@@ellissardorian7834 Definitely would love to see this recreated in a high-humidity environment (although based on my afternoon walk in modern clothing on a sunny afternoon after rainy night, it'll probably be the same result).
You guys should do this again, but in the winter. Call it "Are you cold in that?" Because I have known people of similar thinking of "wearing layers in the summer is too hot" and "wearing skirts in the winter is too cold." I think it would an interesting phenomenon to see in action.
I do renaissance festival in November/December (in Louisiana, where we usually are in the 40's to 70's Fahrenheit) and almost never wear my cloak because all of my other layers keep me toasty..
As someone who has short colorful hair, I just assumed that historical clothes just wouldn't look good on me because I could never do authentic hairstyles, but your friends have really cool hairstyles and they look great in their victorian dresses!
Sameeeeee, I'd obviously place more attention on color coordinating but it's so relieving to see someone with colorful hair look so natural in historical clothing.
Same here, and I usually wear wigs for this kind of thing. I should try it without sometime. Dude + layered mid back length + candy cane & black colored hair + historical clothes is something.
Don't forget, the early Victorian period was alive with vivid, multi-hued, deeply saturated colors. It was only AFTER Prince Albert died and Queen Victoria went into mourning, that colors became much more drab and somber. In order to be fashionable and emulate the queen, those who could afford to, followed her fashion example.
That's literally what history bounding is it's taking the parts you like of historical clothing and doing those but still being your normal modern self. It's not full on antiquarianism like rejecting technology or anything. Bernadette Banner is like one end of the spectrum. But even she doesn't take it overly seriously she still has electricity in her apartment, she still keeps her guinea pig. She still has modern cooking appliances, it's fine. She does make things that are strictly a historical reproduction in order to learn the historical methods and is creating her own collection of garments and historical reproductions as well as the stuff she will actually wear. She does basically live in her historically made garments and sumfest session things she bought more than five years ago. It's very much about sustainability for her. Then you have the Morgan Donner method of ain't nobody got time for that and we'll use an electric sewing machine on Long seams and things that won't be seen because it's faster and I have a real life to get back to. Then you have Nicole Rudolph who does incredible Craftsmanship in her historical clothing and historical shoes. She works at American Duchess and she's able to wrap her entire life in her love of history and it's freaking amazing but she still owns modern clothes and doesn't just wear a cosplay every single day. Then you have the Abbey method of I love historical clothing but I'm still going to live my Modern Life. It is an infinite spectrum of things you can choose from and do what fits your life 💛
I'm ashamed to admit that it wasn't until I started following TH-camrs such as yourself (and Bernadette Banner, et al) that I realized how truly uncomfortable fast fashion and polyester makes one feel; I just sort of accepted it. I am now doing away as much as possible with fast fashion and replacing clothes with natural fibers. Thank you and as always, thank you for the giggles. Look forward to more historical clothing myth busting.
me too! It’ll be a slow process because like you said fast fashion is so ingrained into our lives, but I haven’t bought brand new clothes since March and I don’t plan to again if I can avoid it! I wish we could all fully return to wearing 18th and 19th century fashion haha
Between historical costumers extolling the virtues of natural fabrics and people in the zero waste/low impact community pointing out the micro-plastics that find their way into the water system when you wash plastic derived synthetics I've been making the conscious choice to choose natural fibers. It's hard falling in love with something you see second hand and then reading the label and seeing 100% polyester and having to put it back.
Here in Kentucky, I am a member of a lord of the rings fan group. We meet every 18 months, fall and spring for the weekend. I have been making hobbit inspired costumes. Since 2017 I have searched exclusively for natural fibers. I agree Polyester is just sweaty and nasty. I find my hobbit costumes much more comfortable that " modern" clothing.
same here! i found with the right coupons and sales i can get like 3 years of fabric at joanns for about 10 dollars so making your clothes can be a cheaper option once you have the proper equipment for assembly
I think it's pretty common for people to think you can barely move in historical clothing. I'd love to see you test how the clothes effect flexibility, reach, agility, etc compared to modern clothes.
When I was younger, I did a lot of historical reenactment of fur trade history circa 1815 and the thing I learned about functional historic clothing vs fashionable styles was that those clothes were worn because they worked. When I was told I'd be wearing woollen skirts and leggings while cooking over an open hearth, I thought it was bonkers, but once I got wearing them, I realized how practical it was. When I was standing close to the fire, my skirts and leggings insulated me from the direct heat of the fire and made it much easier to handle than when cooking on a campfire in modern clothes. And while NOTHING makes raking out a bake oven on a 35C day in July pleasant, it was far better to be wearing historic clothing than anything else we might have been wearing. Woollen clothes for open fire cooking are the best clothes.
@@AthenaeusGreenwood Yes! Wool is actually self-extinguishing, meaning any places where sparks hit will put themselves out instead of going up in flames. Dampen your skirts and they're even less likely to catch. It takes a big fire to overcome this protection. While wool is by far the best and the only true self-extinguisher, all natural fibers are at least slow to catch fire. Synthetics are a different story. They're disguised plastic bags, and plastic bags are made from petroleum, the same thing as gasoline. So keep your synthetics away from open flame unless you want them to instantly melt to your skin or other clothes when they quickly catch fire and start burning.
When I was studying anthropology, in one of my classes, I was taught this about clothing adaptations in different kinds of heat: In hot and arid/dry climates, such as deserts, you see flowy clothing that covers the body to keep the sun off. (Picture Arabic clothing styles.) However, in hot and humid climates, you don't want to cover the body in clothes and you see less clothed cultures in said climates. This experiment was conducted in a hot and dry climate. Your results track with what I was taught. Your clothing kept the sun off your skin and in the areas where you had air circulating (your skirts), it wasn't so bad. If you came to Florida in the middle of summer and tried this experiment, I don't think you would have the same results.
Yes! I would love to see this experiment, or something like it, repeated in humid conditions. As someone who has lived in Tennessee, Florida and Georgia I can say the heat + humidity feels totally different that the dry heat out west.
but! as a fellow Floridian another VERY important thing to consider is MOSQUITOS. While there are some other things one could do pre-bug spray I'd imagine having layers of fabric kept away from the body would help prevent many (though maybe not all) bug bites. And when malaria treatments aren't great every little bit helps.
@@yuuri9064 light, loose linen or bamboo stuff. Linen is great for humidity because it wicks away moisture so you don't feel as sweaty. Anything that wicks is p good. Polyester is a total no-go. Tight clothes tend to make things worse, in my experience. I live in a very humid part of South Africa, and minimal layers of thin linen or bamboo are perfect.
I am ashamed to say that once as wee college freshmen at Carter's Grove Plantation we asked a woman interpreting slavery if she was hot in that. She was very nice though and explained that she got a lot of good airflow under the skirt when she moved around. That made a lot of sense to me and always stuck with me when my legs felt super hot in jeans and other pants.
i think i keep forgetting that you cant subtract from heat by wearing clothes, if its 30 degrees outside then its 30 degrees outside and any dane would suffer, its not a question of 'does your clothes make it better' but instead its 'does your clothes make it worse' and the fact that we think of it this way just proves that we're used to the thought that clothes arent ever neutral, just bad, and if we suffer its because of clothes and so we should all be naked beneath the summer sun or something i think im just sad because i can do nothing about the heat, hot is hot and i melt
I can also assume that is you were in the 1890's. You wouldn't just roast yourselves in the sun, you would have been in the shade, or with a parasol shading your face. Or you know, yachting. There is a reason that victorian houses have huge porches.
I think I wore shorts 3 times this summer, haha. I pretty much live in skirts from spring until the end of summer - so much cooler and way more comfortable 👍
Andrea Siegel -Salhoff and why Queenslander style houses are the way they are- wooden, up on stilts, and with wraparound verandas. Full airflow and protection from the sun- the idea is that the sun should never be able to hit a wall while at full strength. It really does work to keep the house much cooler. They’re great for floods too. Not so good with the cold though. Or with wheelchairs, unfortunately. They might be all one level (the older ones anyway), but they ALL have stairs. Sigh.
Would love to see the companion to this video be "Are you cold in that?" Basically testing historical clothes against modern clothes for their ability to keep you warm. Would be really cool if you could score a walk in freezer to test inn so it would give consistant results! I know my wool Moresca cloak always feels warmer than my ski jacket, but would be cool to see the "Science!".
Yeah I have seen some videos where they're like "I'm not cold wearing skirts all winter long" and then the next thing you see is them wearing pj pants under their skirts when they're home. I love, love, love historical fashion, but I think that many a governess or lower-class mom would have appreciated the practicality of wearing pants, back in the day. It just wasn't an option, because the rules were much more strict about gendered clothing, among other factors. That is interesting that you say you prefer your cloak to a coat. I have a wool walking cape and it's so drafty! I am freezing in it if it's under 45(Fahrenheit), it's like I'm not wearing outerwear at all. I much prefer a wool dress coat.
@@lindenpeters2601 Petticoats have kept me warmer than pants ever could, and I go walking to watch the sunrise on a hill mid winter. The secret is layering; I usually go stockings, a shorter wool skirt, heavily gathered cotton petticoat, and a cotton overskirt, which does well for a southern Australian winter. I'd just assume you'd go for more wool in cooler climates. Either way a pair of leggings with pants over the top would still let the wind through, skirts are just better at insulating.
In the end, these are my main takeaways: 1) I should start wearing Victorian clothing in the Knoxville heat. 2) I want to be friends with the lot of you
Completely unsurprisingly that wool was the coolest option. Having worked in high-end retail menswear, I'm very familiar with tropical-weight wool for men's suits and trousers. This amazing fabric doesn't wrinkle like cotton or linen yet keeps the wearer cool. Both my grandmothers complained that by the late 1960s it was near impossible to find good dress-weight wool or dresses made of it. Unlike their winter dresses that were heavier fabric and lined with silk or rayon, the summer dresses or suits were unlined with Hong Kong finished seam allowances and matching dress shields for under the arm. Sadly, those clothes are long gone. Sigh.
That really solves a lifelong mystery for me, thank you - as a female with low heat tolerance, I was always completely confused re. why colleagues in male business suits weren't passing out from heatstroke!! 😋
We can always try to make them seem "normal" again. Since the pandemic had started , people have take interest in making their own clothes , so maybe we can wear that again?🙂
Here in my country its nearly impossible to find real wool, only fake wool and only heavy wool for that matter. I really wanted to make a historical dress with light wool but the only places I could find it (after days looking) are the ones that sell handmade organic fabric and there prices are through the roof and impossible to pay for the multiple meters that I would need for the entire dress.
