Hey Everyone! 👋🏻 Thank you all so much for taking the time to watch this video about my experience! I've noticed a lot of the same questions in the comments, so I want to take a minute to answer them here - 🎉UPDATE (Sept 27, 2020) - I've answered your questions about menstruation here: th-cam.com/video/iV2TgwjjhOE/w-d-xo.html 🎉UPDATE (June 7, 2020) - I've taken the most commonly asked questions from the comments and have done a video to answer them! You can watch it here: th-cam.com/video/SN3agbKZVP0/w-d-xo.html - My stays (18th-century term for a corset) are from redthreaded.com/ - they're a fantastic historical corset company that I adore. (and for the couple of you trying to call me out - my 100% hand-sewn, me-made, reproduction stays are so worn out that they're in retirement, and just because I can make stays by hand doesn't mean I have the time. I'd also rather support a small business that I believe in.❤️Finally, the gown I'm wearing in this video was cut to go over those stays, but if you'd like to see my hand-sewn reproduction stays in action you can buy the book I co-wrote here: www.american-duchess.com/book/american-duchess-guide) ☺️ - While I haven't gone down the menstruation research rabbit hole (cause it is its own subject of study) I am going to do my best with limited access to primary source documentation (which is what I really need to be able to answer this question) to produce a video about what 18th-century women would do. I don't know when this will be, but I will do my absolute best to answer this question, and if I can do some experimental archeology in the process, I will. 😎 (ravenclaws gotta ravenclaw...) - Thigh chafing - so I think that varies from person to person. I never really had a lot of issues with it (and my narrow hips mean that I will never have a thigh gap) because my linen shift would always kind of end up between my leg and absorb the sweat. However, I know a lot of costumers who will wear split-crotched drawers because they find it more comfortable, even though drawers weren't a thing in the 18th-century. Ok! I hope this helps answer some of your questions! Thank you all so much for watching and engaging in this video. I really can't tell you all how much I appreciate it! ❤️
Great video! You mentioned incorporating the best aspects of this style into modern day clothing. What im most curious about is from your experience what do you feel would be the best aspects of 18th century style to incorporate into modern day clothing? P.s. Go Ravenclaws! 😀
Abby, thank you so much for this video - can I please ask you more about the shifts. If it's not too personal, does it ever bother you with discharges? Or what about during your period? I use pads, because they don't sell tampons where I live but modern underwear is so not for me because of my sensitivity issues. I want to "shift" (sorry for the pun) to more looser undergarments because I hate bras but I'm just wondering how shifts deal with things like discharge and period stains. Thank you! Edit: Also, HISTORYBOUNDING IS SUCH AN AWESOME IDEA!
@@Sputterbug Well back then the fashionable silhouette was the shape but not really the size. Like they didn't really care about whether you're skinny or plus-sized since the focus of the ideal is the shape (like conical or hourglass). I think Abby did a video on this topic as well.
I like how you touch on how we in the 21st-century look at corsets as repressive, yet we do many things to our bodies that are far more repressive and controlling and trying to fit into an that very few actually can.
Agree. Though TH-cam did make me laugh/groan when that section concluded and a commercial for Lean Cuisine was inserted before the next portion of the video. Humorous airony right there. LOL
Personally, I can't wear underwire bras. I must have tried dozens upon dozens of types and designs but they always sit uncomfortably or straight up cause me physical pain. Luckily, I found bras with an elastic support band, which are actually perfect for me.
It’s a goal for so many of us watching these videos. Personally I intend to start sewing and learning how to make these things, because not only is ready-made historical clothing too expensive for most people, but size options make it impossible. People in the past made their own clothing (the wealthy had it made for them) so it was always tailored to them…Another foolishness of modern clothing.
When I learned (months and months ago) that shifts and camisoles were worn UNDER the garments that had boning, I began wearing camisoles UNDER my underwire bras. OMG, what a game changer! They no longer hurt!
I didn’t know that. I stopped wearing bras because of where the wires came to for the size I needed and they’d leave rubbing scars, that were like birthmarks under my armpits. Since going commando, have dissipated. My daughter has a big bust too this’ll will be passed on to her, maybe she’ll find comfort in a simple cammy under her painful wire bras.
