Q&A for How to Dress Like a Woman in the 1800s

Do the same thing, but you can get away with a slightly shorter dress (mid-calf at highest), and for hair, either curl it neatly or braid it. A bonnet would also work.

That depends on how period correct you want it to be. An ankle-length dress with a waist and either a small print (calico) or none is the simplest. Early 1800s had short, puffed sleeves, very high waist lines and light colors. Later on, there were hoop skirts under dresses with lower waists and long sleeves.

Wear a red velvet dress with gold trimming, a V neck, and a lot of frills.

You wore it to make your dress puff up at the backside. Without it, your dress would be just drooping over. It is also used today to gather up trains of wedding dresses after the ceremony to make it easier for the bride to dance.

Take a round piece of cloth about 12 inches in diameter. After you have hemmed the edges, sew a circle and tighten the circle to make the bonnet 3-dimensional. Then, take two pieces of string, each about 24 inches, and sew them on the parallel sides of the bonnet. After that, you have finished the bonnet!

You can look on Amazon or your local costume shop, like Party Time or Party City.

You can wear what's described in the article, but stick with drab colors, like maybe a plain white button down shirt, a black or dark brown belt, and a dark navy or brown maxi skirt.

Prior Attire, Historical Emporium and Etsy will work well. Go to costume shops for accessories.

The choice is yours. I would wear a bonnet if I were you. A bonnet is preferable because wigs might not look natural, especially cheap ones.

It’s more historically accurate to use a maxi skirt in public. Try buying a Victorian-style Islamic dress for simplicity.

They would commonly dress in styles similar to grown women, always wearing a sun bonnet. So pretty much the same as a woman.

Yes! You can wear one in a coat pocket or have it on hand. If you feel fancy, you can opt for a patterned one.

Wear a magnificent ball gown and do up your hair in curls. Also, wear lots of jewellery to show your wealth.

Yes, the puffed sleeves still give off Victorian era vibes for the outfit.

Typically Victorian women had to cover as much skin as possible, but there are some costumes that have short sleeves.

Do what's in the article for the most part. A fairly simple yet elegant and proper dress with a neat updo should do the trick. If you are a man, wear a nice button down shirt with old fashioned pants, or maybe even a suit.

They weren't costumes, they where their everyday clothes. As for why, we don't know. Fashion just evolved, for example, compare clothes from 2000 to clothes in 2019. Very different, no more low waisted jeans.

A green one or a pale blue. Try searching "Anne of Green Gables" for inspiration. Try to stay away from purple, it won't suit you as much.

Yes, but maybe try a shorter dress, no higher than mid-calf length. Dresses for girls back then were a bit shorter, so children could play.

No, but there is an online market called Esty where you can search up Victorian clothing.

Wear a simple dress with flare sleeves and a bonnet and (maybe) an apron. Old Sturbridge Village (in Massachusetts) has great clothes to buy there. If you have tights and a dress with a simple pattern and a bloused top ending at the chest that works. Lands' End has worked for me very well. A bandanna instead of a bonnet adds a working class look but it may be offensive to some.

You could, but it would not be historically correct. Richer women from the 1800s wore fancy hats that matched their outfits. If you are going for the pioneer look, you could wear a bonnet.

Yes, females of any age would have worn corsets. Sometimes even men did! If you want to find a corset for a preteen, try to look for a pair of stays. Pairs of stays are basically corsets with just one opening, and usually only children wore them in the Victorian era.

Depending on the time of year, the outfits styles could change. As most picnics are in the spring/summer, opt for respectable and modest dresses with light colors so that you don't get too hot. A parasol is a must; Victorian ladies' skin was important, so they made sure to protect it. On that note, hats were also fairly important, but not a must. They could be fascinator wedding types of hats or summer hats, just not winter hats.