My favorite thing about costube is the “girls at a sleepover vibe”. When you guys laugh like middle schoolers at a slumber party it fills my heart with joy
@@BlitzsieLDiscoLSnow thats a question for abby cox cause i do maaaybe remember something about toned hairpowders from an american duchess hairstyling video? but it was live with no illustrations and i know jack about the good old lard in hair days
Pink, blue, green, and purple all in pastel shades were popular from mid 17th Century. Varying shades along with hair styles and hats determines the era. Seriously love the hairstyles!
Laughed my hiney off! That’s saying something, as my hiney is not insubstantial. It amazes that people today think layers are hot. Have they not noticed that people in desert climates like the Sahara NEVER wear shorts or T-shirts? Give me layers of flowy, light colored linen ANY DAY. Love love LOVE any video with you, Abby, and Nicole. It makes my day seeing you three clown around! Much love to you three, and your fabulous camerawoman. Have a joyous week!
The material has everything to do with it! When I was wearing a long sleeve and pants uniform in South Carolina heat, I chose to buy wool socks and cotton tshirts. I then banished the issued plastic versions to the deepest depths of hell from whence they came.
I'm so glad you were specific about the underboob and inner-thigh sweat. I always assumed those things were just me and/or they were because I'm fat -- and here you are mentioning them specifically. It normalizes those things so much.
for me it was the talk of the swamp ass. I've been a little paranoid about it ever since I visited rome, sat at a cafe for a while and stood up to find a sweat patch on the butt of my dress. You don't really want obvious sweat patches anywhere but a wet patch in the butt area is just so not ideal 🤣
I remember reading a physics article about why the Saharan natives wear DARK roomy clothing rather than light coloured clothing. Dark absorbs light while light colours reflects it so you might think that light colours would be better, but no. The dark fabric will be hotter, but the area under it not, because the fabric actually absorbs the heat (which is just light human eyes do not see) coming from the body. And since the clothing is roomy, the hot fabric will not be touching the skin. Actually the article said that the roomy nature of the clothes made it easier for the air under the fabric to change. Something about creating an air current. But they ended by saying that if the clothes are tight fitted then dark clothing will be more uncomfortable and hot because there is no room for air flow. Another thing, my friends that studied architecture were always saying that the best insulator is air. They seemed to think it's funny...
I have people asking in winter how I can be warm wearing a lace wool scarf. They say look at all those holes. Often the more holes the lace has the warmer it can be as it allows for the air to cushion.
Yup! I actually might start wearing light long sleeved linen and cotton shirts because of this. Don't wanna get skin cancer, and cotton blend T-shirts are SO HOT.
@@tailbonetailbone9380 Be careful about very thin weaves in light colored shirts. You can still get sunburn through a lightweight linen or cotton fabric, if you are out in the sun long enough.
air flow is good but trapped air is an insulator which can cause you to overheat. and cotton is more breezy than polyester but also dries much more slowly, so it will stay sweaty for longer and allow for more microbial growth. I have lived in Australia all my life and am still experimenting with the best way to dress for summer!
As someone who also used to work in a living history museum, sometimes in a bustle dress, sometimes in late 1840s clothing, always in full-body cotton, this was for sure also my experience. I would get asked if I was "hot in that" about a thousand times a day, and most often the answer was honestly no because I usually worked in an air-conditioned building. But if I was working outside and it was 102 degrees heat index, obviously yes I am hot! So are you! Everyone is hot because it is hot out! I would say I was honestly more comfortable than the average museum guest, though, because I wasn't wearing polyester which DOES NOT breathe and because I carried a fan, which genuinely does help a lot.
Three women, in 19th century garb running around in their 19th century underwear in the desert - what are things I thought I’d never see but yet find delightful because it’s SCIENCE!! Also, plus 1000 points for mentioning my favorite childhood game, Oregon Trail!
You can play it online in your browser! I discovered this when I worked at the same library where I used to go as a kid to play Oregon Trail. :D classicreload.com/oregon-trail.html
I once read a comment that Farenheit is scaled around how humans would feel (from too cold to too hot), while Celsius is scaled to how water would feel (from freezing to boiling), and that helped me understand it better! It's still a weird scale, because no two people perceive temperature the same, but it helped me.
Video ideas: 1. I would like to see how they cleaned clothing back in the day. I know the linen undergear got laundered in the standard fashion (boiled, beaten, mangled and sunned to within an inch of their linen lives). But I've always been curious about the specific techniques for cleaning the woolen, silk, leather and fur/feather/other outer garments of common stains when laundering wasn't really an option, especially with all that fancy embroidering and embellishment you had to work around. Like...I know the hems of skirts frequently got manky af from dust, dirt, mud and manure in the streets, and coal smuts/smoke was an issue pretty much anywhere cooking or heating was being done (or just walking outside in heavily-populated areas like London or New York). Plus I'm sure I'm not the only one who uses their chest as an auxiliary food-catching platform when dining. And some of those wide-ass sleeves and floofy cuffs had to have gotten dragged through everything from ink to tea to soup. I'd love to see a video showing us how they dealt with those issues. 2. A video or videos on historical mending/upcycling techniques would also be amazing, too. Darning, reweaving, patching, reworking of gowns for altered fit or new styles, and other repairs the way it would have been done historically (and how tolerant they were toward visible mending/reworking vs 'leave no trace').
I have come across this a lot with thermal cameras - that camera is not showing what you think it's showing. There's a pretty common meme that goes around with dogs and shaving fur and everyone draws the wrong conclusion that the lower temp from the thermal camera means that the dog is cooler. That's actually incorrect. If you're reading a lower temp, that means less heat is transferring to the environment which means you're actually warmer! What would be much better are thermal sensors on your skin in various parts of your body actually measuring your body temp. The thermal camera is only going to show the surface temp of the clothing you point it at. That doesn't actually show the temperature that you are! Granted, because you're in an environment where the weather is pretty close to body temp, it's actually not as problematic. This is not to say that what you feel like isn't valid, because it totally is!! But the thermal camera stuff is... honestly just not very helpful and leads people to the wrong conclusions. It's actually really hard to interpret the 'right' info from a thermal camera!
I think that they used the thermal camera to show that both days the outer layers got equally hot but with the historic you don't feel it as much. But yes I also agree with your assessment, and with thoes poor pups too :)
To be fair, I think the most accurate measure would be a core body temperature which requires more "invasive" temperature sensors so it's unlikely to be done. But the outfit that raises a person's core body temp more on average is the more dangerous outfit as it will lead to dehydration and heat sickness. I think we need someone to test this so we can all dress cooler and safer!
I totally agree with your findings. I've been living in Japan for more than 14 years, and even when I wore modern clothes, I wore upwards to 2 layers in summer. Now that I wear kimono full time, I wear 2-3 layers in summer. Not only that, chemical fibers like polyester is absolute murder, and so I totally steer clear from any synthetics. I love how you did this scientifically. It looked so fun!
In the '70s, it was very "uncool" (lol) to wear shorts, except maybe in the South or LA. I suffered a lot wearing the "mandatory" long denim jeans for years. So glad other fabrics came back into wide usage for casual wear.
It wasn't until I got into historical fashion that I realized the importance of fiber content. Living in Arizona and I went from polyester to linen and light weight cotton during the summer and it has really changed my life. Also big floppy sun hats :3
i've always thought of silks as summer textiles and wools the garments you wear for winter (no matter the weight), but i think i need to think of silk as winter fabrics and lightweight wools my best friends in the summer heat.
I think it's all about how the silk is woven. I have two silk, kind of like charmeuse without the shine, dresses and live in the Mediterranean. So it's hot! Those dresses feel like I'm wearing a cloud! It feels almost like being naked. Delightful. But i think a silk taffeta like what the yellow dress was made of, would feel about like wearing Polyerster
I think it's about the way you wear the silk. Because it insulates so well it feels warm in winter and cool in summer, but it doesn't wick sweat very well so if you wear it next to your skin you'll be quick to feel hot *and* sticky.
I'd love to see this test done in the middle south in August when it's around 100 degrees with 90% humidity and zero air movement. I think that might be a deal breaker.
Absolutely. In Virginia, about as far north as you can go and still be considered "in the South", the climate is classified as sub-tropical. Makes sense: it's on roughly the same latitude as Spain, Greece, southern Italy, and other areas described in travel brochures as "sun-drenched", and there are plenty of rivers and wetlands to make sure everything stays hydrated. ...Even things you don't want moist.
In this case, with really high humidity, which is the best option? I would assume you would be dying with multiple layers, even if the bottom layers were cotton or linen to wick away the sweat. I would assume a single layer of modern clothing would be better in high humidity than multiple layers of cotton and linen, with a corset too. Can anyone share their experience. I honestly don't know which would be better when high humidity gets involved.
I love the idea of cocktail party in bathtub :D I agree that polyester sucks, it doesn't breathe, you could also wrap yourself in plastic wrap and it would have the same effect. It's absolutely the worst fabric ever invented with acrylic on second place. And they are absolutely not sustainable. Cotton, linen and viscose in the summer are the best. And with the layers, now I get why my grandma wears something over t-shirt when she goes out in the sun.
Cocktails in the bathtub with your friends is a definite 10/10 experience! Yeah, I always am covered up in the summer - long-sleeved shirts, thin sweaters, all of it. It's so much more comfortable!
Wool is better than acrylic in just about all the ways mentioned. You d have to be careful washing wool, but a gentle hand wash / roll in a towel / lay flat to dry is not hard! I would never trust to acrylic to keep me warm in -40°! [And I live in the Frozen North, where -40 happens.]
My dry heat CA/CO/AZ friends always die when they come to Ohio/PA during the summer. Can't use the swamp cooler when the air's already a swamp. (On the flip side... winter in the high desert is frickin dehydrating. My skin has a hard enough time staying moisturized when it gets cold here, visiting my brother just made it one big dried out skin flake.)
@@thevampirefrog06 for real, i would hate living in the desert for the dry skin. I like the humidity to keep my skin normal. But the hot humid south, yak. I live in indiana, where it's more moderate.
Watched this with my hubby (we both work at Fezziwig's), and we loved it. He and I were both saying that Victorian menswear might be a lot warmer because they don't have those nice billowy skirts. I would love to see a guys vs. girls version of this. Since you all seem to show that it's more about layering and the layering materials would have been similar, I wonder how much of a difference there actually would be...
