Get Dressed Properly!
Since the publication of R.I. Davis' work on Victorian era dress in the 1970s and 80s, much has been written about the clothing of mid- to turn of the 19th century England. But for people who wear reproductions of Victorian clothing at historic sites, reenactments, Dickens Faires, and period pieces, this body of knowledge is lacking one essential element — a simple guide on how to get dressed. What pieces are essential to be dressed properly? What garments can be omitted for reasons of comfort without compromising the accuracy of the outfit?
Reconstructing History’s Victorian and Edwardian Men's Getting Dressed Guide is meant to fill that void.
This 50-page downloadable guide, written by clothing historian Kass McGann and backed by 20 years of research, will tell you everything you need to know to dress historically accurately as Western man from the 1840s through 1910.
The Getting Dressed Guides are not intended to be books of all knowledge. In these pages you will not find debates about the construction of couture interlinings or what cuff width was popular in 1853 versus 1855. You will simply find a list of garments commonly worn by Western men in the 1830s through 1910 and the manner in which they were worn. General fabric types and other pertinent information is included, but more detail than this is outside the scope of this Guide. In other words, the Getting Dressed Guides are guides to teach you how to get dressed for this period.
If you find a garment listed in a Getting Dressed Guide, you can be sure it was worn in the period covered. If you do not find a garment listed in these pages, that only means it was not common enough for us to include.