Edwardian street style: Astonishing amateur images which capture the fashion of women

UK Daily Mail ^ | July 16, 2012 | Staff

[C19fan]

Street blogging may be considered to be a modern phenomenon, but a series of images unearthed by Kensington and Chelsea Libraries prove that the practice may date as far back as the early 1900’s. The Library service has published several wonderful images by the late amateur photographer Edward Linley Sambourne, who was also the chief cartoonist for Punch, which give an amazing insight into the street style of the woman of London and Paris over a century ago. Sambourne’s beautiful street photography captures the casual side of Edwardian fashion in a manner which is rarely seen.

[CatherineofAragon]

I agree; tattoos make women appear trashy and somehow dirty.

Some of my own pet peeves re: slob culture include rolls of fat hanging out for everyone to see, exposed bra straps (when did THAT become a fashion statement?), and flip-flops. Don’t give me that garbage about flip-flops showing off your pedicure. Get a pair of decent sandals or wedges.

[SatinDoll]

I recently read that four things we commonly eat today will cause the human body to put on fat: bananas, corn, wheat, and peas.

Of those four items, one in particular has crept into the ingrediants of a huge number of products we eat today - corn. It is the additive corn syrup or corn syrup solids that I suspect is fueling obesity in this nation.

[BubbaBasher]

Nothing has changed. This woman is stepping off the curb onto a busy street while reading.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I wear flip-flops, but I’m a dude. I don’t do it to be slobby, per se, but because of a chronic problem with my toenails that makes wearing shoes and socks rather uncomfortable.

As for the rolls of fat... the muffin-top is indeed a revolting sight. =8-P

[knarf]

Hmmm ... not so sure aboiut that.

I've eaten Asian style cuisine for over two years .. rice, a LOT of vegetables (fresh from garden or whole produce from grocery), cut back on coffee,cigarettes .. and yes, cut back on excersize (I blame old age and sore muscles .. my wife says I'm lazy), I drink more water than I ever did and I have an increasing belly fat problem.

I have no insurance, so I don't see a doctor, but lately both men and women have been targetted as having low hormones that induces belly fat.

Don't know if it's true, but I'm 64 and ...

[PowderMonkey]

"We all look like slobs today."

Yup. "Being seen in public" was the common expression in the old days. My mother was a refugee of the Spanish Civil War. One set of old clothes and a battered suitcase were painful reminders of her status when she arrived in America. All her life she insisted on being properly attired when in public. Never left the house without full makeup, hat or scarf, and gloves. She hated seeing me barefoot in summer, and she would regularly scold me for sloppy atire or slovenly appearance by saying, "Joo' gonna' go out looking like dat'? I don' tink' so! Joo' go back an change. Joo' look like a refugee!"

[AnAmericanMother]

That was the Edwardian "pouter pigeon" look. I don't care for it myself.

The corsets were better though than in Victorian times - less restrictive of the waist.

Part of the business with the hats is that these are mostly shopgirls and midinettes, and hats are cheaper than a whole new outfit.

[CatherineofAragon]

Then you have a good excuse, LOL.

[CatherineofAragon]

Then you have a good excuse, LOL.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Heh.

[CatherineofAragon]

Sorry for the double post——still getting used to the super-sensitive keypad on this new laptop.

[carlo3b]

Wow, I have been a fan of Victorian, Edwardian, and Early American fashion, both Men a women, since my youth..

In my background I was indeed a Hollywood Costume Designer, in the early to mid 60's, after graduating from the Art Institute, of Chicago.. I started working for Edith Head, the legendary designer, of the most iconic classic motion pictures of the glitzy days of the silver screen..

I worked with some of the most beautiful women in our memory.. http://cookingwithchefcarlo.com/pages/bio.html

I hold the distinction of being chosen the Costume Designer for MY FAIR LADY, period piece, with my personal Hollywood heartthrob, Audrey Hepburn, for 3 hours before being discharged for being too "STRAIGHT" a male designer. It's a long story, but is still one that is not uncommon in Hollywood today.. LOL

[C19fan]

What interesting people who can run across here.

being discharged for being too "STRAIGHT" a male designer.,

Let me guess you wanted to make the women in the production beautiful and feminine while the homo designers wanted to make the women androgynous.LOL!

It is nice to meet other heterosexual men have the same let us say eccentric tastes as me.

[Madame Dufarge]

That was fun, thanks for posting it.

There's some interesting info on Edwardian fashion here, including an old movie of a boarding school girls' outing at Coney Island (about halfway down the page) in the early 1900's.

Edwardian Fashion Trends

[carlo3b]

The producers originally picked me for my actual submissions for the movie concept, but it was voided by the Hepburn folks that thought she, being so young, beautiful, immature, and unattached, the handlers thought that she was ripe for scandals, and although I was a newlywed, they must not have trusted my virile Italian heritage.. HA!

This incident was so devastating that it was the final straw for me to decide that I wasn't going to reach any prominence in that field unless I overcame my moral objections to perversions, which, in their defense, was very well known.. Bwhaaaaaaa

[BenLurkin]

[SMARTY]

My background is History of Art and when I watch ‘period’ films like ‘My Fair Lady’, I like to see how closely the production is to the authentic appearance and style of furnishings, architecture, clothing, etc.

‘My Fair Lady’ was such a treat because it was totally in keeping with the appearance of the period.

Others, not so much.

I liked ‘Zhivago’, but Julie's hair was NOT correct, nor was Ms. Chaplin's... Somehow that detracted from the rest of the completely accurate art direction for the film.

Lots of films fail on small things like that.

My father served in WWII. Watching war films with him, he'd point out weapons which were wrong for the period or in the wrong hands given the context of the film.

[BenLurkin]

Photographing women and girls as a hobby?

Seems a little creepy to me.

[BenLurkin]

[BigBobber]

midinettes

Thank you for teaching me a new word today - I had to look that one up!