Poliester is the worst, my school uniform is made out of poliester, I dont know who thought that putting sweaty hormonal teenagers in a closed room at 25°C with poliester clothes was a good idea, the smell is so nasty
This just makes me want to switch to historical dress even more... I've already gotten rid of most of my synthetic clothing, but if I can look as good as you guys did AND be feel cooler... It's a done deal
I'm probably gonna move towards more "traditional" dress as soon as this wicked plague is over. It's linen and cotton shirts for me, baby! Still gotta get my hands on some nice, non-jeans pants, though.
Oh my gosh, PLEASE do a series about the comparison of corsets to the ShapeWear that we have today. Breath tests to see lung function when in rest/activity/sitting/standing, flexibility/sitting tests, the heat gun again, the measured difference in silhouettes, and then just general comfort as well. So many people forget that shapewear is NOT comfortable. You will sweat like a sinner in church, the lycra rips at your skin, THE ROLLING (move, and the it will roll up on itself most of the time!), not to mention channeling a stuffed sausage. I'd go back to working at the Renaissance festival and wearing a corset ANY DAY compared to that.
@@AbbyCox All the wool things I've ever worn have been hot af, but in retrospect, they were probably wool/poly blends. I need to find me some of these lightweight, not-super-itchy wools I keep hearing about...
Wool is excellent at thermoregulation! Silk...isn’t. :P For sure though, you want lightweight worsted wools for summer - nothing super thick and heavy.
When you consider the sources, it does make sense. Silk is made to protect a worm, it needs to be strong and fairly impenetrable as it stays in one spot. Wool, is grown off a sheep that has cool nights and warm days. Much more breathable. I wonder how a linen wool blend compares...
Wool breaths, wool can also absorb an amazing amount of sweat, which then wicks to the surface & evaporates & cools you, but even before that it helps keep the heat out as well as in. I actually have a silk shirt that is amazingly cool, because it does the same thing, but it is how the thread is woven, it's not woven flat it's woven to be nubbly like a towel & is raw silk not silk taffeta. A lot depends not just on the fabric but how it is woven & treated as well as the source of the fibre itself.
I literally just peeled off my corset thinking 'nothing is as hot as a corset' and then not five minutes later this shows up in my feed. The fashion spirits are either trying to teach me the error of my ways or have a cruel sense of humor.
In my country the Philippines, it is both HOT AND HUMID, before, during the Spanish Occupation in the 19th century, the people of the elite would sleep during the hottest parts of the day and only be woken up during the late afternoon. Also learning how covered up doesn't necessarily mean hot, so our "national costume" the Traje de Mestiza or " Maria Clara" actually makes sense because before here it was thought that they only cover up because the Catholic Friars told them to be modest, but they used translucent fabrics and were covered because of the heat. Another thought here was that before it wasn't as HOT as it is now because actually my parents actually told me that when they were kids ( this was in the 80s), their summer temperatures are the same temperature we get during the colder months here.
As someone who used to wear a fun furr covered mascot costume in the summer sun (for my job), I learned the more exposed you are, the hotter you'll feel. We sweat like mad in those costumes and it was dangerous to stay in them too long, but it was much more uncomfortable having your face and arms directly exposed to the sun in regular jeans and t-shirt.
There's a bunch of the captions which are written by someone who doesn't know what they're saying, but does a very close guess. I've seen it on other channels too, like someone transcribing daal as doll
Not fully related to the video, but i wear a back brace for scoliosis and it's essentially a plastic corset that straightens my spin while i wear it. Its made of plastic and plastic does not breath. So when I heat up, basically I dont cool down. So that's fun
It's probably also worth considering the phenomenon of acclimatization. Your body will actually physiologically adapt to the climate you keep it in, including your clothing. This means that if you wear jeans in 90 degree heat long enough you do get used to it, and stop noticing that you are hot and you sweat less, though there is a limit to this. I noticed this myself when I used to do construction outside in New Jersey during the summer. We would wear jeans because of the danger to our skin, and after about a week or so of being miserable and hot all the time we eventually stopped noticing. Maybe people just adapted to the clothes they wore and weren't uncomfortable because they just got used to what was their normal, and we aren't used to it, so it feels uncomfortable. I am sure someone from a different time would find our clothes uncomfortable in the weather for a whole host of reasons as well.
Yeah I've got 3 chefs in the family that work in un airconditioned kitchens in the heat of the Australian summer & stop noticing it after a while when in the chaos of service. The trick is to stay hydrated.
I've noticed that too. I grew up in Arizona, Neveda, southern California, and in Mexico, off the Gulf. I now live in Utah. And I'm never as hot as the people around me complain about. It isnt wet/humid like Mexico was, and it only hit the 100s a couple times this year. 90s is fine if you stay hydrated and covered. Totally possible. I guess expectation also makes a difference. I dont mind face and armpit sweat. But back sweat is very difficult.
I've lived in England my whole life, where the whole country freaks out if it gets to 30 Celsius for a couple of days so I think you have a point. We don't know how to deal with adverse weather conditions at all here and are known for going to hotter climates and roasting ourselves on beaches at the hottest parts of the day when any sane local is inside somewhere cooler, wearing clothes that cover them up properly.
yep, this is the reverse but i moved from the south to the north of England to a noticeably colder climate and after about 3 years I found myself needing to wear fewer layers and needing my hat and gloves less often :o i just stopped feeling as cold
It would have been pretty interesting to also use a regular "do you have a fever?" mouth thermometer... or even an oven thermometer tucked into the clothing near the skin somewhere on the torso or back... to get a closer estimate of your actual internal temperatures.
AHH ABBY! I just found your channel, and I'm in love! I'm an English Master's student, and I study long eighteenth-century and nineteenth century British literature, so your videos are providing SO much awesome historical and cultural context that relate to my studies AND just the things I love in general outside of school! Will definitely be sharing with my peers and professors, and I'm looking forward to more amazing content! :)))
I wonder how this would turn out in a humid climate like the American South? The sweat factor here in Tennessee is off the charts. I wear different clothes in the summer here than I did in arid Utah, so I'm curious how it would play out with historic clothing.
I'm from South Carolina and there's a lot of historical costume/living history people here. Like other people have said linen is king, closely followed by cotton. Whites, creams, and pastel shades are preferred. I live near the mountains but it's still super humid here. I didn't have a lot of trouble when wearing a historical(ish) costume to a renaissance fair. My underdress gave me trouble bc it was a cotton poly blend and my nylon bra was also a mistake.
@@meaganwallwork5395 I will never understand why bras are made of friggin nylons and polyesters, etc.! I live in Georgia, which means at least half the year is subject to humidititties. The only good thing about having a very small bust is that I can get away with going bra-less in the summer months. I really don't know how my bustier friends have survived so long.
@@ashleejones1690 I found out that Fruit of the Loom makes cotton underwire bras this summer, and ooh they're a lifesaver! Super comfy, and not boiling hot like polyester ones. They only come in boring colors, but I'm OK with that.
I have a friend who wears long,lightweight shirts in the summer for the same reason. And I’ve switched over to lightweight maxi skirts in summer too. I’m okay in short sleeves as long as I’m wearing sunblock. I can FEEL when it’s time to reapply because I can feel myself starting to heat up again. And I have to wear sunblock in the sun or I’ll burn in 15 minutes. (Thanks Nordic & Germanic ancestors from my dad’s side!) pale, pale skin, pale eyes, blonde hair... Some linen historybounding shirts are definitely on my list to prep for next year’s summer!!
This was so much fun! I run really hot but I always feel so much cooler in my historical wardrobes than I do in my modern clothes! This just made me so happy.
FANTASTIC! "Historical Myth-busting" could be a regular series. I think you could do a dedicated video just about wool and how it was used thru the seasons. :-)
I would love to see y'all make, wear, use, some short stays or such with modern clothing and what styles work best for different people. As I read through the comments, I'm not alone. It would be very interesting if all the different U-tubers that do sew real corsetry/stays do a collab.
I used to work in western movies at Old Tucson as a period extra. They always wanted us when it was 115 degrees or -10 with high winds. I’d go home and disrobe and rinse the salt out of the corset and cotton unmentionables. Hang dry then get up and do it all over again for a month....parasols and hand fans ladies! Survival gear!
wowwww, the funniest and coolest thing just happened. i passed by this thumbnail again, and had a sudden thought of “why are these women in their underwear,” even though i didn’t think that upon first seeing the video. i guess watching more historical fashion channels and seeing y’all in your full outfits primed my mind to perceive you in underwear the same way i would a modern woman despite you being so covered lol
It's been a good one! It's this pattern: www.etsy.com/listing/229862879/the-maria-apron-pdf-sewing-pattern?ref=shop_home_feat_3&bes=1 and It's easy to do, however their seam allowances are ridiculously small on some parts, so I went and made everything an even 5/8"/15mm before sewing it!
I loved this! Natural fibers are the best! Loose layers help cool you. Silk does not work well in hot climates. I live in Arizona- silk is not a practical fiber for me. I've always wondered about the layers and wool. This really answered the question. They do say that shaving your long haired dog makes them hotter in the summer.
I played with the Appin Regiment c1745, in the late '80s up and down California. My kit was a 100% cotton under dress, corset (made with yardsticks), 100% brushed wool dress (5 yds) and 100% wool arisaide (4 yds). I was cooler than those wearing anything that was a natural fiber/plastic bag blend.
As I get more into making my own costumes, I'm also getting interested in making my own regular clothes, and phasing almost all of the synthetic fabrics out of my wardrobe.
I'm going to be trying to remember all the science this Saturday while dressed as an 1864 Southern Belle in the humid Alabama heat! I'm hoping the forecast calling for upper 70's is right. We've still been in the 90's with 80-90% humidity.
I love everything about this! The friendship goals, the breeze through the split drawers, the chemises and cocktails in the tub, just, everything about this is magical.
I wonder if because I grew up in a tropical region I’m just like people can’t ignore the trickle of sweat down their back? It’s just there all the time 🤣 Ps we were mostly linen where I come from
@@kathrynehiersche1817 I'm from Panama. You can obviously find American brands commercially available, but most people shop from local makers and they produce mostly in linen since that's whats traditionally done. Linen suits (mens and womens) are what we consider formal wear so those get worn a lot since it's still a relatively conservative society
@@djanne1510 what is it called? I want google it and see pictures :P ps: I am from Brazil, but I am a descendant of the european colonisers, I have practicallt no contact with the native traditions. I know most native brazilian tribes use almost no clothes and protect their skin from sun and mosquito exposure using natural inks like urucum. But I know nothing else :(
It makes the most sense that layered clothing will do better for high temperature environment. Just like people in middle-east that use heavy clothing to keep themselves from heat exposure. Light clothing is good when your body temperature is slightly higher than your surrounding as it allows you to dissipate your excess heat easily. On the other hand, if the ambient temperature is much higher than your body, it is better to be insulated. And no matter how thick your clothes are, you won't get any hotter than the temperature your body generates. Nobody can cook themselves by wearing heavy clothing but you'll get heat stroke by staying naked in a hot sun.
