT. Most of my modern summer clothing is cotton. linen. or rayon, not polyester, I don’t know about yours. On the other hand parasols are cool, modern or historical. Admittedly, when the temperature is 90 degrees with 90 percent humidity anything is hot.
Dear Lois,
I do Civil War reenactment in the summer. Because of the all cotton fabrics I have very little problems, even in 90+ heat. Is it hot? Not any hotter than when I change into my modern clothes to break down camp. Typical layers for summer are:
-stockings
-drawers
-chemise
-corset
-under petti (only 1)
-hoop
-over petti (only 1)
-light weight cotton work dress/day wrapper dress
-veiled gardening hat
I wear a light weight cotton day wrapper or a sheer for visiting. Same under pinnings, but I add lace or cotton gloves and swap the gardening hat for a light weight bonnet.
And when you’re feeling hot, you just swing that hoop back and forth and it DOES create a breeze under there. (As an educational stunt we dressed a guy one time. It was a hot day. He started swinging his hoop back and forth and was saying, “I totally get this hoop thing now. This is not so bad”. Hahaha! Then we told him he had to do a burpee in his corset. It was pretty hilarious. )
But again, using light weight cottons like were worn during the 1860’s is perfectly doable, at least from my own experiences.
Maybe the fabrics you are using are too heavy?
Different climates feel different and in some places 90 degrees can feel cooler than other places. In Ponce, PR I could use long sleeves even in days when the day was 95 to 100f but in Florida where I live now I cannot wear long sleeves in 87f. The humidity changes the feeling of the heat. And so you should be more open minded to when someone tells you how fabrics can feel to them. It’s not just the fabric. The place, the body type and every other factor that can vary will affect way the temperatures feel.
Thank you! I work mostly in 18th century but I get this question and comment all the time – I bet it gets hot in that or Bless your heart you must be hot. Well, yes but in the southeast it’s hot in July and it doesn’t matter what you have on. Layered exclusively in linen and cotton it really isn’t as awful as they all think it is. I’ll take my 18th century garb over yoga pants any day.
I attend several work formals a year. When I find a style available in silk, I always pay extra for a silk gown. Sometimes the galas are crowed, hot affairs. If you wear a natural fiber, you sweat, it evaporates or is wicked away. You cool. Synthetics just get swampy. Period undercoating once they get a bit of sweat going, help keep you cool.
I was just reading the page about whether to wear the drawers with chemise tucked inside, or with the chemise loose outside them. I have not worn historical (yet!) but some of the comments confirmed my guess that split drawers allow a draft occasionally. Temperature probably could convince a tucker to un-tuck or vice versa!
And I think the idea of dampening the drawers when it’s hot is brilliant (see J. Wendel above)! With the petticoats and maybe even hoops on top, who would know? Evaporation does wonders in cooling you off.
I know historical novels are not always historically accurate, but I have seen mention of early 1800s girls dampening their petticoats in hopes of looking more attractive, and sometimes catching cold as a result.
Also, consider that Bedouin and Tuareg people (Arabia, North Africa) often totally cover themselves in pale colored natural fiber fabrics. May seem counter-intuitive at first glance, but obviously it works.
This post is spot on!!! 😁 Get dressed people!!! I feel cooler when dressed properly in the summer, in natural fibers.
I get so annoyed by the constant comments when I’m reenacting: “Bet you’re hot in that!” ” How can you stand it?” “Aren’t you dying from the heat?”
Yes, I’m warm and no, I’m not dying. It’s not that bad–if it was “that bad,” Victorian women would never have survived long enough to raise the successive generations that produced us! It’s really not that big of a deal.
That’s my husband’s most annoying comment, re: being hot.
Hi, I am 12, and I am making a 1860’s dress for myself. I made three petticoats which are currently being starched(thank you for the tutorial), corded stays, a chemise, and drawers that I am not fond of. I was wondering if and when I might begin to wear a hoop. Thanks!
Hi Elena,
How wonderful to hear of your creativity of your age! I haven’t done too much research on teens-wear but I have seen small hoops for teens to wear under shorter skirts. Hoopskirts are very much an undergarment to create the current fashion. Being already 12, as long as you stick to the proper skirt lengths for girls you could wear a small wired hoop. I will happily recommend you research the site and discussion boards over on Elizabeth Stewart Clark’s Sewing Academy for further info. Liz has great knowledge on the 1840s to 60s time frame for women and children.
Well, that’s just ironic. I came to this page tonight to ask a question right on this topic.
So I’m more of a cosplayer than a historical costumer, but I’ve always loved historical designs and my cosplays definitely lean in that direction.
Now, I had a gown made for me by a friend, that used a synthetic taffeta. And it was pretty warm. In fact, I really did sweat quite a bit and if I didn’t keep moving (like sharks!) I think I may have died of heat exhaustion.
Not really, but I did definitely feel more comfortable while moving.
So my question is…is silk taffeta really worth the added expense? Given that silk taffeta can run online for $15/yard for 40″ wide fabric, but 60″ wide synthetic taffeta can be purchased for as little as $3/yard.
I will say silk taffeta is SOOOOO worth the expense! Yes, indeed. Although, silk tends to hold in heat especially when woven so tightly. That said, silk is still a natural fiber and when lined with cotton will keep you so much cooler than any man-made synthetic. I encourage historical costumers to work within their budget but, if at all possible, save for the higher quality fabrics. They do make an amazing difference in the appearance and comfort of the period ensemble.
I wonder, would just going with a synthetic taffeta work for a mid Victorian skirt, with the bodice using natural silk? Good compromise or would the skirt still be too warm even with a large hoop?
Using a synthetic taffeta with a silk taffeta in such major garment pieces will be quite noticeable that they are not the same fiber. I’m afraid you might end up disappointed that you spent such time creating the garments only to have them not make a nice, coordinated ensemble. Simply, I’d recommend you save the money to get silk taffeta for both bodice and skirt.
Would you consider a nice quality cotton instead? I know it’s not the same look as silk at all, but for hot weather, cotton or linen would have been quite acceptable even for more upper class day wear. Typically in white and with lots of lace, making it suitably expensive and hard to care for, it would have shown off status just as well 🙂
A lightweight cotton or linen with a somewhat crisp hand (= not clingy) would be the most comfortable. Cotton sateen would give you bit of “glow” but tends to be a little thicker, inherent to the weave. Even lightweight (aka “tropical”) wool is much nicer to wear than synthetics. Linen is the king of hot weather fabrics in terms of comfort, but is also not that cheap, and wrinkles.
I wear authentically-made very late Victorian – very early Edwardian [1895-1905] clothing every day for 3 seasons of the year. My solution to the blistering heat?…dampen my drawers and put them on OVER my corset. [I still wear a chemise under the corset, and that absorbs the sweat]
I swear that I am less over heated than some of my visitors in their yoga-shorts and micro-fiber tops!