Category: clothing and fashion
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Textiles and Tartans
When researching Mistaken Premise, I learned much about tartans and their role in Scotland’s history. Tartans are a woven textile, or its representation, made of a pattern of interlocking stripes in both the warp and weft (horizontal and vertical) of the cloth. It varies from tweed, that other invariably Scottish icon, by using a two-over-two…
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When History Comes Alive
What does an author of historical fiction do when she goes on vacation to the largest living history exhibit in the U.S.? She learns even more history that she can apply to her writing, of course! Last week, in honor of Independence Day, my family and I traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia, to experience the living…
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She Wasn’t Born With Those Lips
The short answer is yes, lip stain existed during the Regency, and young ladies could make it at home! In deference to the simple and fresh looks preferred at the time, it was not for every day, and using lip stains in excess was frowned upon, no matter what level of society the lady belonged.
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To Dye or Not to Dye?
Fortunate were the women of the Regency era not to have to suffer the same shoe styles as those in the Georgian period before them. Though the bejeweled high heels for ladies and gentlemen fell out of fashion, the desire to adorn shoes remained.
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Being Breeched
From the 1600’s to just after World War I, infant and toddler boys started their lives wearing dresses. These feminine looking garments were thought to provide babies with the freedom of movement they needed to learn to walk well and to use their muscles freely. Most boys who were above the working class were “breeched;”…
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Hairpins: Fit, Form, or Function?
Whether wooden, metal, jewel-tipped, or uniquely designed, a woman’s hairpins were always functional. The predecessor of the modern day bobby pin, pins held a lady’s hairstyle in place. The Regency era fashions were considered simple compared to the wigs and bouffant styles of the Georgian era, but they were, by no means, plain or unsophisticated.…