DIY: Quick and Easy Edwardian Costume

There is a Murder Mystery event at my local library this weekend, which means we will sit in a dark room solving a ghastly murder with the help of Sherlock Holmes. Since I'm one of the hosts, I had to put together a quick and simple Edwardian-looking costume for this event.

With no time for sewing and no budget to buy/rent anything from the costume store, I just raided my closet and picked out a few items that could  pass for 'Edwardian'. Behold, the result:

Skirt-SisterS point--Blouse-thrifted, UFF--Belt-H&M--Cameo-VeroModa--Boots-Vagabond--Hat-H&M

Now, mind you, this is hardly 'authentic' Edwardian attire. But since my modest goal was to attempt a  recreation of a look that seems vaguely Edwardian, I think I managed pretty well.

Mr. & Mrs. Isaac Newton Phelps-Stokes, John Singer Sargent, 1897 

If you need a quick and easy costume for an event, Edwardian, or more specifically the Gibson Girl, is fairly easy to put together. You probably already have most of these things in your closet or could find them at your local thrift store.

Portrait of  the Spencer sisters, 1902

Look for a long A-line skirt and a button-up blouse, preferably white and frilly. Extra points if you can find one with leg o'mutton sleeves. A belt ties the whole look together (and hides the elastic band on your skirt). A hat and some simple jewellery like a string of pearls or a cameo would do nicely.

Of course, such a loose interpretation would greatly offend historical costumers, but if you just want a simple Halloween costume for Anne of the Green Gables, you can get away with cutting a few corners.  

Dress of the Week: Blue Summer Dress

I haven't done a Dress of the Week post for a long, long while. And since May is upon us and I've been scouting out some historical fashions to incorporate into my summer wardrobe, here is a summer dress from 1905 that I long to wear for a May Day picnic.

Summer dress, 1905, UK. Source: Victoria & Albert Museum 

Place of origin: Great Britain, UK
Date: 1905
Materials and Techniques: Printed striped cotton, with a yoke neck of tucked Broderie Anglaise frills and pin-tucked collar with a tape lace frill; bodice lined with white cotton and fastened with original hooks, eyes and loops; pleated belt has five bones and a hook and eye fastening concealed by a rosette
Credit Line: Worn by Miss Heather Firbank

This pretty blue and white number belonged to the fashionable Miss Heather Firbank (1888-1954),  daughter of the MP Sir Thomas Firbank and sister of the writer Ronald Firbank.

"[Heather Firbank] had beauty, and she adorned it with exquisite clothes of a heather colour to complement her name" - Miriam J. Benkovitz, Ronald Firbank: A Biography (1970)

It's very rare for dresses to survive the test of time; and when they do survive, it's often due to some unusual circumstances. In case of Miss Firbank, who acquired her wardrobe from the leading houses of the time, in 1921 her expensive clothes were packed into trunks and put in storage for 35 years. Why did she decide to pack away her entire collection of garments instead of altering and updating or reselling them is beyond my knowledge, but in 1960 Victoria and Albert Museum got their hands on the lot, which included over 100 pieces of clothes and accessories. That's quite a treasure. The collection is a glimpse into the past showing the tastes and styles of a wealthy lady between 1905 and 1920.

Summer dress, back, 1905, UK. Source: Victoria & Albert Museum 

The skirt consists of four 28-inch pieces pleated onto a narrow waistband. The bodice is pouched in the front and is a little bloused at the back. The yoke around the neck is composed of  Broderie Anglaise frills and a pin-tucked cotton infill, with a high-boned pin-tucked collar finished with a tape lace frill. The outfit is accessorized with a dainty straw hat with a blue ribbon around it and a lovely parasol. Blue and white dresses such as this one were very popular during the early 1900s for boating and seaside wear.

Since I do own a parasol and a similar straw hat (all it needs is a ribbon), I just need to find a blue dress with lace to recreate this look.

Source: Victoria and Albert Museum 

More about Heather Firbank and her wardrobe

Video from the Edwardian Ball

This Mark Day's short video of the Edwardian Ball in San Francisco.



Though it seems more like a mash-up of styles, with steam punk being the most prominent, rather than straight up Edwardian, it still looks absolutely amazing. If there is a place that I'd like to be right now, that is it!

Dress of the Week: Edwardian Bathing Suit

The weather was rather warm the other day and I had the pleasure of going to the beach and enjoy some sea bathing. It was pleasantly refreshing and the only thing I could have wished for was this striped blue, white and red bathing suit.

Bathing suit, front, 1900-1910, British. Met Museum  

Bathing suit, back, 1900-1910, British. Met Museum 

Date: 1900–1910
Culture: British
Medium: cotton
Dimensions: Length at CB (a): 37 in. (94 cm) Length (b): 31 1/2 in. (80 cm) Length (c): 27 3/4 in. (70.5 cm)
Credit Line: Purchase, Irene Lewisohn Bequest, 1977

Sea bathing for its therapeutic and medicinal value was around since the 17th century, but became really popular in the 18th century. The history of the bathing suit is very long, and I will leave it for another post. Suffice it to say that by the 20th century the beachwear became less cumbersome, more playful and and lighter. However, modesty while swimming was still on everyone's mind and modern bikinis and onepiece suits were still a long way away. 

This pretty cotton number looks very lightweight and has a playful sailor motif going for it, which was common for swim suits and beachwear of the time. It consist of a short tunic-like dress with a stylized sailor collar and a belt and a pair of bloomers gathered just below the knee. The blue, white and red color scheme make it really fun. While swimming in this would be difficult and it may get heavy and deformed when wet, this could be a pretty nice outfit if all you want to do is lounge around on the beach, stroll along the shore and generally look adorable.    

Source: Met Museum