I've done this too ... wisdom from the past. 20th-21th century woman are probably the only women in history who routinely wear their shaping/support garments against the skin and they're all made of plastic! I think I lot of the reason women assume corsets/stays are uncomfortable is because bras leave marks and are sweaty sweaty so we assume ... huge bras must be worse right? But because of material differences, shifts, not having shoulder straps and how force/pressure works when you increase the area ... it doesn't work out that way ... The house I live in tend to be cold so I have learned the value of a thin, breathable light under layers for warm and also re-discovered the laundry benefits of that!
The whole segment about how modern clothes aren’t made for mental comfort was so body positive and inclusive and it made me feel so good about myself 🥺💕💕💕
@@bobbyc.1111 Historically, your clothes made your silhouette. Nowadays our body makes the silhouette and it's up to the latest beauty standard who looks good in what and who doesn't. Our body is on display all the time because modern clothes have no structure
@@Antiikkikauppa very interesting! You are right, before if you wore the right foundation garments, well you looked like everyone else for the most part. The material, style might be judged but not the person persay. Now it's her body is ugly instead of her dress is ugly.
I actually wrote my thesis on how we in modern-day mock people from the past for their lack of reasonable clothing, yet our society is starving ourselves so that we can fit an impossible ideal. Thank you for sharing this message much more eloquently than I ever could.
And lets not forget all the cutting, and injecting modern beauty standards often require... Some of the women (the Kardashians are the worst example) people look up to don't even look vaguely human anymore!
"My ImPoSsIbLe StAnDardS" Sorry but healthy weight is not impossible. Some have to gain weight to achieve it and some have to lose weight. And the designer clothers in all those fashion shows are just the extreme and very expensive and sometimes totally unwarable in normal life.
@@BlackCroft666 A lot of them are not supposed to be reasonable though... Haute Couture is often supposed to be more art pieces than wearable clothing. Like Alexander McQueen said: "For me, what I do is an artistic expression which is channeled through me. Fashion is just the medium." I recommend looking into the stories he wanted to tell with his designs and collections. It's really quite fascinating.
oh my GOD I feel this so much about the "mental comfort". I'm a professional opera singer so I often get to wear these costumes and... when those corsets and skirts go on.. man. It's like. Finally. QUIET. In my head. I have never heard anyone articulate this before. Thank you! x
Sofia P it’s wonderful to step into a different era, sooooo much fun! They are heavy and can be a bit cumbersome, so it does take a bit of getting used to but I love it.
Oh man, concerning body shapes and fashionable silhouettes, I was just thinking about this the other day - how we are still obsessed with having a fashionable shape today as much as 300 years ago, but these days we expect our *bodies* to conform to that shape, or try to change them, rather than using our *clothing* to create a shape. And here we are deriding our ancestors for forcing themselves into corsets and such, while not questioning our own unhealthy diets and expectations of body image...
Body shape issues 400 years ago? Make a bumpad! Bosy shape issues now? Get ready to spend a fortune on being cut up and stuffed with silicon like a chrismas turkey. I said it before but, having multiple plastic surgeries turned into a status symbol. Where there was lace and silk now are scalpels and injections.
In modern times we have the same ability to buy our body shape through clothing additions. There are butt pads, bust enhancers and shape wear to move the figure into the "right places." Getting plastic surgery instead of buying specialized shapewear is a conscious choice.
Honest Question: How does one feel when they aren't wearing the optical illusion clothing? Because from what I've sort of understood from psychology and body image is the more we resist our natural shape with things like spanx or Photoshop the more "wrong" we can feel when we don't have those things...
the point she makes about our transition to letting our clothes give us a nice shape to expecting our bodies to fit that shape is really interesting. I've never thought about that before.
There's an episode of the Dressed podcast that opened my mind to this. Once corsets/stays went away acceptable bodies went to being ones that could keep the fashionable shape without any help. A lot of the ideas of acceptable bodies are still so tied up in Victorian morality even though I don't think we are really aware of it.
