Fashions for men and women changed dramatically during the eighteenth century. In general, as the century progressed, fashions required less and less fabric and (for women especially) relied more and more on trims and other decorations, until the fairly abrupt switch to “Empire” and “Regency” fashions at the end of the century. While “common” clothing remained fairly similar throughout the period, for those who could afford it styles and preferred fabrics and colors changed with the seasons as well as year by year.
At first, those who wished to follow the latest French and English fashions relied on written descriptions, dolls with sample clothing that were shipped to the colonies, and “personal shoppers” in London and Paris who might be agents or friends. Soon, however, magazines such as the Ladies Magazine included colored plates as well. Following is a sampling of the many useful websites and images available on the internet and a short bibliography of books that we’ve found particularly useful. Pinterest has many interesting boards also – so many that we won’t attempt to list them here.
Useful Books ( A few of very very many out there.)
- Whatever Shall I Wear, by Mara Riley
- Costume in Detail, by Nancy Bradford
- Eighteenth-Century Clothing at Williamsburg, by Linda Baumgarten
- Costume Close-up, by Baumgarten, Watson, and Carr
- Fitting & Proper, by Sharon Ann Burnston
- The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking, Lauren Stowell and Abby Cox
- An Agreeable Tyrant, Fashion After the Revolution, DAR Publication
(A more extensive bibliography can be found at Mara Riley’s website, and the Victoria and Albert Museum has a list of 18th century fashion resources, along with- elsewhere on their website – many original garments and other useful information. Also the Metropolitan Museum in New York has put many of their fashion publications and a lot of their Costume Institute Collections online!) Other great museum collections include the Victoria & Albert (they have a great bibliography and listing of collections online), the LA County Museum of Art, the Kyoto Costume Institute, and the Fashion Museum of Bath.
A Few Useful and/or Interesting Links
- 18th Century Clothing Notebook (extensive links to extant garments – but for Victoria & Albert museum links you have to search within their website.)
- Burnley & Trowbridge (suppliers of books, fabric, patterns, sewing and costume accessories)
- William Booth Draper (ditto)
- The Recollections of JP Ryan (patterns)
- Fashions Revisited by April Thomas (more good Patterns and other things too)
- Stays and stays patterns by Redthreaded
- A good discussion of 18th century printed cottons from American Duchess (and other blog items too.)
- Find out more about available patterns (authentic and not-so) on The Great Pattern Review (it seems to be under revision at the moment but keep checking)
- Shoe timelines – https://fiveminutehistory.com/the-colorful-shoes-of-the-18th-century/, and http://mantuadiary.blogspot.com/2013/12/timeline-of-shoes.html
- “Getting dressed” videos – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpnwWP3fOSA&t=7s, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVtdhurHoCA, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88qfiQMaJmI&list=RDCMUCzg1u9d-0D6e44ZBB6TDPXA&index=1, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucpBsJM-lJo&list=RDCMUCzg1u9d-0D6e44ZBB6TDPXA&index=6, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpS4B5oMhgo
- 18th Century Material Culture, Robes & Gowns (there are many other useful articles in this collection as well)
- A few of many good blogs – Diary of a Mantua Maker, The Curator’s Curio (by DAR Textile & Costume Curator Alden O’Brien), The Fashionable Past, Two Nerdy History Girls, & see also the links above
- A History of Pockets, Victoria & Albert Museum
- The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women’s Lives, Barbara Burman
- 1790s-early 1800s Regency Costume Companion