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Patterns of History and Fashion

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Show product details for 1835 Afternoon Costume

1835 Afternoon Costume

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This dress is constructed in the large sleeve-style of the 1830s known as “gigot.” The full, ankle-length skirt is attached to a separate high-waisted bodice with hooks and eyes. The original costume is of brown watered silk and was worn over full petticoats.

Show product details for Antique Reproduction Costumes Video

Antique Reproduction Costumes Video

Price $34.95

Dresses from the 1840's are the subject of this video, designed to be used with the Patterns of History.

Show product details for 1840 Day Dress

1840 Day Dress

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This simple day dress has the narrow sleeves and “Marie Stuart” waist popular during the middle and late years of the decade. Cartridge pleating at the waist gives the skirt its soft, rounded shape, which can be further accentuated by wearing gathered petticoats. Our dress is based on an original made of cotton furniture check in green and brown on cream.

Show product details for 1857 Promenade Dress

1857 Promenade Dress

Price $19.95

Worn over a full, round hoop skirt, this afternoon costume evokes memories of a Scarlet O’Hara pre-Civil War dress. The two-piece dress sports the wide pagoda sleeves popular during the 1850s. The original moiré-striped silk taffeta gown with silk fringe was worn by the wife of a Wisconsin congressman.

Show product details for 1865 Paletot Jacket Ensemble

1865 Paletot Jacket Ensemble

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The three-piece dress is meant to be worn over a full oval hoop. The short-waisted bodice is a perfect example of 1860s style, as is the full skirt, which is at its largest for the nineteenth-century. The loose-fitting paletot jacket, a fashion popular throughout the decade, adds the finishing touch.

Show product details for 1873 Bustle

1873 Bustle

Price $4.95

The perfect accompaniment for our 1874 dress, this long, narrow bustle shape was used to define skirt lines during the 1870s. Our “fishtail”-style bustle can be adjusted for the fuller silhouette of the early 1870s or the narrower silhouette of the decade’s later years.

Show product details for 1874 Bustled Dinner Gown

1874 Bustled Dinner Gown

Price $19.95

The pattern has many of the typical features of an early 1870s dress including a tight-fitting, short-waisted bodice with peplum and coat sleeves, a bustled apron-style overskirt, and a skirt with straight front and full back. The original was made from bright blue silk faille and trimmed with dark blue velveteen and white satin.

Show product details for 1881 Avant-Garde Gown

1881 Avant-Garde Gown

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An “artistic” gown definitely not in keeping with the mainstream fashion of its day. While Paris decreed a tight corset, bustle, and elaborate surface decoration, a great many women wore this simple, flowing style as an expression of artistic sensitivity and taste. The original is of muted blue-green wool, with front panel of matching watered silk shirred at waist and throat.

Show product details for 1888 Reception Toilette

1888 Reception Toilette

Price $14.95

The classic elements of the late 1880s silhouette, including a tailored bodice, tight sleeves, off-the-floor skirt, and prominent bustle, are all seen in this elegant two-piece dress. The original of gray silk faille with white silk neck inset and gold braid was made to be a wedding dress.

Show product details for 1893 Visiting Costume

1893 Visiting Costume

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Representing one of the most popular fashions of the 1890s, this two-piece dress features full bishop sleeves with ruffled cuffs in contrast fabric. The delicately shirred high neckline and attached capelet complete the proper Victorian look. The original dress is a cream wool grenadine shadow-printed in lavender and light green and trimmed with purple silk.

Show product details for 1894 Walking Suit

1894 Walking Suit

Price $18.95

The indispensable “tailor suit” for the active Victorian woman, our walking suit sports the enormous “leg-o’-mutton” sleeve of the mid-1890s. The jacket and mock bodice are one piece, but provide the look of two separate pieces. The original is of navy blue wool broadcloth with a woven-patterned brown silk bodice and collar.

Show product details for 1899 Wedding Gown

1899 Wedding Gown

Price $18.95

The Gibson Girl bride who wore this two-piece wedding gown in June 1899 incorporated several fashionable elements into its design, such as the “mousquetaire” sleeves which are gathered along the seam line, a high collar, a v-shaped waist, and a gored skirt en train. The original is of medium-weight silk satin and ornamented with chiffon, beads, and lilies-of-the-valley.

Show product details for My Likeness Taken

My Likeness Taken

Price $65.00

By: Joan Severa

My Likeness Taken is a collection of daguerreotype portraits of men, women, and children taken between 1840 and 1860.

Show product details for Fashions and Costumes from Godey’s Lady’s Book

Fashions and Costumes from Godey’s Lady’s Book

Price $12.95

Edited by: Stella Blum

This book presents a fashion parade of authentic ladies’ and children’s styles from the most influential women’s magazine of the period – Godey’s Lady’s Book – which presented both original fashions and adaptations from European publications.

Show product details for Accessories of Dress

Accessories of Dress

Price $34.95

By: Katherine Lester and Bess Viola Oerke

Drawing upon a vast number of historical sources, the authors of this useful reference have created an entertaining account of the forms of personal adornment men and women have used throughout the ages to enhance their wearing apparel.

Show product details for The Essential Handbook of Victorian Entertaining

The Essential Handbook of Victorian Entertaining

Price $9.95

By: Autumn Stephens

The Essential Handbook of Victorian Entertaining is a must for every lady and gentleman who wishes to entertain or be entertained in the fashion of the Victorian Era.

Show product details for The Essential Handbook of Victorian Etiquette

The Essential Handbook of Victorian Etiquette

Price $8.95

By: Professor Thomas E. Hill

Every do and every don't in this book is exactly as it was writtten down a hundred years ago by the Victorian era's leading expert on manners and morals!

Show product details for Knitting Yarns and Spinning Tales: A Knitter's Stash of Wit and Wisdom

Knitting Yarns and Spinning Tales: A Knitter's Stash of Wit and Wisdom

Price $17.95

Edited By: Kari Cornell

“Knitting Yarns and Spinning Tales” brings to life the unique and universal experiences of knitters from a variety of backgrounds. If you live to knit, enjoy the companionship of other knitters, or appreciate the intricate handiwork of a handmade sweater, “Knitting Yarns and Spinning Tales” is a must-read!

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