I've discovered that by wearing full-length skirts in the phoenix Summer, that its actualy WAY better than you would think. If i add a hoop skirt to the skirt, nothing touches my legs under the skirt. Which is delightfully cool. Plus, whenever i turn, a draft forms under my skirt. So all i need to do to cool off sometimes is spin in circles. Its actually really nice.
This was so incredibly entertaining but also really cool and informative. I would love to see this done with winter clothing with the whether starting to cool off here.
Very interesting, thank you! I will say I wasn't too surprised at the results after having read a lovely book by Ruth Goodman called "How to Be A Victorian" (or it might have been the other Goodman book I have, "How to Be A Tudor"). In one of them, she discusses comfort in warm weather while in period clothes and has a lot to say about the benefits of natural fabrics and proper layering for either warm or cold weather, and that period clothing, in general, is more climate-friendly than our modern textiles.
Thank you for an hilariously enjoyable science field trip. My family emigrated to Australia during the 1800s from England, Ireland, Scotland and Northern Germany. I often think about the challenges of their daily lives which were labour-intensive generally (some of them could afford domestic servants to help) all done while wearing their fashionable attire, and having to adjust to the hot Australian summers. Some of the family settled in tropical Queensland, in the north of Australia, and at Christmas time particularly I wonder how they managed to withstand the inevitable heat exhaustion from having to cook a traditional roast dinner on a stove on a sweltering day. Without air conditioning or electric fans to keep the air moving. Those who turned to farming expected and had three hot meals per day, as was the norm for people doing hard physical work all day long. I've recently enjoyed watching Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands' documentaries 'Victorian Farm' etc, as they mentioned the way the fabric of their clothing behaved in different weather, and while doing different types of work. As I get older I wonder how women managed their menopause symptoms in previous generations, especially hot flushes that make you feel like you'll faint from the intensity. Some women are intermittently drenched with sweat, night and day. This would mean a need for more clothes, and create a larger burden of laundry. Ideas for future videos: ladies' experiences during menopause wearing gorgeous vintage attire doing their daily activities.
One of the things I liked about this is seeing how modern haircuts work with historical clothing. Abby, your outfit is 👌The tub scene was so funny and wholesome.
When I clicked on this video, I wasn’t expecting to learn much, cause I’m a engineer and ... thermodynamics, people. Air is a pretty good medium for heat exchanging, hence why it is used in multiple technical processes. But the laughter ang fun just made my day! Thank you! AND THAT DUMPSTER CLIP!!! So goooood! By the way, this is why you also want to have room (air) between your layers in winter, to keep your body heat from exchanging with cool environment.
I hope you don't mind me enquiring, and please feel free to ignore an ignorant white girl. The ladies in my area tend to wear black, even in the summer (and it got to 115 degrees here). I worry more about the black than the hijab as I was always told that black absorbs heat. Is the black still cool because it is natural fibers? I don't see ladies during the summer much, but when I do, they are indoors or in an air conditioned car while someone else runs in to the shop. I don't want to be offensive so I never ask or say anything, but have wondered if the black was still okay in the summer.
@@SuperMrsMar curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. 😊 Thank you for asking respectfully! Black is popular because it's classy and easy to keep clean(er). Not to mention matches with everything. I had to work hard at stopping myself from gravitating towards black in my wardrobe but that's a personal preference. Yes black absorbs more light (and therefore heat) as it absorbs all wavelengths of of visible light and thus tends to be "hotter." If you're wearing a black polyester hijab (word for scarf in this context) it would be much hotter than a black light cotton or linen.
@@saritshull3909 but I've never been too bothered by wearing black scarves! I was also an athlete and was easier for me to wear black leggings, underarmer shirt, black cotton slip hijab under my uniform when playing soccer. I felt about as equally hot as my teammates imo!
My favorite was seeing the different layers you all wore and the style differences. I'd love to see a video comparing underwear, sleeves, waists, skirt shapes ...
This was super fascinating! It makes sense that layering keeps the heat away from the body in the summer, while keeping heat in during the winter! Maybe for more experiments, you could compare workout outfits? Like you mentioned, a riding outfit or something similar compared to modern sports clothes? It was super cool to actually see the different decades in all your clothing, and to have a flashback to sadness about Little Women Best Clothing Oscar 😢😂 Great video Abby! Super excited for next week
Chrissy’s hair transformation was amazing! I really though this must have been from before she cut her hair that short, but then you see her in the tub with her hair down and it’s back to being fantastically short pink and modern!
THIS
EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS
BUT MAINLY
THE S C I E N C E
A key part of science is whether or not the results of a study is replicable. So... Costumers, unite! Let’s gather data!
@@ellissardorian7834 Definitely would love to see this recreated in a high-humidity environment (although based on my afternoon walk in modern clothing on a sunny afternoon after rainy night, it'll probably be the same result).
@@sonipitts I second this!
Also standardizing things so you don't end up comparing apples and oranges. This video reeeeally makes me want to get out the spreadsheets!
@@sonipitts yes! Someone do this in England in the summer! It gets so muggy!
I'M YACHTING, Y'ALL
Desert Yachting will catch on I'm sure
"Are you hot in that?" Yes, I'm incredibly attractive in this outfit. I really thought you would notice.
Lol
#smokeshow
Oh my gosh! We get that question 1,000 times a day and we have never thought of that come-back! I'm going to definitely use this one!
You're right. As a man for me every woman in a corset is hot. But I think that Abby Cox didn't use the word 'hot' in this way 😊
Ok, but sitting in the tub, in your fancy victorian drawers, while sipping some drinks with the ladies, is the epitome of friendship goals!
You guys should do this again, but in the winter. Call it "Are you cold in that?" Because I have known people of similar thinking of "wearing layers in the summer is too hot" and "wearing skirts in the winter is too cold." I think it would an interesting phenomenon to see in action.
I exclusively wear skirts/dresses - I get asked that ALL THE TIME. (I live in Michigan) my general answer is "wool stockings keep me warm enough "
Oooh yes, I second this!
I do renaissance festival in November/December (in Louisiana, where we usually are in the 40's to 70's Fahrenheit) and almost never wear my cloak because all of my other layers keep me toasty..
Heather Boldrey
Same for me in Norway. If I get cold, I can always put on another skirt and a wool cardigan.
@@ragnkja Same, and I think it's more comfortable, after climbing through high mounts of snow, to not have the wet clothing stuck to my skin.
As someone who has short colorful hair, I just assumed that historical clothes just wouldn't look good on me because I could never do authentic hairstyles, but your friends have really cool hairstyles and they look great in their victorian dresses!
Sameeeeee, I'd obviously place more attention on color coordinating but it's so relieving to see someone with colorful hair look so natural in historical clothing.
Same here, and I usually wear wigs for this kind of thing. I should try it without sometime. Dude + layered mid back length + candy cane & black colored hair + historical clothes is something.
Don't forget, the early Victorian period was alive with vivid, multi-hued, deeply saturated colors. It was only AFTER Prince Albert died and Queen Victoria went into mourning, that colors became much more drab and somber. In order to be fashionable and emulate the queen, those who could afford to, followed her fashion example.
That's literally what history bounding is it's taking the parts you like of historical clothing and doing those but still being your normal modern self. It's not full on antiquarianism like rejecting technology or anything. Bernadette Banner is like one end of the spectrum. But even she doesn't take it overly seriously she still has electricity in her apartment, she still keeps her guinea pig. She still has modern cooking appliances, it's fine. She does make things that are strictly a historical reproduction in order to learn the historical methods and is creating her own collection of garments and historical reproductions as well as the stuff she will actually wear. She does basically live in her historically made garments and sumfest session things she bought more than five years ago. It's very much about sustainability for her.
Then you have the Morgan Donner method of ain't nobody got time for that and we'll use an electric sewing machine on Long seams and things that won't be seen because it's faster and I have a real life to get back to.
Then you have Nicole Rudolph who does incredible Craftsmanship in her historical clothing and historical shoes. She works at American Duchess and she's able to wrap her entire life in her love of history and it's freaking amazing but she still owns modern clothes and doesn't just wear a cosplay every single day.
Then you have the Abbey method of I love historical clothing but I'm still going to live my Modern Life.
It is an infinite spectrum of things you can choose from and do what fits your life 💛
You should watch her video on the history of dyed hair and wigs
I'm ashamed to admit that it wasn't until I started following TH-camrs such as yourself (and Bernadette Banner, et al) that I realized how truly uncomfortable fast fashion and polyester makes one feel; I just sort of accepted it. I am now doing away as much as possible with fast fashion and replacing clothes with natural fibers. Thank you and as always, thank you for the giggles. Look forward to more historical clothing myth busting.
me too! It’ll be a slow process because like you said fast fashion is so ingrained into our lives, but I haven’t bought brand new clothes since March and I don’t plan to again if I can avoid it! I wish we could all fully return to wearing 18th and 19th century fashion haha
Between historical costumers extolling the virtues of natural fabrics and people in the zero waste/low impact community pointing out the micro-plastics that find their way into the water system when you wash plastic derived synthetics I've been making the conscious choice to choose natural fibers.
It's hard falling in love with something you see second hand and then reading the label and seeing 100% polyester and having to put it back.
Here in Kentucky, I am a member of a lord of the rings fan group. We meet every 18 months, fall and spring for the weekend. I have been making hobbit inspired costumes. Since 2017 I have searched exclusively for natural fibers. I agree Polyester is just sweaty and nasty. I find my hobbit costumes much more comfortable that " modern" clothing.
same here! i found with the right coupons and sales i can get like 3 years of fabric at joanns for about 10 dollars so making your clothes can be a cheaper option once you have the proper equipment for assembly
Agreed!!!! I'm struggling to try and figure out where to even start ...
I think it's pretty common for people to think you can barely move in historical clothing. I'd love to see you test how the clothes effect flexibility, reach, agility, etc compared to modern clothes.
OMG, the giggles this video gave me were absolutely phenomenal! A+ for all the laughs!
ya wanna come over for cocktails? 😎
Tag tag tag ...please make a video like this Morgan!!! 😃
@@AbbyCox do u like wrestling
@@AbbyCox hi do you have a recipe?
This question is what muslim women wearing headscarfs always get, don't you feel hot in that. Mostly they don't.