It's a good point, in prints and sketches from periods like this when the ladies are dressed they have the over-exaggerated waists and figures. However, when you see the more bawdy or comedic ones with half or fully naked ladies (and men) they are drawn rounder and plumper. So even back in the day, the were not trying to hide that the cloths change the natural form, nor did they expect the ladies bodies to be naturally shaped like that without the clothing. Fast forward to now when people obsess over a small blemish, is the thigh gap wide enough and my waist tiny enough on photos, just shows how sad a state "beauty standards" are now.
While I haven't explicitly thought of it, I have had that gripe with modern clothing. I prefer vintage clothing like vintage sundresses because they have a form to them. Modern clothing just kind of looks terrible on almost everyone. The shirts are like trash bags and the pants are like plastic wrap. It really only looks good on teens, but adults wear this stuff. It's really a shame you can't find clothing that helps give you a nice figure these days. It's like our fashion has devolved to the point we're wearing, essentially, underwear.
"You can't hide behind modern clothes" That's why I never feel comfortable wearing just leggings outside of home. Because I always feel like I need to cover my @ss with either a skirt, dress, or shorts, or just wear jeans and be done with it... But when I replicate historical clothing (with what I have on hand) I feel comfortable and happy. Yes, my anxiety makes me feel anxious about getting looks, but they clothes themselves make me feel happy. Sitting on the couch with a long skirt just means that I have a portable blanket
@@nonyabidness5708 I don't really understand that, it's not like asses are a menace to society so why is it such a big problem if you can see someone's ass under leggings lmao
I don't know why anyone would think that people in the "olden days" were dumb. After years of reading books on pioneers and rural life in many different cultures I am filled with admiration and fascination for their intelligence and ingenuity. Technology has advanced, not people.
Technology advanced, yes, but i think the thing that people have the knee-jerk reaction to is actually the unknown dangers they faced. Like asbestos seemed like such a good idea until it became known that it was damaging. Arsenic or other poisons in makeup. Rapidly growing cities with poor waste management. Hygiene being as important as it is in regards to medical aid and cross contamination. Humans are very good at surviving, which is how we've made it this far, but i don't think that anything should necessarily be said about changes in intelligence. Your statement is correct that it is not the people who have advanced.
Lauren Knicely I recommend “Oh, Pioneers” and “My Antonia” both by Willa Cather. Beautiful books about the pioneers in the American Midwest. Also “A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains”, I forget the author, is amazing. It’s a British lady’s actual journal as she traveled through Colorado in its founding days. I have a hard time reading nonfiction, and I couldn’t put it down.
Oh so much yes. I was trying to explain to a friend years ago that getting rid of corsets and girtles and the like wasn’t freeing because now we were expected to alter our bodies to fit a shape rather than just our clothing. And bodies are harder to tailor.
it might be expected by some for women to be a certain shape but that doesn't mean we have to fall for it. Why did we have to be that shape with a corset then or by dieting or surgery etc now?? We do NOT.
There are tons of ads for gaining and losing weight from the same time as corsets and girdles. There was still a fashion and an ideal based on how the physical body looks. It's fine not to go along with it, but it exists.
I remember when the live action Cinderella came out and everyone was freaking out over her waistline. They figured they either used CGI to shrink it down, or they corseted her so tightly that her waist was minuscule. I just kept thinking 1) Her waist is pretty small anyway so of course the corset she’s wearing will bring it in more. 2) The skirt had a crazy amount of volume so the optical illusion is of course going to make her look tiny. The lack of common sense was crazy to me, even before I knew anything about the reality of corsets and historical dress.
She's out of breath a lot in the ball scenes, whereas she looks comfortable with her maid costume. So tight lacing and no seasoning for the ball scenes? Dunno
*I'm correcting my statement here a bit, after reading so many news article that confronted Lily on her waist, she didn't do the liquid diet for a long period of time, she did them when she was wearing a corset, keep in mind too the shooting and photoshoot with the gown on is not just a 2 days thing,, the lead costume designer also makes her wear that corset everyday, as they thought it was a ritual, while it's not in a long period of time, she does state she can only have soup when she is in that ball gown, so my apologies on that part, but I am still not wrong on my other statements* She even looks out of breath in many of the scenes(despite her masking it with her expression), as shown in her collarbone and heavy breathing during the ball scene, So in conclusion, yes, she is doing a tight lacing, other aspect of the dress helped to exaggerate the waist image even more, I know lots want to keep the fairytale aspect of it alive but why the director wanted her to have a super small waist is to fit into the word *So delicate you can wrap your hand around it* from the Cinderella story
1890s through like 1919 has some amazing silhouettes that just like bringing down the shoulder puff a little bit no one would freaking know it's a historical garment. When I finish this semester University I'm going to throw it on start making myself some clothes It's called history bounding and I am super into it. watch Bernadette Banner for more information
How do I get started on dressing like this? I don’t just want to wear costumes, I want to wear the clothing of the period with the proper construction of the garment. I now have a wood burning cook stove, which I love to use but my clothes are flammable and just the other day, my robe began to smoke.
