JPK Huson 1863
Brev. Brig. Gen'l
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2012
- Location
- Central Pennsylvania
" But Mother, I tell you I cannot. Morning Dresses, Visiting Dresses, Home Dresses, Promenade, Carriage, Dinner, Evening, Ball Dresses, Storm Dresses, Bridal Visits Dresses, Mourning Dresses, Bathing Dresses, Shopping Dresses in which to buy more dresses! Whose idea was this? "
" Hush dear, Mm Demorest will hear you. She's as gauche as Santa, about listening at doors. Do you want to be wearing a Depressed Dress, next week? "
" Dinner Dress " seems innocuous, perhaps so termed for dressy dinners or those households where you formally stopped the world and dressed up- for your evening meal.
It isn't clear how much the general public noticed fashion. A little? This is Gettysburg, 1861
Ha!
I'd like to point out some women just, plain quit. No snark please. Dr. Cox M.D. was one, a married mother and committed scientist, she simply felt the famous dress reform movement symbolized her place in the professional world.
Then I bumped into this, not just advise on ' Try not to get wet '- rules on how to LOOK while not getting wet.
It pays to be realistic. As war tightened a pricey, bloody throttle hold on the South, these lovely images had little to do with life there. As iconic as hoop skirts, taffeta ribbons, bonnets and kid gloves and reticules and cameos may be, middle and upper class women hadn't gotten their hands on a copy of Godey's for months or years. Not that it mattered. Medicine for wounded, Confederate soldiers was smuggled under the sprung springs of crinolines ( which is a true legend ) , not fine fabric or fashion periodicals. Newspapers tell us women were preoccupied elsewhere.
The thing is, hysterically, beyond a small segment of ultra wealthy on the North, no women could afford to live inside the increasingly demanding strictures of ' fashion '. No, really. We never saw it again, either. No sociologist or anthropologist- seems to me between Godey's and Demorest's, a fever pitch in unrealistic spending, lifestyle and exhausting expectation sank both ships. Godey's readership plummeted post war. Despite brilliant innovations in sewing machines, pattern making, employing women and marketing Demorest's targeted markets who simply did not exist. American women can't help it. We were not European peerage and just kinda wanted pretty clothing without all the rules. Can we blame us?
You changed from whatever you wore, to your carriage dress- BUT- how confusing! What IF you were going visiting FROM your carriage? * sigh *. No wonder the young girl is depressed.
And the reason for your visit? A bridal call. Uh huh.
You were not allowed to sleep in this- but couldn't wear it past noon or...
....... or be slatternly, for all you slatternly hussy wannabees.
THEN you were allowed to be at HOME, in a HOME dress, if not too exhausted
Knocking over plant stands and small children, too. Honest. Mme Demorest's magazine, " Home Dress ". Isn't it wonderful? I'm smitten by Curtis's commitment to women, the thought of wearing this at home is just too entertaining not to share.
Using this because she did create patterns women could use, at home ( in their Home Dresses ) to follow fashion. " Evening Dress " was much more normal, an event dress.
But....
And.....although I like it, why promendade OR walking?
And dresses in which to buy more dresses...
But no one ever went broke appealing to the fairy princess in all of us
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