When I was younger, I did a lot of historical reenactment of fur trade history circa 1815 and the thing I learned about functional historic clothing vs fashionable styles was that those clothes were worn because they worked. When I was told I'd be wearing woollen skirts and leggings while cooking over an open hearth, I thought it was bonkers, but once I got wearing them, I realized how practical it was. When I was standing close to the fire, my skirts and leggings insulated me from the direct heat of the fire and made it much easier to handle than when cooking on a campfire in modern clothes. And while NOTHING makes raking out a bake oven on a 35C day in July pleasant, it was far better to be wearing historic clothing than anything else we might have been wearing. Woollen clothes for open fire cooking are the best clothes.
And flame resistant! Sparks are tricksy beings ...
@@AthenaeusGreenwood Yes! Wool is actually self-extinguishing, meaning any places where sparks hit will put themselves out instead of going up in flames. Dampen your skirts and they're even less likely to catch. It takes a big fire to overcome this protection.
While wool is by far the best and the only true self-extinguisher, all natural fibers are at least slow to catch fire. Synthetics are a different story. They're disguised plastic bags, and plastic bags are made from petroleum, the same thing as gasoline. So keep your synthetics away from open flame unless you want them to instantly melt to your skin or other clothes when they quickly catch fire and start burning.
Insulation works both ways
I'm thinking: "It's over 90 degrees. It's hot no matter what you're wearing."
90 down here is if were luck
Amen!!
When I was studying anthropology, in one of my classes, I was taught this about clothing adaptations in different kinds of heat:
In hot and arid/dry climates, such as deserts, you see flowy clothing that covers the body to keep the sun off. (Picture Arabic clothing styles.) However, in hot and humid climates, you don't want to cover the body in clothes and you see less clothed cultures in said climates.
This experiment was conducted in a hot and dry climate. Your results track with what I was taught. Your clothing kept the sun off your skin and in the areas where you had air circulating (your skirts), it wasn't so bad. If you came to Florida in the middle of summer and tried this experiment, I don't think you would have the same results.
Yes! I would love to see this experiment, or something like it, repeated in humid conditions. As someone who has lived in Tennessee, Florida and Georgia I can say the heat + humidity feels totally different that the dry heat out west.
Plus! Hot humid climates tend to have more tree cover so sun exposure isn’t as big of a threat!
but! as a fellow Floridian another VERY important thing to consider is MOSQUITOS. While there are some other things one could do pre-bug spray I'd imagine having layers of fabric kept away from the body would help prevent many (though maybe not all) bug bites. And when malaria treatments aren't great every little bit helps.
I live in Japan (humid hot). Any suggestions?
@@yuuri9064 light, loose linen or bamboo stuff. Linen is great for humidity because it wicks away moisture so you don't feel as sweaty. Anything that wicks is p good. Polyester is a total no-go. Tight clothes tend to make things worse, in my experience. I live in a very humid part of South Africa, and minimal layers of thin linen or bamboo are perfect.
I am ashamed to say that once as wee college freshmen at Carter's Grove Plantation we asked a woman interpreting slavery if she was hot in that. She was very nice though and explained that she got a lot of good airflow under the skirt when she moved around. That made a lot of sense to me and always stuck with me when my legs felt super hot in jeans and other pants.
i think i keep forgetting that you cant subtract from heat by wearing clothes, if its 30 degrees outside then its 30 degrees outside and any dane would suffer, its not a question of 'does your clothes make it better' but instead its 'does your clothes make it worse' and the fact that we think of it this way just proves that we're used to the thought that clothes arent ever neutral, just bad, and if we suffer its because of clothes and so we should all be naked beneath the summer sun or something
i think im just sad because i can do nothing about the heat, hot is hot and i melt
I can also assume that is you were in the 1890's. You wouldn't just roast yourselves in the sun, you would have been in the shade, or with a parasol shading your face. Or you know, yachting. There is a reason that victorian houses have huge porches.
@@andreasiegel-salhoff4901 the sun is evil stay away from it >:(
I think I wore shorts 3 times this summer, haha. I pretty much live in skirts from spring until the end of summer - so much cooler and way more comfortable 👍
Andrea Siegel -Salhoff and why Queenslander style houses are the way they are- wooden, up on stilts, and with wraparound verandas. Full airflow and protection from the sun- the idea is that the sun should never be able to hit a wall while at full strength. It really does work to keep the house much cooler.
They’re great for floods too. Not so good with the cold though. Or with wheelchairs, unfortunately. They might be all one level (the older ones anyway), but they ALL have stairs. Sigh.
Would love to see the companion to this video be "Are you cold in that?" Basically testing historical clothes against modern clothes for their ability to keep you warm. Would be really cool if you could score a walk in freezer to test inn so it would give consistant results! I know my wool Moresca cloak always feels warmer than my ski jacket, but would be cool to see the "Science!".
Yeah I have seen some videos where they're like "I'm not cold wearing skirts all winter long" and then the next thing you see is them wearing pj pants under their skirts when they're home. I love, love, love historical fashion, but I think that many a governess or lower-class mom would have appreciated the practicality of wearing pants, back in the day. It just wasn't an option, because the rules were much more strict about gendered clothing, among other factors.
That is interesting that you say you prefer your cloak to a coat. I have a wool walking cape and it's so drafty! I am freezing in it if it's under 45(Fahrenheit), it's like I'm not wearing outerwear at all. I much prefer a wool dress coat.
Karolina zebrowska did one XD Here is the link if you are interested. th-cam.com/video/Dzzh4pQt_2M/w-d-xo.html
@@lindenpeters2601 Petticoats have kept me warmer than pants ever could, and I go walking to watch the sunrise on a hill mid winter. The secret is layering; I usually go stockings, a shorter wool skirt, heavily gathered cotton petticoat, and a cotton overskirt, which does well for a southern Australian winter. I'd just assume you'd go for more wool in cooler climates. Either way a pair of leggings with pants over the top would still let the wind through, skirts are just better at insulating.
In the end, these are my main takeaways:
1) I should start wearing Victorian clothing in the Knoxville heat.
2) I want to be friends with the lot of you
Agreed
I want to be friends with y'all, too! You remind me of my middle daughter!
Same here. You always seem to be having a blast.
Knoxville does get pretty bad in the summer. Haven't loved the past few months temps.
Y’all slowly spinning and Nicole quietly saying, “Rotisserie” had me absolutely *rolling*
Bless you all for doing this ❤️
Completely unsurprisingly that wool was the coolest option. Having worked in high-end retail menswear, I'm very familiar with tropical-weight wool for men's suits and trousers. This amazing fabric doesn't wrinkle like cotton or linen yet keeps the wearer cool. Both my grandmothers complained that by the late 1960s it was near impossible to find good dress-weight wool or dresses made of it. Unlike their winter dresses that were heavier fabric and lined with silk or rayon, the summer dresses or suits were unlined with Hong Kong finished seam allowances and matching dress shields for under the arm. Sadly, those clothes are long gone. Sigh.
You can take the person out of high-end retail menswear sales, but you can't take the high-end retail menswear sales out of the person.
That really solves a lifelong mystery for me, thank you - as a female with low heat tolerance, I was always completely confused re. why colleagues in male business suits weren't passing out from heatstroke!! 😋
We can always try to make them seem "normal" again. Since the pandemic had started , people have take interest in making their own clothes , so maybe we can wear that again?🙂
Here in my country its nearly impossible to find real wool, only fake wool and only heavy wool for that matter. I really wanted to make a historical dress with light wool but the only places I could find it (after days looking) are the ones that sell handmade organic fabric and there prices are through the roof and impossible to pay for the multiple meters that I would need for the entire dress.
I’ve been making my own clothing for several years now, and my me-made stuff is so much more comfortable. Natural fibers + good fit = the best.
My favorite thing about costube is the “girls at a sleepover vibe”. When you guys laugh like middle schoolers at a slumber party it fills my heart with joy
i think the 1830s is the only historical decade in which pink hair looks totally tame
Yeah, didn't they also have pomade and powder in all kinds of weird colours? Or was that more 18th century?
@@BlitzsieLDiscoLSnow thats a question for abby cox cause i do maaaybe remember something about toned hairpowders from an american duchess hairstyling video? but it was live with no illustrations and i know jack about the good old lard in hair days
@@BlitzsieLDiscoLSnow I've definitely seen like 1770s-1780s portraits of people with slightly pink powdered hair but that could be photoshopped
Lucas McInnis
Pink hair powder was definitely a thing in the 18th century. As was blue hair powder and grey hair powder.
Pink, blue, green, and purple all in pastel shades were popular from mid 17th Century. Varying shades along with hair styles and hats determines the era.
Seriously love the hairstyles!
Years of cosplay have taught me that doing historical clothing in cheap polyester fabrics is actual torture
Laughed my hiney off! That’s saying something, as my hiney is not insubstantial. It amazes that people today think layers are hot. Have they not noticed that people in desert climates like the Sahara NEVER wear shorts or T-shirts? Give me layers of flowy, light colored linen ANY DAY.
Love love LOVE any video with you, Abby, and Nicole. It makes my day seeing you three clown around! Much love to you three, and your fabulous camerawoman. Have a joyous week!
🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Yeah like the Middle East. The Arabs wear robes. Protection from the sun and its natural fibers.
Learning the difference between tight layers and loose layers is an eye-opener.
@@spacequeen8329 not to mention the difference in fabrics we use in modern day (and in our culture nowadays)
The material has everything to do with it! When I was wearing a long sleeve and pants uniform in South Carolina heat, I chose to buy wool socks and cotton tshirts. I then banished the issued plastic versions to the deepest depths of hell from whence they came.
I'm so glad you were specific about the underboob and inner-thigh sweat. I always assumed those things were just me and/or they were because I'm fat -- and here you are mentioning them specifically. It normalizes those things so much.
for me it was the talk of the swamp ass. I've been a little paranoid about it ever since I visited rome, sat at a cafe for a while and stood up to find a sweat patch on the butt of my dress. You don't really want obvious sweat patches anywhere but a wet patch in the butt area is just so not ideal 🤣
Yeah I get underboob sweat too and I'm only a size 30A 😭
I remember reading a physics article about why the Saharan natives wear DARK roomy clothing rather than light coloured clothing.
Dark absorbs light while light colours reflects it so you might think that light colours would be better, but no.
The dark fabric will be hotter, but the area under it not, because the fabric actually absorbs the heat (which is just light human eyes do not see) coming from the body. And since the clothing is roomy, the hot fabric will not be touching the skin.
Actually the article said that the roomy nature of the clothes made it easier for the air under the fabric to change. Something about creating an air current.
