Historical Writing Category
The Writer’s Guide to 1890s Women’s Fashion
Posted on September 10, 2021 114 Comments
The 1890s was a transitory period between the stuffy Victorians and the modern Edwardians. The world was changing quickly. Technology such as trains, telephones, and electricity were leading to a forward-thinking world connected like never before. Woman had more opportunities to work and socialize outside the home and the suffragette movement was gaining steam. For […]
The Writer’s Guide to 1880s Men’s Fashion
Posted on September 3, 2021 21 Comments
Many of the trends for men’s fashions from the 1870s continued into the 1880s. The overall silhouette continued to slim and there was an emphasis on reserved styles. This decade also saw the introduction of several new articles of clothing. For an overview of fashion for the entire century, please read my Writer’s Guide to […]
The Writer’s Guide to 1870s Men’s Fashion
Posted on August 20, 2021 108 Comments
Men’s fashions had already started to converge from those of women’s and the trend continued in the 1870s. While the bustle and princess line styles were over-the-top frothy confections, men’s tastes ran more to conservative and understated. By this decade, it’s easy to see today’s styles reflected in the clothing and some photographs from the […]
The Writer’s Guide to 1870s Women’s Fashion
Posted on August 13, 2021 20 Comments
The First Bustle Era continued into the 1870s from the tail end of the previous decade. The focus was put on the back of the skirt, but they also went crazy for embellishment. Then Alexandra, Princess of Wales, came on the scene and popularized the natural form or princess line dress. The bustle dropped from […]
The Writer’s Guide to 1860s Men’s Fashion
Posted on August 6, 2021 11 Comments
The men’s fashions of the 1860s are marked by an increasing lack of tailoring. An oversized, even baggy silhouette became common. However, military officers, who often had their uniforms custom made by a tailor, wore more fitted styles. For an overview of fashion for the entire 19th century, please read my Writer’s Guide to 19th […]
The Writer’s Guide to 1860s Women’s Fashion
Posted on July 30, 2021 8 Comments
The 1860s is a study in contrasts when it comes to fashion. The new bright synthetic dyes and the increasing embellishment and detail competed with expectations for modesty and austerity that reigned during the United States’ Civil War. The biggest statement of the decade’s fashions, however, was the incredible widths that skirts attained. For an […]
The Writer’s Guide to 1850s Men’s Fashion
Posted on July 23, 2021 10 Comments
In previous decades men’s clothing had followed the basic shape of women’s fashion. Yet during the 1850s men’s styles remained slim despite the growing width of women’s dresses. Increasingly, men’s suits were looking more and more like those we see today. For an overview of fashion for the entire 19th century, please read my Writer’s […]
The Writer’s Guide to 1850s Women’s Fashion
Posted on July 16, 2021 73 Comments
In the 1850s, the silhouette for women widened again, this time with a focus on the skirt. Although width was also reintroduced to the sleeves with the popularity of the bell-shaped pagoda sleeve. The sobriety of the 1840s was replaced by a love of color, pattern, and trim. Technology was also having a greater impact […]
The Writer’s Guide to 1840s Women’s Fashion
Posted on July 2, 2021 10 Comments
The 1840s continued the somber formal trend that had begun in 1836. The depictions of and expectations for women changed. With the fading of Romanticism, carefree exuberance was replaced by a cultivated austerity and a focus on domesticity. Queen Victoria was a big reason for this shift. She married Prince Albert on February 10th, 1840, […]
The Writer’s Guide to 1830s Men’s Fashion
Posted on June 25, 2021 7 Comments
Men’s fashions during the 1830s reflected the trends in women’s fashion but in a subtler way. Early in the decade, the stylish silhouette was one with wide shoulders, a nipped-in waist, and flaring coattails. Gradually, the shoulders slimmed, and the waistline lengthened. For an overview of fashion for the entire 19th century, please read my […]
Rebecca Shedd - Author 