ladies’ clothing of the civil war period breaking the hollywood myths and bringing the period to...
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LADIES’ CLOTHING OF THE CIVIL WAR PERIOD
Breaking the Hollywood Myths and bringing the period to life
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From Gone With the Wind to North and South, Hollywood has shaped our idea of what the
Civil War Era ladies wore.
Most of it is WRONG!
The Hollywood Version
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Rounded body, narrow waist, wide shoulders and hips
The Fashionable Ideal-1860’s Style
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Everything about fashionable clothing reflected this: Dropped shoulders added roundness Fitted bodices narrowed to tight
“natural waist”-higher than today Pleating, gathering and skirt
shaping widened hips and narrowed waist
Hair: Wide at ears, confined at crown and neck
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1860’s Fashions Did Not Include:
Zippers Elastic, except in shoes Man-made Fibers (Polyester,
Acrylic, Rayon)
What They Would NOT HAVE WORN
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To wear a “wrapper” or robe for most of the morning, including receiving family and close friends and doing household chores or supervision
To bare shoulders, neck and a large amount of chest for formal nighttime occasions- Balls, Opera and Formal Suppers
To wear sheer dresses, showing pristine underclothesYou Might Be Surprised- It’s Perfectly
Correct!
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Wrappers
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Original Dress- Evening or Ball Wear
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Sheer Dresses
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Color and Pattern
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Wealth was indicated through lavish trim and large scale pattern Time and effort in making and
decorating clothing was cheap Materials were expensive Trims were often re-used
Poorer people followed the general fashion, but using less expensive materials
Lower classes of people wore used and made-over clothing
Show Your Station
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Practicality Layers of undergarments were easily washed Washing outer garments difficult
Comfort Hoops kept weight of dresses & petties off hips Sheer dresses, wide “pagoda” sleeves in hot
seasons Clothing to match labor or duties
Social Expectations Conforming to clothing rules and manners Modesty, “good taste” and elegance were valued Being part of the “in group” expressed through
clothingThey Did Things For a Reason
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Jewelry Gems, gold and semi-
precious stones Cameos Hair Jewelry Double Sets of bracelets
Finishing Touches
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Headwear Hats: for the fashionable set Bonnets: considered far more formal
Indoor Caps for daywear at home Elaborate floral/ribbon/lace accents with
evening wear
On Your Head
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Outerwear Coats, Furs and Shawls Shoes and boots Gloves
To Keep Warm and Dry
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Children were dressed as miniature adults
Girls often wore open necked dresses and short sleeves, shorter hem lengths
Boys wore skirts until ages 4-6 Hair parts show the gender in
young children: boys with side parts
A Child’s View
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Magazines and Newspapers Godey’s Lady’s Book Peterson’s
Word of Mouth Face to face conversations were ladies’
main amusement Visiting Hours were daily obligations
that allowed information to be passed Very Gender-Specific!
Public Gatherings Political Meetings Religious Services Entertainment Charity
Getting the Message
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Morning Clothing reflects the duties of a person
Cleaning, caring for children, supervising staff Soft stays, wrapper, one or two layers of petties
Visiting Depending on activities: Walking, carriage or indoors?
“Day Dress”-better fabrics, more ornamentation Working
Some women would be “making a living” through sewing, cleaning, teaching. Clothing would maintain general styles, but be “serviceable”
A Day in the Life
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Dinner A social engagement would require formal
bodice with high neckline. Fabrics similar to ballwear, but no low bodices. Sometimes interchangeable bodices for one skirt
Jewelry, hair and outerwear would reflect the best she had
Evening Entertainment Appropriate to the event- political lecture vs. the
opera Ball gowns were worn by young and old, but
many mature women (30 plus!) wore “dinner” styles with higher necklines, rich fabrics and colors
All the Layers
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A Proud Couple-African Americans in the North
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Dress her children similarly to herself/her husband
Make sure any household staff had appropriate clothing- they reflected on the lady of the house
Show respect to her hosts, guests and friends by dressing for the specific occasion
Consider her undergarments- petticoats, corset covers- to be part of her visible wardrobe. They must be presentable at all times
A Lady Would Likely….
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Wear clothing inappropriate to her social station and what she was doing
Wear outer clothes without proper underclothes
Show her shoulders or open neckline before early evening
Wear clothing inappropriate to her age, either too young or too old
A Lady Would Not…
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The Period Look