But they ended by saying that if the clothes are tight fitted then dark clothing will be more uncomfortable and hot because there is no room for air flow.
Another thing, my friends that studied architecture were always saying that the best insulator is air. They seemed to think it's funny...
I have people asking in winter how I can be warm wearing a lace wool scarf. They say look at all those holes. Often the more holes the lace has the warmer it can be as it allows for the air to cushion.
@@naughtscrossstitches Yup that is why down jackets are so warm- it's not the feathers, it's all the air pockets between the feathers.
Yup! I actually might start wearing light long sleeved linen and cotton shirts because of this. Don't wanna get skin cancer, and cotton blend T-shirts are SO HOT.
@@tailbonetailbone9380 Be careful about very thin weaves in light colored shirts. You can still get sunburn through a lightweight linen or cotton fabric, if you are out in the sun long enough.
air flow is good but trapped air is an insulator which can cause you to overheat. and cotton is more breezy than polyester but also dries much more slowly, so it will stay sweaty for longer and allow for more microbial growth. I have lived in Australia all my life and am still experimenting with the best way to dress for summer!
As someone who also used to work in a living history museum, sometimes in a bustle dress, sometimes in late 1840s clothing, always in full-body cotton, this was for sure also my experience. I would get asked if I was "hot in that" about a thousand times a day, and most often the answer was honestly no because I usually worked in an air-conditioned building. But if I was working outside and it was 102 degrees heat index, obviously yes I am hot! So are you! Everyone is hot because it is hot out! I would say I was honestly more comfortable than the average museum guest, though, because I wasn't wearing polyester which DOES NOT breathe and because I carried a fan, which genuinely does help a lot.
Three women, in 19th century garb running around in their 19th century underwear in the desert - what are things I thought I’d never see but yet find delightful because it’s SCIENCE!! Also, plus 1000 points for mentioning my favorite childhood game, Oregon Trail!
Oh my god. It was my favourite game as well.
I played the hell out of Oregon trail in 6th grade. My close second.... Carmen San Diego
Flora Belle, Carmen San Diego was the bomb. To have a CSD 19th Century gown would be the bomb.
You can play it online in your browser! I discovered this when I worked at the same library where I used to go as a kid to play Oregon Trail. :D
classicreload.com/oregon-trail.html
I love Abby for including Celsius temperatures. My European ass can’t deal with that Fahrenheit nonsense xD
I once read a comment that Farenheit is scaled around how humans would feel (from too cold to too hot), while Celsius is scaled to how water would feel (from freezing to boiling), and that helped me understand it better! It's still a weird scale, because no two people perceive temperature the same, but it helped me.
@@biblicallyaccuratecockroach ohh that helps me, thanks for that!
@@biblicallyaccuratecockroach Thanks, that makes sense ( ◜ᴗ◝)
but of course in Europe, an ass is a donkey - what we have is an arse! ;)
Me too. 🙋♀️Hi from 🇨🇦
It seems this also substantiates why populations in the Middle East have worn long head coverings and long robes for millennia.
Protection from wind is also a factor when outdoors.
“I have regerts”
“My legs feel like sausage casings that are being slowly roasted over an open fire”
HAHAHAHHAHAH
Video ideas:
1. I would like to see how they cleaned clothing back in the day. I know the linen undergear got laundered in the standard fashion (boiled, beaten, mangled and sunned to within an inch of their linen lives). But I've always been curious about the specific techniques for cleaning the woolen, silk, leather and fur/feather/other outer garments of common stains when laundering wasn't really an option, especially with all that fancy embroidering and embellishment you had to work around. Like...I know the hems of skirts frequently got manky af from dust, dirt, mud and manure in the streets, and coal smuts/smoke was an issue pretty much anywhere cooking or heating was being done (or just walking outside in heavily-populated areas like London or New York). Plus I'm sure I'm not the only one who uses their chest as an auxiliary food-catching platform when dining. And some of those wide-ass sleeves and floofy cuffs had to have gotten dragged through everything from ink to tea to soup. I'd love to see a video showing us how they dealt with those issues.
2. A video or videos on historical mending/upcycling techniques would also be amazing, too. Darning, reweaving, patching, reworking of gowns for altered fit or new styles, and other repairs the way it would have been done historically (and how tolerant they were toward visible mending/reworking vs 'leave no trace').
I second both video ideas!
Definitely agree!
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These are all great ideas! Hopefully they get made into a video(s) at some point!
This is a fabulous idea. Knowing the everyday practicalities would be supremely beneficial and interesting.
As a professional mermaid I feel this on a spiritual level. I'm generally in full silicone- if I'm not in the water I'm still swimming under the tail.
"As a professional mermaid" is such a magical way to start a sentence.
Weird but can someone who can’t swim learn recently to become a mermaid?
Please make a video about being a mermaid
Ahhhhh when i grow up i want to buy a silicone one-using le fabric tail +monofin for now though!
I have come across this a lot with thermal cameras - that camera is not showing what you think it's showing. There's a pretty common meme that goes around with dogs and shaving fur and everyone draws the wrong conclusion that the lower temp from the thermal camera means that the dog is cooler. That's actually incorrect. If you're reading a lower temp, that means less heat is transferring to the environment which means you're actually warmer!
What would be much better are thermal sensors on your skin in various parts of your body actually measuring your body temp. The thermal camera is only going to show the surface temp of the clothing you point it at. That doesn't actually show the temperature that you are! Granted, because you're in an environment where the weather is pretty close to body temp, it's actually not as problematic.
This is not to say that what you feel like isn't valid, because it totally is!! But the thermal camera stuff is... honestly just not very helpful and leads people to the wrong conclusions. It's actually really hard to interpret the 'right' info from a thermal camera!
Yeah this is what I came hear to say. Love the video but people just saying how they feel is way more valid than the thermal imaging.
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I think that they used the thermal camera to show that both days the outer layers got equally hot but with the historic you don't feel it as much. But yes I also agree with your assessment, and with thoes poor pups too :)
To be fair, I think the most accurate measure would be a core body temperature which requires more "invasive" temperature sensors so it's unlikely to be done.
But the outfit that raises a person's core body temp more on average is the more dangerous outfit as it will lead to dehydration and heat sickness. I think we need someone to test this so we can all dress cooler and safer!
I totally agree with your findings. I've been living in Japan for more than 14 years, and even when I wore modern clothes, I wore upwards to 2 layers in summer. Now that I wear kimono full time, I wear 2-3 layers in summer. Not only that, chemical fibers like polyester is absolute murder, and so I totally steer clear from any synthetics. I love how you did this scientifically. It looked so fun!
Skinny jeans are the worst. They're so uncomfortable (especially when sweaty), I don't understand how anyone wears them voluntarily lol
Especially the ones with a high spandex percentage. Soooo sweaty.
Madita
They’re terrible in cold rain too.
In the '70s, it was very "uncool" (lol) to wear shorts, except maybe in the South or LA. I suffered a lot wearing the "mandatory" long denim jeans for years. So glad other fabrics came back into wide usage for casual wear.
I sleep in skinny jeans when I’m tired so they’re really comfy for me. I think it’s just a matter of what you can tolerate.
I wear them 10 months out of the year...just not the hot summer months. My only complaint is that they can be too tight to fit long johns underneath 😂
It wasn't until I got into historical fashion that I realized the importance of fiber content. Living in Arizona and I went from polyester to linen and light weight cotton during the summer and it has really changed my life. Also big floppy sun hats :3
i've always thought of silks as summer textiles and wools the garments you wear for winter (no matter the weight), but i think i need to think of silk as winter fabrics and lightweight wools my best friends in the summer heat.
I think it's all about how the silk is woven. I have two silk, kind of like charmeuse without the shine, dresses and live in the Mediterranean. So it's hot! Those dresses feel like I'm wearing a cloud! It feels almost like being naked. Delightful. But i think a silk taffeta like what the yellow dress was made of, would feel about like wearing Polyerster
I think it's about the way you wear the silk. Because it insulates so well it feels warm in winter and cool in summer, but it doesn't wick sweat very well so if you wear it next to your skin you'll be quick to feel hot *and* sticky.
That was what surprised me too
I had a pair of thin silken gloves, and it was surprisingly warm.
Silk being cool is a bit of a myth. It's very insulating. And wool is better at regulating in heat AND cold. It wicks water/sweat away.
I'd love to see this test done in the middle south in August when it's around 100 degrees with 90% humidity and zero air movement. I think that might be a deal breaker.
Absolutely. In Virginia, about as far north as you can go and still be considered "in the South", the climate is classified as sub-tropical. Makes sense: it's on roughly the same latitude as Spain, Greece, southern Italy, and other areas described in travel brochures as "sun-drenched", and there are plenty of rivers and wetlands to make sure everything stays hydrated.
...Even things you don't want moist.
In this case, with really high humidity, which is the best option? I would assume you would be dying with multiple layers, even if the bottom layers were cotton or linen to wick away the sweat. I would assume a single layer of modern clothing would be better in high humidity than multiple layers of cotton and linen, with a corset too. Can anyone share their experience.
I honestly don't know which would be better when high humidity gets involved.
@@ez4799 I think one thing we can be sure of is that anything polyester is still going to be terrible 😂
I love the idea of cocktail party in bathtub :D
I agree that polyester sucks, it doesn't breathe, you could also wrap yourself in plastic wrap and it would have the same effect. It's absolutely the worst fabric ever invented with acrylic on second place. And they are absolutely not sustainable. Cotton, linen and viscose in the summer are the best. And with the layers, now I get why my grandma wears something over t-shirt when she goes out in the sun.
Cocktails in the bathtub with your friends is a definite 10/10 experience! Yeah, I always am covered up in the summer - long-sleeved shirts, thin sweaters, all of it. It's so much more comfortable!
Polyester has some good points. But basic cheap polyester, yes. I actually have a video on that.
Acrylic is good for yarn. Winter stuff.
@@aleksandramakari Good for knitting hats you can throw in the washer and dryer, when winters get to -40°C with the wind chill!
Wool is better than acrylic in just about all the ways mentioned. You d have to be careful washing wool, but a gentle hand wash / roll in a towel / lay flat to dry is not hard!
I would never trust to acrylic to keep me warm in -40°! [And I live in the Frozen North, where -40 happens.]
I wear a corset literally every day-I find this fascinating! (I'm also gawking at all the beautiful historical underwear)
A) I need friends like these.
B) You've done the dry heat, now come to GA and we can do the humid heat, where sweating gives no relief
My dry heat CA/CO/AZ friends always die when they come to Ohio/PA during the summer. Can't use the swamp cooler when the air's already a swamp.
