Civil War garb

[cowgrrl]

I know we're a Ren Board but I'm at a total loss. I've been invited to a 'Gone With the Wind' party. For all my love of garb, the Civil War is not an area I'm interested in costuming for. So, I'm trying to figure out how to do this without ending up with a bunch of stuff I won't reuse. I originally thought about going more Victorian (like a walking dress or a bustled dress) because we do some Steampunk stuff but that was vetoed by a sibling of the guest of honor.
If I get a simple skirt (or make one out of a bedsheet), a sash & a simple, modest, button-up blouse would that work?  I figure I can rewear the pieces in other things & if we ever go to Dickens on the Strand I'm all set.
Any thought, tips & opinions welcome & my apologies for hijacking this Ren board with a non-Ren question.

[Dinobabe]

Hi!!  I do civil War AND Ren so I know what you mean.  Contrary to the movies not everyone during the Civil War period wore a hoop skirt and GIANT puffy sleeves with fancy overcoats.  If you already have a solid color cotton type skirt use that.  If you have a hoop skirt go ahead and add it if you want.  If you have a blouse with big sleeves use that.  Civil War ladies were much more modest than ren so you will need to make sure your chest is covered.  In these pictures I am wearing my ren blouse with a chemisette.  Super easy to make!  I used the scrap left over from the blouse.  I made a special jacket because I wanted it to reflect the uniform coat (and it's reversible! ).  You can make something simple with one of the big three patterns.  Solid colors are fine, not everything was flower prints!





P.S.  This is me the rest of the time...   No idea what's going on with the facial expression!

[gem]

Do you like the 1920s? You could go as Margaret Mitchell. 

Remember that "Gone With the Wind" costumes were a highly glamorized 1930s Hollywood version of Civil War clothing, not necessarily the most accurate reflection of costume history! I think you have a fair amount of leeway. The famous green velvet curtain dress looks a lot like a late 16th c. doublet gown, for instance. If, you know, you just happened to have a green velvet doublet gown in your closet, which I'm sure you do. 

If you do decide you want to go all out, I know where you can get a ginormous straw hat. 

[Rowan MacD]

   Here's a site that sells very comfortable dresses, separates and accessories  for under $100.00.
   I bought one of their Edwardian blouses to wear at a Highland Ball with a contemporary hostess kilt and it was gorgeous.   The owners actually make everyday 'modest' clothing, so everything is extremely durable and well made. Very few items require drycleaning.   Sizes run a little large, so the dresses, etc. will be loose.

http://www.recollections.biz

[stonebiscuit]

If there's a good quality costume store near where you live (NOT Party City and its ilk), check out their rental costumes.

[arbcoind]

I second Recollections!  I have several of their outfits that I wear in the mundane world.  http://recollections.biz/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=R&Category_Code=CivilWar

Gina

[Dinobabe]

Found some better pics!
The full album has lots of ladies in dress.  It could help with ideas for how to put something together with what you already have.  I had forgotten about the modest blouse with waist cincher.

Back

Front

[cowgrrl]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. One of the 'problems' is that my family knows we like to garb so in their minds this should be a piece of cake. They don't get that while I'm fine with paying a few hundred for a corset, it's because I'm going to wear it until it falls apart. I'm less interested in spending a lot of money on something I probably won't wear again.
I found a reasonable priced dress on etsy that I could wear for Steampunk or a Dickens event. I plan on ordering it Friday. Next month I'll purchase an under skirt & I'll be all set. Now I just have to get the rest of the family outfitted!

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

These patterns from SIMPLICITY would work very well for a Civil War themed Party, or a Dickens Fair.  The photos are good reference to the era or ideas on renting costumes from a  Costume Shop.

http://www.simplicity.com/p-1993-costumes.aspx

http://www.simplicity.com/p-1799-costumes.aspx

[isabelladangelo]

http://extantgowns.blogspot.com/search/label/1860s  <- a link to all the extant 1860's gowns on my blog.  You might want to look at the 1850's as well.   

There really isn't a way to do mid-Victorian that will "transcend" through other eras and still look right.  However, you don't need the big hoopskirt either.  You do need a corset as a starting place and there are plenty of places that sell good American Civil War era corsets.   
http://www.abrahamslady.com/underpinnings.html  <- Abraham's Lady is my favorite.   You will be able to use the corset for under steampunk dresses and bodices.

Civil War skirts are pretty basic, for the most part, but it's the bodices that you need some construction skills.  To that end, I'd suggest either buying a blouse from Abraham's lady or trying eBay or etsy.   If you do try eBay or etsy, please, go with natural fibers and make sure that the cuts look correct for the time period - pass it by someone that knows the fashion for that time period in and out.   

Hope that helps!

[Rowan MacD]

I second Recollections!  I have several of their outfits that I wear in the mundane world.  http://recollections.biz/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=R&Category_Code=CivilWar

Gina

I got a calico gown and a 2 piece walking outfit on sale both for about $150.00 including shipping.  The gown was 45.00.  I couldn't make it myself for that.   
They clearance all the time.

