Hello Everyone!
The holidays have brought quite a delightful procession of teas,
dances and other events, all of which have seen me garbed in a range of period clothing. Although I do wear historic costuming much of the year while I'm giving tours at The Oldest House, or for certain book/author events, the concentration of festive occasions coupled with period garb, culminating in three days straight this past weekend wearing 1750's, 1775, and then 1915 clothing, has prompted me to meditate upon the phenomenon of modern women choosing to wear historic and vintage clothing--not as part of a job, but as an avocation. A pastime. A hobby, if you will.
I came to it gradually, starting with a couple of Georgian/Post Revolutionary dresses to wear volunteering at The Oldest House. But as I learned more about period clothing, I began to sample outfits from other eras. While I have only half a (large) closet devoted to my historically inspired garb, I will admit to having an outfit or two for nearly every period from 1740 through to about 1915. And of course, the head gear to match. And gloves. And fans. And 'stays.' And reticules...
You see?
But I am not alone in my fondness for period dress. Many enjoy wearing the fashions of bygone days, some with great attention to authenticity and some with none at all, and with a complete range in between. For a few, it is enough to have one great hat, and make do for the 'look' with a long skirt and a high necked blouse. For others, entire closets or rooms have been converted into storage for their ever burgeoning collection of period togs.
The wild popularity of programs such as The Artful Detective, Downton Abbey, The Forsyte Saga, Upstairs Downstairs and their ilk have made these fashions accessible. Traveling displays of costumes used, in particular, by Downton Abbey, have fanned the allure of the clothing that the programs sparked. Many have created events and entire clubs and societies where wearing period garb is what it's all about. (I myself am a member of two such groups, one Victorian/Edwardian and one Colonial. I also study English Country Dance and wear Regency Dress for lessons and balls.) In every town and city there will be at least one historic house that either holds specific parties for historically garbed attendees, or where people dressed in vintage and period clothing are welcomed, or even highlighted.
But--why? And why now? What are the reasons behind this phenomenon?Certainly to some extent this is all prompted by a wish to keep history alive, to pay homage to our ancestors by living and working, at least for a few hours or days, as they did.
However, a generation ago the popularity of wearing historically-inspired clothing was not at the level it is today or accepted in the way it is today. In fact, people who did this kind of thing were generally considered a bit 'out there' thirty or so years ago. Tell someone in 1980 you were in the SCA or part of a Re-Enactors' Society and people would smile politely and roll their eyes. But today, it is almost mainstream, so much so that appearing at a family wedding or party in vintage or historical garb hardly raises an eyebrow and in fact engenders a lot of interest and questions--and admiration.
Both the time periods we dress in and the clothes we willingly source, invest in and put on our bodies are far more restricted and restrictive than our 21st century garb. Why do we eschew the comfort of trousers, jeans and jackets for trains, taffeta petticoats and touring hats? (I speak here mostly about women, because as a woman, it is the wearing of female vintage and period clothing with which I am familiar. However, I do believe that many of the points I make may also be applied to men.)
The first reason that comes to mind is the fact that returning to modern dress after wearing period clothing gives one--or at least, it gives me--a fresh appreciation of how convenient and comfortable our contemporary clothes truly are. (Try driving with pannier cages strapped to your hips! )
Yet, it is more than wanting to be satisfied with our modern fashions that makes us happily plan our next period outfit and willingly spend at least twice the amount of time getting ready as we do when we dress in our 21st century clothing.
What epitomizes period garb? And how does wearing it make one feel? Perhaps the answers to these questions will give a clue as to why we dress in historic costuming and why the trend has become so popular at this point in history.
When I think of period garb, the first thing that comes to mind is the elaborate quality of the trims, patterns and fabrics. Clothing from previous centuries and decades was not mass produced: off the rack clothing really didn't become commonplace until after World War One. This meant that most people had only a few outfits: a middle to upper class woman might have five or six dresses and gowns. And the less well off the person was, the fewer outfits that person had. Women in service or in menial jobs had a uniform, one day dress for casual wear on days off and possibly one other outfit for 'best.' Poor women wore the same outfit day in and day out. Even the very wealthy probably only had a dozen or so outfits at any one time: each season, last year's outmoded fashions were jettisoned (or re-fashioned, but that's the subject of another meditation) and new ones acquired.