(On the flip side... winter in the high desert is frickin dehydrating. My skin has a hard enough time staying moisturized when it gets cold here, visiting my brother just made it one big dried out skin flake.)
@@thevampirefrog06 for real, i would hate living in the desert for the dry skin. I like the humidity to keep my skin normal. But the hot humid south, yak. I live in indiana, where it's more moderate.
True test would actually be in Houston, TX its like 20% more humdity than middle GA arm pit. (I lived in both :( )
The hoop skirts were actually the solution to the humidity issue. I commented above with my story.
@@Justnotherday I lived in Houston and New Orleans. The whole of NOLA is a swamp.
Watched this with my hubby (we both work at Fezziwig's), and we loved it. He and I were both saying that Victorian menswear might be a lot warmer because they don't have those nice billowy skirts. I would love to see a guys vs. girls version of this. Since you all seem to show that it's more about layering and the layering materials would have been similar, I wonder how much of a difference there actually would be...
Poliester is the worst, my school uniform is made out of poliester, I dont know who thought that putting sweaty hormonal teenagers in a closed room at 25°C with poliester clothes was a good idea, the smell is so nasty
facts. a cotton or partially linen uniform would work better i think
XD You all just stripped all those historical garments in the middle of the desert.
Imagine the scandal!
the "I'm washing me and my clothes" vine vibe of the ladies chilling in the tub
Honestly that yellow striped outfit with that rose hair is just the most perfect outfit to me
This just makes me want to switch to historical dress even more... I've already gotten rid of most of my synthetic clothing, but if I can look as good as you guys did AND be feel cooler... It's a done deal
i know, right?? didn't they all three look just stunning!???!???!????
I'm probably gonna move towards more "traditional" dress as soon as this wicked plague is over. It's linen and cotton shirts for me, baby!
Still gotta get my hands on some nice, non-jeans pants, though.
@@tailbonetailbone9380 Linen pants are my go-to because they can look Semi-Professional but feel like you're wearing the best lounge or pajama pants
I'm in a medieval recreation group, and we wear mostly linen and wool. So much nicer!!
It would have been interesting to see what temperature difference there would have been by using the parasol. Love the bathtub shenanigans!
Never underestimate the power of a good parasol!
Portable shade. Love it. I own at least 3 and was never without one in the summer when I lived in Japan and had to walk or cycle every where.
Definitely! also the difference between modern and period hats.
Oh my gosh, PLEASE do a series about the comparison of corsets to the ShapeWear that we have today. Breath tests to see lung function when in rest/activity/sitting/standing, flexibility/sitting tests, the heat gun again, the measured difference in silhouettes, and then just general comfort as well.
So many people forget that shapewear is NOT comfortable. You will sweat like a sinner in church, the lycra rips at your skin, THE ROLLING (move, and the it will roll up on itself most of the time!), not to mention channeling a stuffed sausage. I'd go back to working at the Renaissance festival and wearing a corset ANY DAY compared to that.
I am *mystified* that wool is cooler than silk. I do not understand this dark sorcery.
Silk is *sooooo* hot - it makes a great insulating layer but it is *terrible* for keeping you cool.
@@AbbyCox All the wool things I've ever worn have been hot af, but in retrospect, they were probably wool/poly blends. I need to find me some of these lightweight, not-super-itchy wools I keep hearing about...
Wool is excellent at thermoregulation! Silk...isn’t. :P For sure though, you want lightweight worsted wools for summer - nothing super thick and heavy.
When you consider the sources, it does make sense. Silk is made to protect a worm, it needs to be strong and fairly impenetrable as it stays in one spot. Wool, is grown off a sheep that has cool nights and warm days. Much more breathable. I wonder how a linen wool blend compares...
Wool breaths, wool can also absorb an amazing amount of sweat, which then wicks to the surface & evaporates & cools you, but even before that it helps keep the heat out as well as in. I actually have a silk shirt that is amazingly cool, because it does the same thing, but it is how the thread is woven, it's not woven flat it's woven to be nubbly like a towel & is raw silk not silk taffeta. A lot depends not just on the fabric but how it is woven & treated as well as the source of the fibre itself.
I literally just peeled off my corset thinking 'nothing is as hot as a corset' and then not five minutes later this shows up in my feed. The fashion spirits are either trying to teach me the error of my ways or have a cruel sense of humor.
In my country the Philippines, it is both HOT AND HUMID, before, during the Spanish Occupation in the 19th century, the people of the elite would sleep during the hottest parts of the day and only be woken up during the late afternoon.
Also learning how covered up doesn't necessarily mean hot, so our "national costume" the Traje de Mestiza or " Maria Clara" actually makes sense because before here it was thought that they only cover up because the Catholic Friars told them to be modest, but they used translucent fabrics and were covered because of the heat.
Another thought here was that before it wasn't as HOT as it is now because actually my parents actually told me that when they were kids ( this was in the 80s), their summer temperatures are the same temperature we get during the colder months here.
As someone who used to wear a fun furr covered mascot costume in the summer sun (for my job), I learned the more exposed you are, the hotter you'll feel. We sweat like mad in those costumes and it was dangerous to stay in them too long, but it was much more uncomfortable having your face and arms directly exposed to the sun in regular jeans and t-shirt.
Dark Academia Style Crone = life goals. Your mom is awesome.
You’ve got to recreate this experiment in a humid environment!
As someone who is planning an Early Edwardian larp character, this is extremely useful. Thank you!
I just picture a couple of dandys in the background going " Oh yes! Do. do take it off. You simply must!" 🤣
"I'm yachting...ya'll!"
Edit: I do think that the parasol should have been allowed, as it was part of the outfit and would have been worn.
But there would have been no contest with parasols.
Agreed, I don't think any Victorian lady would be out in the sun without their parasol...
Absolutely, I, was actually more against the two ladies who weren't using parasols, and also none of them used hand fans?
I'd love an art print of the sassy pose and, "I'm YACHTING, y'all!"
laughing so hard at the closed captions that are interpreting "chemise" as "shimmies"
Emma M I am now disappointed I’m the lack of actual shimmies
In the immortal words of Scarlett O’Hara, “He looks like he knows what I look like in my shimmy.”
@@rhondacrosswhite8048 so good
There's a bunch of the captions which are written by someone who doesn't know what they're saying, but does a very close guess. I've seen it on other channels too, like someone transcribing daal as doll
They totally call it "shimmy" in Gone with the Wind!
Not fully related to the video, but i wear a back brace for scoliosis and it's essentially a plastic corset that straightens my spin while i wear it. Its made of plastic and plastic does not breath. So when I heat up, basically I dont cool down.
So that's fun
It's probably also worth considering the phenomenon of acclimatization. Your body will actually physiologically adapt to the climate you keep it in, including your clothing. This means that if you wear jeans in 90 degree heat long enough you do get used to it, and stop noticing that you are hot and you sweat less, though there is a limit to this. I noticed this myself when I used to do construction outside in New Jersey during the summer. We would wear jeans because of the danger to our skin, and after about a week or so of being miserable and hot all the time we eventually stopped noticing. Maybe people just adapted to the clothes they wore and weren't uncomfortable because they just got used to what was their normal, and we aren't used to it, so it feels uncomfortable. I am sure someone from a different time would find our clothes uncomfortable in the weather for a whole host of reasons as well.
Yeah I've got 3 chefs in the family that work in un airconditioned kitchens in the heat of the Australian summer & stop noticing it after a while when in the chaos of service. The trick is to stay hydrated.
I've noticed that too. I grew up in Arizona, Neveda, southern California, and in Mexico, off the Gulf. I now live in Utah. And I'm never as hot as the people around me complain about. It isnt wet/humid like Mexico was, and it only hit the 100s a couple times this year. 90s is fine if you stay hydrated and covered. Totally possible. I guess expectation also makes a difference. I dont mind face and armpit sweat. But back sweat is very difficult.
I've lived in England my whole life, where the whole country freaks out if it gets to 30 Celsius for a couple of days so I think you have a point. We don't know how to deal with adverse weather conditions at all here and are known for going to hotter climates and roasting ourselves on beaches at the hottest parts of the day when any sane local is inside somewhere cooler, wearing clothes that cover them up properly.
In NJ it is quite literally not just the heat, it's the ***** humidity!
yep, this is the reverse but i moved from the south to the north of England to a noticeably colder climate and after about 3 years I found myself needing to wear fewer layers and needing my hat and gloves less often :o i just stopped feeling as cold
This was hilarious and informative, I was surprised by the lightweight wool doing the best. Thank you all for taking on this experiment.
It would have been pretty interesting to also use a regular "do you have a fever?" mouth thermometer... or even an oven thermometer tucked into the clothing near the skin somewhere on the torso or back... to get a closer estimate of your actual internal temperatures.
AHH ABBY! I just found your channel, and I'm in love! I'm an English Master's student, and I study long eighteenth-century and nineteenth century British literature, so your videos are providing SO much awesome historical and cultural context that relate to my studies AND just the things I love in general outside of school! Will definitely be sharing with my peers and professors, and I'm looking forward to more amazing content! :)))
I wonder how this would turn out in a humid climate like the American South? The sweat factor here in Tennessee is off the charts. I wear different clothes in the summer here than I did in arid Utah, so I'm curious how it would play out with historic clothing.
I imagine natural fibre (preferably not silk) is even more important for you now than it used to be.
I'm from South Carolina and there's a lot of historical costume/living history people here. Like other people have said linen is king, closely followed by cotton. Whites, creams, and pastel shades are preferred. I live near the mountains but it's still super humid here. I didn't have a lot of trouble when wearing a historical(ish) costume to a renaissance fair. My underdress gave me trouble bc it was a cotton poly blend and my nylon bra was also a mistake.
@@meaganwallwork5395 I will never understand why bras are made of friggin nylons and polyesters, etc.! I live in Georgia, which means at least half the year is subject to humidititties. The only good thing about having a very small bust is that I can get away with going bra-less in the summer months. I really don't know how my bustier friends have survived so long.
@@ashleejones1690 Coastal SC here. Only good thing to come out of 2020 is that I get to work from home in my cotton non-underwire bra!
@@ashleejones1690 I found out that Fruit of the Loom makes cotton underwire bras this summer, and ooh they're a lifesaver! Super comfy, and not boiling hot like polyester ones. They only come in boring colors, but I'm OK with that.
I have to say I do appreciate the Oregon Trail reference! Everything else was quite golden as well!
