I can not overstate what a huge difference it makes! I went from "having fun dressing up" to holding my breath in a fully laced Stay and sweating through my stockings (and that was before I was even fully dressed!) Everything came from Jas. Townsend & Son, Inc. except for my shoes. Definitely check them out!
I'm still new to colonial fashion but I wanted to share what I'm going to be wearing during all of our demonstrations here. If you have anything to add to the following, please let me know! I would love to learn more about it!
The Shift (or Chemise) is usually made out of white linen, but, like mine, could be made from cotton. It is basically a long shirt and is worn day and night under all of a woman's other layers. It could have just a plain hem, mine has drawstrings to create gathers, or could have been embellished with lace at the sleeve and collar edges.
The Stay. (or Corset) Mine is a half-boned stay made with cotton canvas. High fashion stays would have had shoulder straps that would inhibit movement of the arms and shoulders, but I'm a colonist and have work to do! I still get the benefits of a shaped torso and straight back while still being able to maintain productivity. I FLIPPIN LOVE my stay. It's beautiful. That doesn't mean its fun to wear. I use a Silver Bodkin to lace my stay, it has an eye long enough for the laces to fit through and cuts down the lacing time by what I can only imagine would otherwise have been an eternity.
Pockets weren't sewn into clothing at the time, they were small bags tied around the waist on a long string. Mine are unadorned, so, true to the period, I wear them underneath my skirt. If I choose to embroider them, I would then wear them over my skirt. There is a ton on information on 18th Century women's pockets online, check out the blog post about Pockets and Women's Empowerment. What I love about them is that they are truly a woman's own. Their pockets could hide any little treasure and be kept secret from the world. I just like to think of what precious things a colonial woman would have kept hidden away in her pockets day after day.
A Drawstring Skirt (or Petticoat) is the easiest thing, go sew a billion of them. I chose a solid color for my skirt since it was going to be mostly covered up in the front with my apron anyway. It has opening on either side so that I can access my pockets easily and in the 1700's could have adjusted the size back and forth during pregnancy. (I'm hoping to do a colonial pregnancy post soon, so come back for more on that!) Keep in mind that we are not talking about the Victorian era, ankles aren't the "supremely scandalous" anymore. I can have my skirt hemmed a few inches shorter so that I can work around the house with a baby on one hip and a basket of vegetables in the other and not have to worry about lifting my skirt up while walking.
My Drawstring Apron is made of white cotton and ties on top of my skirt. It doesn't cover the opening in my skirt so I can still easily access my pockets. Not much to say about this one, we still use aprons today!
Stockings are such a bummer in the summertime. They go above the knee and are made of cotton. I'm hoping to go around barefoot come the hundred degree weather! (Maybe the tattoo isn't completely period accurate...)
My Black Leather Shoes were donated a while back and, lucky me, they fit perfectly. What is so special about them is the bottoms. They're RED (What now, Louis Vuitton!) During (but not limited to) the 18th Century, individuals would paint the heels of their shoes red to signify that they had been accepted at Court. (One of the reenactors saw them on me and laughed that "I had met the queen!" It is known that a lot of people would just paint their heels red without ever having had the honor that the red signified, but I like the think the colonial woman I portray was a little more honest than that ;)
French Bodice Cue controversy. Okay, okay, this is not period appropriate (probably.) You can find some period artwork that depict women in these types of bodice, but most likely women in colonial Georgia would have been wearing sleeves. I don't know if you have been to Savannah in the summertime but there was NO WAY they were getting me in sleeves on top of everything else I was already wearing! I ordered this on my own, so blame me :) If this type of sleeveless bodice was worn, it would probably have been in place of a stomacher.
In the 18th Century, women would have worn a sleeved jacket with a stomacher beneath it. The stomacher is a triangular piece of fabric used to hold the front of a woman's jacket together, and also serves to hide a woman's stay underneath her jacket.
Stockings are such a bummer in the summertime. They go above the knee and are made of cotton. I'm hoping to go around barefoot come the hundred degree weather! (Maybe the tattoo isn't completely period accurate...)
My Black Leather Shoes were donated a while back and, lucky me, they fit perfectly. What is so special about them is the bottoms. They're RED (What now, Louis Vuitton!) During (but not limited to) the 18th Century, individuals would paint the heels of their shoes red to signify that they had been accepted at Court. (One of the reenactors saw them on me and laughed that "I had met the queen!" It is known that a lot of people would just paint their heels red without ever having had the honor that the red signified, but I like the think the colonial woman I portray was a little more honest than that ;)
French Bodice Cue controversy. Okay, okay, this is not period appropriate (probably.) You can find some period artwork that depict women in these types of bodice, but most likely women in colonial Georgia would have been wearing sleeves. I don't know if you have been to Savannah in the summertime but there was NO WAY they were getting me in sleeves on top of everything else I was already wearing! I ordered this on my own, so blame me :) If this type of sleeveless bodice was worn, it would probably have been in place of a stomacher.
In the 18th Century, women would have worn a sleeved jacket with a stomacher beneath it. The stomacher is a triangular piece of fabric used to hold the front of a woman's jacket together, and also serves to hide a woman's stay underneath her jacket.
Hair didn't get washed very often. Luckily, it was tied up daily under a cap so it wasn't really a problem. I wear a few strands down around my face, but the rest I tie in a tight bun at the back of my head.
A Mob Cap (or bonnet) would keep your dirty hair up and hidden, would keep hair out of your face and away from a cooking fire, and would serve as a fashion accessory. I wear a gathered cotton cap, but caps could have been made in multiple different styles with ruffles, lace, and ribbons.
When I'm outside, I wear my Straw Hat over my mob cap. Mine is a "high crown" hat with a diameter of almost 20 inches! Many straw hats would have been "low crown", but both could be decorated with ribbons, flowers, lace, etc. I can't wait to get creative with my new hat! Any suggestions on what I should do? There are a few different ways one could wear a straw hat, I like mine simply tied town around my chin.
Aaaaand the finished product! Hello dramatic pose! Hehe I wanted to show off my hat :D
There are a few things I don't have that one could add to this ensemble, I am going to link to the Jas. Townsend website so you can check them out for yourself!
Garters would be tied around stockings above the knee to ensure the stockings didn't slip down. They usually would have been made up of a cotton decorative piece attached to a long silk ribbon string.
A Silk Fichu is basically a big square kerchief that has been folded and then tied or tucked (and maybe pinned) into a woman's bodice. This was used for modesty, so having already gotten a little reckless by choosing a French Bodice, it was a little too late for me to try and salvage using one of these! A woman could dye her fichu to match her other clothing.
Linen Shawls are worn over the shoulders to protect from sun or for additional modesty. The ends are long enough to be tucked into the skirt. I think the Linen Shawl from Jas. Townsend is beautiful with it's ruffled edges- I'm am kicking myself for not having ordered it!
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