|
|
About The Vintage Dress Series library, fashion history resources
Published by Vintage Victorian
THE VOLUMES, cover all aspects of an outfit from undergarments, gowns and outerwear to hairstyles, hats and jewelry,
and are produced with the goal of providing a comprehensive aid to assist in the creation of accurately
reproduced outfits. All of the illustrations are from original period publications, most from my private
collection, with occasional additions from the libraries of others.
LADIES’ MAGAZINES flourished in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. During this
time illustrations of ladies’ fashions
 were
beginning to be seen in abundance. These magazines and books are an invaluable resource, for both their editorial content
and advertisements. Vintage Dress Series 
books include fashion forecasts, dressmaking hints, pattern descriptions and yardages, and “how-to” descriptions to
complete the picture of how one might reproduce a period look.
VINTAGE DRESS SERIES BOOKS are filled with numerous images of vintage styles gathered from countless
period magazines and books. The images show the wide range of styles worn in any given period and
should provide examples of an outfit suitable to anyone’s particular needs and tastes. Where available, the
original text describing original color and trim selections has been included
 with each illustration. Costume
accessories, undergarments, jewelry, hairstyles, and fashion forecasts are also covered to create a complete picture of each era.
My hope is that these volumes will prove to be a valuable resource on the bookshelves of vintage dancers, reenactors, Victorian
enthusiasts, actors, film costumers, historians and designers.
A NOTE ABOUT VINTAGE DANCERS:
The Vintage Dress Series began  as a resource for vintage dancers, covering styles worn in the 19th and early 20th century
ballroom, to help dancers create their own accurately reproduced outfits. Proper dress, and almost more importantly undergarments, influence movement.
Wearing period ensembles adds another dimension to the recreation of period dance.
Some of the most popular eras covered in our books and online library:
-
The Regency, Napoleonic, or Federal-era (1785-1820) known for set dances with
fancy footwork, the scandalous waltz, romance novels, and high-waisted neo-classical fashions
-
The Biedermeier-era (1820-30s) with the romantic waltz, fashions with
puffed sleeves, full skirts, and wild hairstyles, and Queen Victoria as a fashionable young princess
-
The Crinoline or Civil War-era (1850s and 1860s) with the proliferation of dance
manuals detailing polka & waltz variations, quadrilles & set-dances, danced by ladies in voluminous hoop-skirted gowns, and the royal courts in London, Paris, and Vienna having their portraits painted by Winterhalter
-
The Belle Epoque (1880-90s) with hoppy, skippy steps with whimsical names danced
by ladies in 1880s bustles or 1890s puffed sleeved fashions, the age of US robber barons and American heiresses marrying into titles abroad
-
The Ragtime-era (1910s) with the exotic tango and steamy blues and ballrooms full of ladies
in elaborately draped gowns in exotic colors, fashion efected by exotic influences and changes rapidly year to year with World War I ushering in a more liberated, modern, woman
-
The Jazz Age, Prohibition, or Flapper era (1920s), the age of
the Charleston, short skirts & bobbed hair, post war freedon and excess
The primary focus of the
Vintage Dress Series volumes draws its inspiration from these eras, with a particular emphasis on
evening wear as formal balls are such an important component of a vintage dancers life. Visit my calendar page for a listing of period events, balls and workshops or
The Commonwealth Vintage Dancers homepage for more information
on period events. An upcoming ball or period pic-nic is the the perfect excuse for a new gown!
Other Titles:
Vintage Dance Music, Dance Manuals, & DVDs:
|
