1900s Purple Striped Dress
Purple Striped Day Dress, Circa 1902
Vassar College Costume Collection, VC2012050
"The sight of an Edwardian lady, stepping out of her brougham, her victoria, or landau outside a Regent Street shop was a spectacle which cannot be seen today… The lady swept across the pavement like a queen...she proceeded like a ship in full sail into the harbour of the favoured emporium." W. Macqueen-Pope, Goodbye Piccadilly
As mentioned above, the Edwardian lady was often noted for her poise and beauty; this sense of elegant style was greatly guided by her access to items such as periodicals and magazines of the time. By the twentieth century, American magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and The Ladies Home Journal, brought art, society and fashion to American women from the most influential cities in the world. Developments in technologies such as the rotary steam printing press and the advancements of railroads during the industrial revolution allowed for a wider circulation of these publications. Soon, women’s lifestyle magazines had reached rural America. Fashion plates such as the one below could be found in these magazines alongside lengthy articles detailing the latest fashions of the season. These illustrations came to highly influence American women of all classes.
Harper's Bazar magazine cover circa 1900.
Fashion plate from The Delineator, August 1901.
Women across the United States looked to symbols such as the Gibson Girl in newspapers and magazines for additional inspiration. Her almost palpable sense of confidence and natural beauty was one that many women of the period tried to emulate. This confidence and beauty are perfectly exemplified in the playful spring color palette and S-curve silhouette of this simple yet elegant day dress ensemble. The garment includes a striped pattern of lilac and white, popularized by Queen Victoria in the mid-nineteenth century when she dressed her son in a striped sailor suit. This nautical style paired with the sweetness of the garment perfectly captures the strong and elegant balance of American women’s dress that was present through much of the pre-WWI modes of fashion.
Material Required for a Ladies’ Tucked Shirtwaist found in The Ladies’ Home Journal, 1906.
Guide Chart for a Ladies’ Tucked Shirtwaist found in The Ladies’ Home Journal, 1906.
Women at the turn of the century had options for obtaining the latest styles which included, but were not limited to, made to order dresses advertised in catalogues and ordered by mail, purchasing ready-to-wear clothing at department stores and visiting a dressmaker for a fully custom garment. Another option was making your own dress at home. Paper patterns began to be advertised and sold in magazines by the 1880s for home sewers at all skill levels. Above are examples of the material that would be included in a paper pattern purchased through a magazine. Patterns varied in price as well as complexity and allowed for individuality through choice of fit, fabric and adornment.
Beaufiful display of s-curve.
Sleeve details.
A closer look at the perforations found at the shoulders.
A close examination of the construction of this garment indicates what seems to be its construction by a home sewer. A length of perforation lines along the sleeves and skirt that were most likely the result of removed machine-made stitches support this determination. This suggests that a home sewer who may have created the garment potentially made mistakes which they then had to fix. They also suggest the alteration of an outdated style or the recycling of materials to make an entirely new dress, all possibilities that would grant middle and working-class Americans the ability to stay up to date with the latest fashion and express individuality through dress. Although the exact origins and construction of this dress may be unknown, it’s reference to life and society at the time is undeniable.
- Paola Castañeda, '22