Aww I hope, you told her that she's the real princess?! Is she too young to watch the last Cinderella movie? I loved it. I loved Ella Enchanted too but I think, that has a scary, dragon in it, it may upset her. X
Mathona Moore I remind her everyday!🥰 I am so happy you brought those two movies to my attention. I will definitely introduce them to her! She loves dragons, so she may enjoy.❤️
@Iliana Grenwalt, My apologies, I always forget, it's not' Ella Enchanted' just 'Enchanted.' I am sure there are more Cinderella movies but I loved Amy Adams, that played her in it. Most of ' Enchanted' (2007) is benign. Google - Enchanted the dragon scene - first then, you'll understand me. It is scary, loud and dark but most of the movie is lovely. I'm 46 and I have seen it, many times. Lol it takes me away to this fantasy land. I love ba boys but 2 years old, is a really adorable age. Your girl must be so cute. I know, she's a baby but if you watched the movies with her and chat with her about the lovely dresses and their colours,shoes etc I'm sure it won't harm her. You just switch over if a bit isn't suitable but you know this. Enjoy her beautiful baby because my only baby lol is now 6 feet 23 year old young man. The years flew by. Oh, I'm not into comedies but I liked this 'Hot Tub Time Machine.' If you like the 1980s then you'll like that. God bless xx ps. Search hard and you will find it free on line. It takes a few good trys to get it.
Mimi C Panama hats and boater hats were really nice tho! They were everywhere back then.. for some reason.. yet everyone now doesn’t really acknowledge em at all. I’ve seen people wearin’ fedoras and on really rare, special occasions, top hats. No boater hats though.. never in my life have I seen someone actually wear one lol One of the many pictures with the hats is the one with Houdini about to go in some water.. idk what it’s called but ye
I used to sing opera in stays and I loved it. I could breathe just fine and as a larger bosomed woman, I loved how “sturdy” I felt. I never needed to worry that anything was shifted and that I was exposing too much. Things stayed where they were supposed to, thanks to the stays. I totally feel you on the “private body” part of the 17th century clothes. Gosh. You nailed this. Well done!
Fellow opera singer here too! I loved wearing the corsets, sometimes it did half the work on stage for me so I could focus on the technique and my acting.
Wow, every meal I've ever skipped for a bigger thigh gap heard you so loudly at around the 8-13 minute mark 🙏. What a bizarre realization that we used to use clothes to sculpt a figure and now we place that burden on our bodies themselves. Kind of heartbreaking. 18th century clothing for the win.
When people talk about learning from history they always mean that we mustn't repeat our ancestor's mistakes. Studying history made me realise that the opposite is far more important. We're always going to make mistakes and even the ones that our ancestor's made because humans are just as greedy, stupid and ruthless nowadays as they were back then. What we really need to focus on is what people in the past did well and what alternatives to our modern way of life and our modern mindset history presents. So many solutions are already part of our cultural heritage! We just need to learn to look at it from the right perspective.
Main difference to me : Clothes were also made to fit the body, everything was actually tailored to one's unique body. Now it the opposite, our bodies have to fit the clothes. As a tall woman, it is a running gag, any short dress looks like a tunic on me. I am used to 3/4 sleeves because I have no choice. Getting to sew my own clothes is empowering in that matter. Tailored, fit clothes are the epitome of comfort. And don't get me started on natural material...My kingdom for a Yard of linen/silk/cotton/wool !
Yes--modern clothes here, but I sew my own. Made my own dresses and skirts which I wore every day, and which fitted my own individual body shape, personality, artistic taste, and so on. No need for historic clothing for modesty's sake.
