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Hot looks for 1775
Corsican (TX) Daily Sun ^ | January 15, 2011 | Janet Jacobs

Posted on 01/16/2011 9:11:15 AM PST by Pharmboy

Revolutionary war fashion show comes to Corsicana

Corsicana — Yards and yards of embroidered silk and damask, wool and linen swirled through the Kinsloe House as part of a special 1700s fashion show hosted by the James Blair Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution Wednesday.

The creator of the dresses was Carolyn Schiewe of the Captain Molly Corbin Chapter of the DAR in Grapevine. Schiewe researched the dresses and then sewed them for herself and her friends.

“Ladies during the revolutionary war were just as interested in fashion as we are today,” Schiewe explained. And although she had assumed the colors would be muted or limited, she was surprised and delighted to find that wasn’t true.

“They had some dyes were very effective,” she said.


Daily Sun photo/Janet Jacobs The Daughters of the American Revolution hosted a 1700s fashion show Wednesday at the Kinsloe House. Shown, left to right,
are Anita Robidou, Jane Doclar, Carolyn Schiewe and Hertha Northcraft of the Captain Molly Corbin Chapter.

Most of the nicer gowns came from England or France, and wealthy women could order their gowns by seeing fashion dolls called “moppets” that were shipped over with the full dress on them. Others ordered the fabrics and made their own in the colonies, Schiewe said.

“Prior to the revolutionary war most fabrics were imported from England or France, although some fine silks came from China and calico from India,” she said. “People with money in the colonies had access to fine fabrics.”

As the war progressed and England took actions to close the ports in Boston, New York and other colonies, fabrics were still a money maker for blockade runners or smugglers.

Cotton wasn’t used as much as wool or linen because the gins that made separating out the fibers from the seeds weren’t common, and it had to be done by hand, which was expensive. Nor did the colonies have any large mills or weaving houses because England didn’t want to lose its textile market in the colonies.


Carolyn Schiewe explains the construction and history of the clothes of the 1700s at a fashion show Wednesday at the Kinsloe
House while Anita Robidou models a riding or travelling outfit. Schiewe researched and then sewed all the outfits

In her presentation, Schiewe had her models show off not only the gowns, but also their undergarments, which were also authentic to the period, and the construction of the dresses. Women of that century didn’t wear underwear, but only a shift, which was a long undergown that was also their nightwear. However, well-dressed women did wear layers of petticoats and well-to-do women wore corsets which pulled in their waists, sometimes to the detriment of their health. The wide-hipped look was made with bags on either side, and women had pockets accessed through slits in their gowns and below the various petticoats.

Among the beautiful dresses was also a more work-a-day dress that would have been typical of a tradeswoman, Schiewe said.

In showing that gown, Schiewe pointed out that women of that day only bathed every few weeks and didn’t launder their clothes as often as modern women do.

“They believed the natural oils in the skin protected them from disease,” Schiewe said.

Their lacy mob caps were to hide their greasy hair as well as to keep the dust and dirt from collecting in their hair, she added.

Having the Grapevine group come and present in Corsicana was a special treat, according to Geneva Davis, the regent for the Corsicana chapter. Schiewe and her group are taking the educational program all over the state this year, she said.

“I was so glad to be able to get them,” Davis said. “This is a perfect program for us.”

—————

Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “sound off” to this article? E-mail: Soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com


TOPICS: History; Society
KEYWORDS: colonialtimes; dailylife; godsgravesglyphs; history; revwar; texas
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Although I usually do NOT report on local news regarding the RevWar or other topics touched on by this ping list (e.g., DAR or SAR meetings, commemorations, anniversaries), I posted and pinged this one for two reasons: 1) a lot of good information about colonial life here (I did not know that underwear was not worn by the ladies back then) and 2) I could post the whole article.
1 posted on 01/16/2011 9:11:17 AM PST by Pharmboy
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To: Pharmboy

My grandmother wore clothes similar to those.


2 posted on 01/16/2011 9:13:12 AM PST by blam
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: Pharmboy

I love the dresses... I love anything that covers the extra 20 lbs I’m carrying. But no underwear, and then not bathing for 2-3 weeks?(shudder)


4 posted on 01/16/2011 9:16:26 AM PST by A_perfect_lady (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: indcons; Chani; thefactor; blam; aculeus; ELS; Doctor Raoul; mainepatsfan; timpad; ...

The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list...

