Friday

Understanding The Civil War Gowns

By Patrice McCoy


For many years, the issue of fashion has occupied a special place in the culture of mankind. It has been influenced by numerous issues, ranging from the environment that one lives in or the places that people have visited. Time has also had a profound effect on this issue. As a result of all these factors, the civil war gowns were greatly influenced by the events which were taking place at that particular time.

In the nineteenth century, being stylish seemed impossible for some. This is mainly because it was somehow costly to keep up with the look. Only the rich could afford to be fashionable. This factor therefore affected how people dressed up.

This state of affairs made it necessary to have two sets of clothing. These came to be known as day dresses and probably one or two that were reserved for special occasions. This is when you went out for shopping or to visit a friend or another family. Those who were considered to be well off, had one for Sunday as well.

The reason as to why these costumes are often linked to the civil war is because men were normally seen in their military outfits. To this end, there is still quite a variety that one can choose from. It is now possible to choose which side of the war you wish to be identified with at that particular time.

On the other hand, there were categories of clothing, formal and informal. However, in both categories there some common denominators. Corsets and petticoats were always part of the dressing. White gloves and some laced up boots completed the look.

It meant a lot for most people to make a fashion statement. This meant standing out from the crowd. Ladies would especially take advantage of special occasions to get noticed by possible suitors. During this period proper dress code was taken seriously. Not even the weather could come in the way. For hot sunny seasons, parasols and fans would be seen all over the place. Other than that, these would still be used to accessorize the women's dresses.

As strange as it may sound, women at some point wore locks of hair from their spouse or boyfriend. Flowers also went well with this. They acted as jewelry which really looked fashionable at the time. One could not step out with their hair looking disastrous. No matter how well dressed one was, their hair said a lot. Women embraced the use of hair oils and pomades to ring out an overall outward appeal.

Great hair styles complimented the different civil war gowns. There are those that favored wearing a snood or bun cover over their heads. At the same time, others just parted theirs at the top and let it fall down covering the ears in whichever pattern that was favored at the time. When it came to hair styles, this was dictated by the texture and density that each one had on their head. The shoes were rarely changed at the time. This means what was used for everyday activities was also worn to formal occasions.




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