[Mistress Kathleen]

Love Recollections... they are great to work with

[operafantomet]

http://extantgowns.blogspot.com/search/label/1860s  <- a link to all the extant 1860's gowns on my blog.  You might want to look at the 1850's as well.   

There really isn't a way to do mid-Victorian that will "transcend" through other eras and still look right. 

Every period has their specialities, but as such mid-19th century fashion was inspired by earlier styles - the so-called "neo" styles, just like in architecture and painting. So when Charles Garnier designed the neo-baroque Parisian opera house, women dressed in a neo-baroque style, and it was of course very fashionable. The big crinoline dresses were more often than not borrowing elements from Baroque dresses, while the later bustle dresses was greatly inspired by the Mantua, as you might see here:



There were differences in construction and fabric preferences. But the silhouettes and the fancy little details often match. So if you would happen to have a period Baroque dress around, you can style it up to look Victorian. If not, I do like the idea of a blouse and a skirt. It's also perfectly period, or something people will recognize as period. Maybe a cameo around the neck, a fitting hat, some lacing/buttoning boots, and a huge shawl if it's cold, and I'd say you're there.

[isabelladangelo]

The bustle is too late for the American Civil War, unfortunately.  In the period, many satirists pointed out and made fun of the bustle era since it was similar to the robe a la polonaise 100 years prior.  I actually have an extant bodice from the 1780's that was redone in the 1880's to fit that silhouette.

The American Civil War clothing depends partly on the current fashions between 1861-1865 but also where you were living.  New Orleans was better able to keep up with the fashions than Richmond was since Richmond was a)inland and b) under near constant threat of battle (Washington DC had the same problem).  Many ladies in the South were known to take the older styles and carefully use every last scrap of material to fashion a new dress (the curtain dress in Gone with the Wind, totally possible).   You would easily see some of the 1850's styles making a comeback with only slight changes. 

However, the easiest dress to make for the American Civil War is the wrapper dress.  It was primarily an "at home" dress but it was also worn to work outside in the fields as necessary. 

http://extantgowns.blogspot.com/2012/12/cutest-plaid-1860s-wrapper-evah.html  <- and example of one from very late in the war into the mid 1860's

http://extantgowns.blogspot.com/2012/01/civil-war-era-materinity-dress.html <- another wrapper



I have a ton up on my site.  The dress is loose and meant to be worn with a belt.   I have a couple of later period ones in my personal collection that really, are very simple in cut. 

[operafantomet]

The bustle is too late for the American Civil War, unfortunately. 

Note that I called the first style Baroque/crinoline, and the other Mantua/bustle. I separated between them, and I did not suggest that a mantua/bustle would be appropriate for Civil War style.

[captmarga]

http://extantgowns.blogspot.com/search/label/1860s  <- a link to all the extant 1860's gowns on my blog.  You might want to look at the 1850's as well.   

There really isn't a way to do mid-Victorian that will "transcend" through other eras and still look right. 

Every period has their specialities, but as such mid-19th century fashion was inspired by earlier styles - the so-called "neo" styles, just like in architecture and painting. So when Charles Garnier designed the neo-baroque Parisian opera house, women dressed in a neo-baroque style, and it was of course very fashionable. The big crinoline dresses were more often than not borrowing elements from Baroque dresses, while the later bustle dresses was greatly inspired by the Mantua, as you might see here:



There were differences in construction and fabric preferences. But the silhouettes and the fancy little details often match. So if you would happen to have a period Baroque dress around, you can style it up to look Victorian. If not, I do like the idea of a blouse and a skirt. It's also perfectly period, or something people will recognize as period. Maybe a cameo around the neck, a fitting hat, some lacing/buttoning boots, and a huge shawl if it's cold, and I'd say you're there.

Charles Worth, who designed in Paris during this era, admitted freely that he drew inspiration from previous eras.  He copied the dress designs that he felt were wonderful in previous times and recreated them into masterpieces in his own time.

Marga

[cowgrrl]

You gals have been so helpful. I greatly appreciate it. One more question:  I'm ordering an off the shoulder dress with a full skirt that will require a hoop. I have to give a skirt length. Do I just measure from my waist to ankle & assume she will give the allowance for the hoop or what?

[Dinobabe]

You gals have been so helpful. I greatly appreciate it. One more question:  I'm ordering an off the shoulder dress with a full skirt that will require a hoop. I have to give a skirt length. Do I just measure from my waist to ankle & assume she will give the allowance for the hoop or what?

There are different styles and lengths of hoop.  Each one requires a different skirt length which is longer than your waist to floor.  You need to get the hoop first.  If you already have one for Ren just use it.  In that case the skirt length would be the same as an existing skirt you use with that hoop.  Otherwise you can make your own or just buy one off ebay for about $12 (search for "hoop skirt").  I would get one with at least 3 hoops.