Freepmail me to get on or off this low-volume list

5 posted on 01/16/2011 9:17:17 AM PST by Pharmboy (What always made the state a hell has been that man tried to make it heaven-Hoelderlin)
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To: Young Werther

I like attire like that.

Much easier to remove.


6 posted on 01/16/2011 9:18:36 AM PST by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously..... You won't live through it anyway.)
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To: Pharmboy

Interesting... Thanks for posting this and please add me to your ping list.


7 posted on 01/16/2011 9:18:36 AM PST by Hootowl99
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To: Young Werther

Can you imagine our colonials seeing her?? What might have startled them more—blue bikini gal or a Ford F-150?


8 posted on 01/16/2011 9:21:15 AM PST by Pharmboy (What always made the state a hell has been that man tried to make it heaven-Hoelderlin)
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To: Pharmboy

Third from the left, "Does this make my rear look big?"


9 posted on 01/16/2011 9:22:18 AM PST by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: Pharmboy

Thanks for posting this interesting article. It’s a wonder the population didn’t die out with the hygiene habits common back then. Indoor plumbing, Thomas Crapper’s inventions and the modern waterworks and sewage works have done wonders for hygiene and public health.

Kudos to Ms. Carolyn Schiewe for personally researching and hand-making these beautiful dresses. What a labor of love! She must be a wonderful lady.


10 posted on 01/16/2011 9:25:07 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Pharmboy
Can you imagine our colonials seeing her?? What might have startled them more—blue bikini gal or a Ford F-150?

I would guess the women folk would have been shocked to see her in all that water since they didn't bathe very often.

11 posted on 01/16/2011 9:27:36 AM PST by DejaJude
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To: Pharmboy

Thanks for posting this!
I love the beautiful fabrics.
The creativeness of women sewing their clothes in days gone by never ceases to amaze.


12 posted on 01/16/2011 9:28:50 AM PST by Lorianne (During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. ___ George Orwell)
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To: Pharmboy

I’ve looked and looked and looked. I just can’t see the Ford F-150 in that photo.


13 posted on 01/16/2011 9:29:00 AM PST by null and void (We are now in day 726 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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To: Pharmboy

Please put me on your ping list! I’ve always loved history, but until the last couple of years, never fully appreciated this era.

Watched the first two episodes of ‘John Adams’ last night on DVD (again)...if you can make it through those two episodes alone and not feel proud to be an American, then you need to pack up and get the h*** out of here!


14 posted on 01/16/2011 9:29:47 AM PST by Hoosier Catholic Momma (Arkansas resident of Hoosier upbringing--Yankee with a southern twang)
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To: Pharmboy

The styles of the past were a lot more flattering to people than today’s styles. I find especially that the dresses of the nineteenth century were flattering to older and/or heavier ladies. Even a rather heavy woman looks grand and dignified in a long, waisted dress with a moderate hoop or a corded petticoat, as opposed to the shorts and tank tops that let all the flab, cellulite, leg hair, and varicose veins hang on. Rarely attractive on anyone over forty.


15 posted on 01/16/2011 9:33:25 AM PST by ottbmare (off-the-track Thoroughbred mare)
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To: Red_Devil 232

“No. Your rear end makes your rear end look big.”.


16 posted on 01/16/2011 9:37:52 AM PST by ExpatCanuck
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To: ExpatCanuck
The fact that you're still alive means that you've only thought about saying that...
17 posted on 01/16/2011 9:44:34 AM PST by Pharmboy (What always made the state a hell has been that man tried to make it heaven-Hoelderlin)
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To: ExpatCanuck
The fact that you're still alive means that you've only thought about saying that...
18 posted on 01/16/2011 9:50:18 AM PST by Pharmboy (What always made the state a hell has been that man tried to make it heaven-Hoelderlin)
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To: Pharmboy

No underwear inspired the earlier Tudor dance, “The Volt” (shown here in the trailer for Disney’s 1953 “The Sword and the Rose”):

http://disneymoviesonline.go.com/movies/the-sword-and-the-rose-750000000130/


19 posted on 01/16/2011 9:50:46 AM PST by LibFreeOrDie (Obama promised a gold mine, but will give us the shaft.)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Both of my daughters wish we still dressed that way ~ and they’re 24 years old. They love the way ladies dressed then.


20 posted on 01/16/2011 10:05:33 AM PST by My hearts in London - Everett (You will try to nudge commies toward the truth, while they try to nudge you toward the cattle cars.)
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