Therefore, each outfit, whether it be dress or gown or petticoat, skirt, short gown, or coat, was hand made (until the mid 19th century, when the sewing machine was in common use) and took time to make, and required the personal touch of a seamstress or tailor: no machines here! There was time to embellish with trim to the level desired and which the wearer could afford. Tassels, braiding, lace, soutache, padded lace, pleating, cummerbunds, engageants, collars, beading, contrasting fabric inserts, ribbons, bows, ruching, all of this and more made each dress or gown a real creation. And, it made each one unique. Even the simplest day frock from the 1820's reveals amazing attention to detail: lace trim, contrasting insets, double ruffled hems, French seams, contrast stitching, all beautifully made because a dress, even a simple cotton day dress, was a piece of wearable art.
So donning outfits from previous centuries, or authentically made in those styles, feeds ones appreciation for beauty, ones innate creativity and ones artistic soul.
You will not find that in today's mass market, off the rack outfits.
This is period or vintage clothing's chief draw: wearing things fashioned this way, on which so much attention has been lavished, makes us feel worthy and cherished. That is a feeling which, once experienced, most people try to recapture. The fact that it may be relatively easily achieved by putting on a piece of period or vintage clothing has spread the 'gospel of vintage' like wildfire.
The second thing that comes to mind when I think of period or vintage clothing is the sound it makes when one wears it. The swish of taffeta along the floor. The rustle of a crinoline. The delicate, almost muted, susurration of a lace sleeve or hem. The soft clack of jet or pearls, like prayer beads. These are sounds absent from today's clothing and, largely, from today's world. And yet they are seductive, despite their gentleness. Creating these sounds when wearing period clothing makes the wearer instinctively carry herself differently: she feels uplifted, ennobled, quite special to be the source of these surprising and beautiful harmonies.
These sounds becomes part of the wearer, and part of the way she interacts with the world around her. She is perceived as unusual, extraordinary and therefore someone to be treasured. This adds to the wearer's own feelings that are engendered by the sounds she makes in the clothing, and compounds her sense of worth and beauty.
Again, who would not want to feel this way?
The final aspect of period or vintage clothing that comes to mind is the way it feels: natural fibers feel much, much better than synthetic ones. Real silk dances through ones fingers and does not lie cloyingly on the skin like polyester. Genuine velvet envelops ones limbs and is not hot, as are 'velvets' of man made fibers. Hand tatted or crocheted lace caresses ones throat and is never scratchy or harsh. Braiding and soutache delight and intrigue the touch with texture, and are never clunky. Even plain cotton or muslin lies gently against ones skin and does not chafe. All of these sensations make the wearer feel cherished, and adds to her positive sense of self.
Yes, 'stays' or 'bodies' or 'corsets' can be a challenge, both to put on and wear. So can crinolines, panniers and hoops. But once fitted properly, a good corset is actually comfortable and gives the dresses and gowns the correct silhouette, as do crinolines and the various types of hoops and bustles. Certainly, laying out all the pieces required for an authentic outfit from chemise to hose to shoes to fan to gloves to jewelry to head gear to corset to petticoats to bustles/panniers/crinolines to overskirt to bodice...that is all much more time consuming than jumping into a pair of jeans, flats and a t- shirt and jacket.
And yet, the effort required when one wears the 'full regalia' of period garb also goes to the wearer's sense of self worth. We very often spend more time grooming and coordinating even our modern appearance and clothing if our self esteem is high; when it takes a bashing, we find ourselves throwing on any old thing, combing our hair with our fingers and 'not bothering' with makeup.
So...why the sudden uptick in the popularity of wearing vintage and period clothing, and why now?
Vintage and period clothing is beautiful. And it makes us, in turn, feel, if not beautiful, then at least attractive and unique. It bolsters our self worth. And that, in turn, makes us feel more positive and cheerful.
In these first decades of the 21st century we have in the United States certainly, but all over the world, experienced an alarming rise in violence and terrorism that strikes without warning and without provocation. It is impossible to guard against or make oneself safe against such attacks.
That lack of control, of not being able to really protect oneself because one never knows when or where or how or why the next attack may come, and whether or not it might involve you or those dear to you, is very frightening and depressing. It makes us insecure and unhappy and fearful.
The urge to correct that unhappiness, to reverse that insecurity, to bolster our confidence against the fear is what drives our fascination with and our eagerness to wear period and vintage clothing. The yearning to participate, somehow, in times that we perceive as more elegant and decorous is rooted, in part, in a desire to feel better about ourselves.
I am not saying that putting on a robe a la francaise will make all your fears vanish and any insecurities you may have a thing of the past. But wearing period garb in which we feel more important, more confident and worthy, and as though we matter, will almost effortlessly make the wearer feel more positive about herself.
And that is never a bad thing.
