Edwardian tips on how to be be graceful and why you should exercise to become more graceful.
‘The girl who knows how to sit, stand, and walk gracefully possesses a beauty asset of a very desirable kind, while the appearance of the prettiest woman is spoiled by a slouching deportment. A plain girl who holds herself erect, moves easily, lightly, and gracefully, has a “presence” of which many of her prettier sisters may be envious.’ (Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia, 1910-2a)
I’m wearing my black wool bodice and skirt, a paisley shawl (here’s a picture of an 1840s dress with shawl, and of an 1850s and 1860s paisley shawl), a starched cotton batiste and lace collar, my antique victorian brooch, brown leather gloves, and my DIY 1840s black bonnet trimmed with a pink satin ribbon. The skirt is supported by four cotton petticoats. Continue reading 1840s Walking Dress
Did you know that you can easily turn eyelet fabric into eyelet lace trim? In this tutorial I’ll show you how to turn broderie anglaise fabric into scalloped lace trim. Continue reading How To Sew A Scalloped Hem – DIY Scallop Lace Trim
For the 1910s hairstyle I followed the coiffure lesson for ‘the now fashionable Recamier style‘. It says that the fashionable woman no longer wears a huge pompadour hairstyle or an exaggerated swirl. It calls the Recamier the smartest hairstyle which every woman can make herself. Additionally, a hairpiece is no longer needed for this new style. Continue reading 1910s Hairstyle – The Recamier Coiffure
18th century clothing was often closed with pins – like the bodice of the 1780s “The Watercress Girl” – lacing, buttons or hooks & eyes. If lacing was used, it was usually spiral lacing, not crisscross lacing. For spiral lacing, two of the lacing holes at the beginning and end are spaced closer together. Continue reading 18th Century Spiral Lacing
Bergère hats were popular in the 18th century. A bergère is a hat with a low crown and wide brim and was usually made of straw. Despite the name – bergère means shepherdess in French – bergère hats were also worn by rich women.
Inspired by antique 18th century straw bergère hats like this 18th century straw bergère hat at the MET museum, I made this straw hat from scratch! I used wheat straw, soaked it in water to make it bendable, braided it into a long braid and then stitched the straw braid together with invisible stitches. Continue reading 18th Century Hand-Plaited Straw Bergère Hat
Here are pictures of my 1877 natural form dress. I love the look of natural form dresses, but they’re not really practical with their trains brushing the floor. 😉 Continue reading 1877 Natural Form Afternoon Dress
Handmade silk and ribbon roses were very popular in the Edwardian era. They were used to trim dresses and hats, and as hair accessory.
‘One of the most charming fashions is the use of silk or ribbon roses. […] Since the work has become popular, some women take lessons in rose-making, but the clever worker will be able to teach herself the pretty art’. (Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia, 1910-2)
Continue reading How To Make Satin Roses – Edwardian Tutorial (1910)
For a ‘garden or porch party […] the summer girl may wear her most picturesque, most be-flowered, most lacy millinery possession […] a picture hat of some fine open-work straw trimmed with roses to match the flowers in the dress. Or it may be a lingerie hat of lace’ (Evening Star, 1904).
In the Edwardian era, summer dresses were often worn with a matching summer hat made of thin fabrics and trimmed with lace, ruffles and flowers. Continue reading Edwardian Summer Hat