I have a friend who wears long,lightweight shirts in the summer for the same reason. And I’ve switched over to lightweight maxi skirts in summer too. I’m okay in short sleeves as long as I’m wearing sunblock. I can FEEL when it’s time to reapply because I can feel myself starting to heat up again. And I have to wear sunblock in the sun or I’ll burn in 15 minutes. (Thanks Nordic & Germanic ancestors from my dad’s side!) pale, pale skin, pale eyes, blonde hair... Some linen historybounding shirts are definitely on my list to prep for next year’s summer!!
This was so much fun! I run really hot but I always feel so much cooler in my historical wardrobes than I do in my modern clothes! This just made me so happy.
FANTASTIC! "Historical Myth-busting" could be a regular series. I think you could do a dedicated video just about wool and how it was used thru the seasons. :-)
I would love to see y'all make, wear, use, some short stays or such with modern clothing and what styles work best for different people. As I read through the comments, I'm not alone. It would be very interesting if all the different U-tubers that do sew real corsetry/stays do a collab.
I used to work in western movies at Old Tucson as a period extra. They always wanted us when it was 115 degrees or -10 with high winds. I’d go home and disrobe and rinse the salt out of the corset and cotton unmentionables. Hang dry then get up and do it all over again for a month....parasols and hand fans ladies! Survival gear!
wowwww, the funniest and coolest thing just happened. i passed by this thumbnail again, and had a sudden thought of “why are these women in their underwear,” even though i didn’t think that upon first seeing the video. i guess watching more historical fashion channels and seeing y’all in your full outfits primed my mind to perceive you in underwear the same way i would a modern woman despite you being so covered lol
I need to know more about The Best Mom's apron... That seems like like a quality quarantine possession!
It's been a good one! It's this pattern: www.etsy.com/listing/229862879/the-maria-apron-pdf-sewing-pattern?ref=shop_home_feat_3&bes=1 and It's easy to do, however their seam allowances are ridiculously small on some parts, so I went and made everything an even 5/8"/15mm before sewing it!
@@AbbyCox thank you!
I loved this! Natural fibers are the best! Loose layers help cool you. Silk does not work well in hot climates. I live in Arizona- silk is not a practical fiber for me. I've always wondered about the layers and wool. This really answered the question. They do say that shaving your long haired dog makes them hotter in the summer.
I played with the Appin Regiment c1745, in the late '80s up and down California. My kit was a 100% cotton under dress, corset (made with yardsticks), 100% brushed wool dress (5 yds) and 100% wool arisaide (4 yds). I was cooler than those wearing anything that was a natural fiber/plastic bag blend.
And that’s why linen and airflow are king in summer heat!
I loved this!!!
Next time for science I’d like to see it in 90% humidity.
As I get more into making my own costumes, I'm also getting interested in making my own regular clothes, and phasing almost all of the synthetic fabrics out of my wardrobe.
I wear a cape during my times at renfairs, and that honestly helps me stay cooler!
I'm going to be trying to remember all the science this Saturday while dressed as an 1864 Southern Belle in the humid Alabama heat! I'm hoping the forecast calling for upper 70's is right. We've still been in the 90's with 80-90% humidity.
Okay, I need my girlfriends to be down with drinking in a bathtub on a Saturday afternoon.
This is now a life goal.
I love everything about this! The friendship goals, the breeze through the split drawers, the chemises and cocktails in the tub, just, everything about this is magical.
so funny! it’s interesting that i actually felt momentarily scandalized when you stripped down to your undies. it’s all context i guess.
Same here, Helena! :)
Me too, and then had to laugh at myself.
Same !! It feels indecent to look at
As regards animal fur, thicker fur, in some instances, can protect from the sun's heat. It's called the boundary layer.
I wonder if because I grew up in a tropical region I’m just like people can’t ignore the trickle of sweat down their back? It’s just there all the time 🤣
Ps we were mostly linen where I come from
Where are you from? Is most of the linin comercialy produced or do y'all help make it?
@@kathrynehiersche1817 I'm from Panama. You can obviously find American brands commercially available, but most people shop from local makers and they produce mostly in linen since that's whats traditionally done. Linen suits (mens and womens) are what we consider formal wear so those get worn a lot since it's still a relatively conservative society
@@djanne1510 that's really cool! Thanks for telling me!
@@djanne1510 what is it called? I want google it and see pictures :P
ps: I am from Brazil, but I am a descendant of the european colonisers, I have practicallt no contact with the native traditions. I know most native brazilian tribes use almost no clothes and protect their skin from sun and mosquito exposure using natural inks like urucum. But I know nothing else :(
Portuguese, here. 37-42°C is our normal in summer. I confirm the omnipresence of the trickle of sweat down the back 😂
It makes the most sense that layered clothing will do better for high temperature environment. Just like people in middle-east that use heavy clothing to keep themselves from heat exposure. Light clothing is good when your body temperature is slightly higher than your surrounding as it allows you to dissipate your excess heat easily. On the other hand, if the ambient temperature is much higher than your body, it is better to be insulated. And no matter how thick your clothes are, you won't get any hotter than the temperature your body generates.
Nobody can cook themselves by wearing heavy clothing but you'll get heat stroke by staying naked in a hot sun.
I love your linen shirts ... any chance there is a pattern for them somewhere? ... oh and the video was just amazing! I adore your mum's style!
I've discovered that by wearing full-length skirts in the phoenix Summer, that its actualy WAY better than you would think. If i add a hoop skirt to the skirt, nothing touches my legs under the skirt. Which is delightfully cool. Plus, whenever i turn, a draft forms under my skirt. So all i need to do to cool off sometimes is spin in circles. Its actually really nice.
I was fine until you wore stockings in the tub. Wet stockings sounds like the worst thing about all that.
Did you see the outtakes 😂 def miserable 😂
One of my best friends likes to wear socks in water-- she says it feels good. Makes me cringe every time she does it.
You're not into kinky stockings, are you?
Unpopular opinion but i LOVE the feeling of wet shoes and socks (together, never apart)
This was so incredibly entertaining but also really cool and informative. I would love to see this done with winter clothing with the whether starting to cool off here.
Very interesting, thank you! I will say I wasn't too surprised at the results after having read a lovely book by Ruth Goodman called "How to Be A Victorian" (or it might have been the other Goodman book I have, "How to Be A Tudor"). In one of them, she discusses comfort in warm weather while in period clothes and has a lot to say about the benefits of natural fabrics and proper layering for either warm or cold weather, and that period clothing, in general, is more climate-friendly than our modern textiles.
I want that book now!
@@CommonCommenter you really should own it, it is fantastic!
@@CommonCommenter You can get both of them on Kindle! I keep a hard copy and a Kindle copy so I can "pull it out" at a moment's notice.
I love anything by Ruth Goodman.
Thank you for an hilariously enjoyable science field trip.
My family emigrated to Australia during the 1800s from England, Ireland, Scotland and Northern Germany. I often think about the challenges of their daily lives which were labour-intensive generally (some of them could afford domestic servants to help) all done while wearing their fashionable attire, and having to adjust to the hot Australian summers.
Some of the family settled in tropical Queensland, in the north of Australia, and at Christmas time particularly I wonder how they managed to withstand the inevitable heat exhaustion from having to cook a traditional roast dinner on a stove on a sweltering day. Without air conditioning or electric fans to keep the air moving.
Those who turned to farming expected and had three hot meals per day, as was the norm for people doing hard physical work all day long.
I've recently enjoyed watching Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Alex Langlands' documentaries 'Victorian Farm' etc, as they mentioned the way the fabric of their clothing behaved in different weather, and while doing different types of work.
As I get older I wonder how women managed their menopause symptoms in previous generations, especially hot flushes that make you feel like you'll faint from the intensity. Some women are intermittently drenched with sweat, night and day. This would mean a need for more clothes, and create a larger burden of laundry.
Ideas for future videos: ladies' experiences during menopause wearing gorgeous vintage attire doing their daily activities.
So, side benefit-- I've been contemplating corset or stays for more everyday wear, and this was a great video to compare different styles.
One of the things I liked about this is seeing how modern haircuts work with historical clothing. Abby, your outfit is 👌The tub scene was so funny and wholesome.
8:05 - a moment of Victorian workouts..
😂😂😂
When I clicked on this video, I wasn’t expecting to learn much, cause I’m a engineer and ... thermodynamics, people. Air is a pretty good medium for heat exchanging, hence why it is used in multiple technical processes.
But the laughter ang fun just made my day! Thank you! AND THAT DUMPSTER CLIP!!! So goooood!
By the way, this is why you also want to have room (air) between your layers in winter, to keep your body heat from exchanging with cool environment.
"Are you hot in that?" Get it all the time as a hijabi 😑 love the video! ❤
Same as a Jew.
And I’m always like ‘the sun isn’t directly on me of I’ll almost always be more comfortable than you.’
I hope you don't mind me enquiring, and please feel free to ignore an ignorant white girl. The ladies in my area tend to wear black, even in the summer (and it got to 115 degrees here). I worry more about the black than the hijab as I was always told that black absorbs heat. Is the black still cool because it is natural fibers? I don't see ladies during the summer much, but when I do, they are indoors or in an air conditioned car while someone else runs in to the shop. I don't want to be offensive so I never ask or say anything, but have wondered if the black was still okay in the summer.
@@SuperMrsMar curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back. 😊 Thank you for asking respectfully!
Black is popular because it's classy and easy to keep clean(er). Not to mention matches with everything. I had to work hard at stopping myself from gravitating towards black in my wardrobe but that's a personal preference.
Yes black absorbs more light (and therefore heat) as it absorbs all wavelengths of of visible light and thus tends to be "hotter." If you're wearing a black polyester hijab (word for scarf in this context) it would be much hotter than a black light cotton or linen.
@@saritshull3909 but I've never been too bothered by wearing black scarves! I was also an athlete and was easier for me to wear black leggings, underarmer shirt, black cotton slip hijab under my uniform when playing soccer. I felt about as equally hot as my teammates imo!
@@saritshull3909 woops! I accidentally replied to you instead of @SuperMrsMar
My favorite was seeing the different layers you all wore and the style differences. I'd love to see a video comparing underwear, sleeves, waists, skirt shapes ...
This was super fascinating! It makes sense that layering keeps the heat away from the body in the summer, while keeping heat in during the winter!
Maybe for more experiments, you could compare workout outfits? Like you mentioned, a riding outfit or something similar compared to modern sports clothes?
It was super cool to actually see the different decades in all your clothing, and to have a flashback to sadness about Little Women Best Clothing Oscar 😢😂
Great video Abby! Super excited for next week
Chrissy’s hair transformation was amazing! I really though this must have been from before she cut her hair that short, but then you see her in the tub with her hair down and it’s back to being fantastically short pink and modern!