Yes!!! And nowadays it feels like it’s too expensive to get your clothes tailored whereas back then it was most likely the norm! Really wish we could just go back to that time where clothing was that way and money didn’t play a huge part
I'm only 5'9" and have long legs but I hate when long leg now is 31/32" where I buy my trousers/jeans !! At least shorter people can get things shortened which I know is a pain but unfortunately we can't add a piece of material on to make them to make them longer
Love the idea of literally never having to go out and buy new clothes because I either lost or gained weight. Just keep all the same stuff and just adjusting it to fit whatever is going on at the moment.
I'm recently starting to embrace my love of vintage clothing, and even though I cannot really afford to dress in a fully historical fashion, nothing ever made me feel so good and confident like wearing an ankle length skirt does. Modern clothes make me think thoughts like "Does my butt look good in this?", "Are my legs skinny enough for this?", wearing a long, full skirt is just "I have an amazing peace of clothing on me, and noone should care what's underneath". This is the true feeling of empowerment and comfort 😊
I generally wore jeans to work but if I wore a dress or skirt it was long. I worked with all guys (an Environmental office) and one of them asked me why I always wore long skirts. I just told them it was because I usually sit like a guy and I can’t do that in a short skirt...but I can sit like a guy in a long skirt. I’ve never been a real girly-girl. LOL
@@jenyj89 I'm a lover of pants and longer skirts myself. For the same reasons. The way you sit in a shorter skirt/dress is so important. Pants and longer skirts = peace of mind.
well said and that's the reason why women in Islam are empowered and not oppressed...yes I know for western people a Hijab or long headscarf and loose dress is again one step further, BUT ... the idea behind it is the same...making the woman comfortable in her way she is looked at and protecting her from being just a piece of flesh for display....
@@MoonshineBeauty for this reason I will be revolutionizing my entire wardrobe as time allows, making more and more traditional Indian and African wear (long, loose tops with pants underneath) going forward.
Holly Smith Most clothes made on the 18th-17th century were made out of cotton, which is quite awesome since it stays cool in the summer and gets hot on winter.
@@xylypotatohead3947 oh they are so much better. All of my bras have wire jabbed me, but i only had one corset hurt and i bought it at a halloween store (didnt jab me but the entire thing started twisting, only wearn twice)
@@positivelyme5605 stab, not really but if you do get the wrong size (i.e. too small) or bad boning (also usually the wearers falt) the boning can slid into your ribs and get stuck or break your ribs (but if you ask the rib breakers what they were doing,I'm sure they will say bending over to pick something up)
moda dunyam 01 do you mean uncomfortable? Because I’m far more comfortable in a corset than I am in a bra. They’re a godsend to those of us who are big busted and/or have really bad backs. Wearing a corset means I can sit up in my wheelchair for twice as long! And I feel better about myself, as well as having this mental comfort having all my squishy bits protected. Corsets and stays are awesome! And I’d go back to a corset over a bra in an instant!
I really identify with the "mental comfort" in period clother. Whenever I put them on, I just feel beautifull and that is not something I get from modern clothes. Like you said, with the stays and all the padding and rumps, I can kind of hide in them and that is what I love
I feel that comfort even with just normal 'vintage' clothes from my grandmother. I feel like even a 50-year gap makes a HUGE difference in how much pressure I feel to look a certain way. I'm very skinny petite person, like Audrey Hepburn with a somewhat wider waist, and modern clothes are NOT designed for my body type. At all. Pants gape at the back because I have no bum, or if I find some that fit my waist then they're too tight around the crotch or too short. Shirts expect me to have a ridiculous amount of boobage to fill them in, and all bras are either padded or offer no support at all. Vintage either fits 'out the box' or can be tailored to fit, because quality clothing allows for alterations.
@@glasslinger I think the reference is not to the beauty of the modern clothing, but how the person feels in them. Most modern clothing is made to fit a specific size range and height, and if a person does not fall within that range, which most people do not, then that person will not feel comfortable or beautiful in that clothing regardless of how beautiful the clothing might look on a mannequin/model/clothes hanger. The fact remains that until around 100 years ago, the standard of beauty was based on the clothing and its manipulation, not based on the size or shape of the body under the clothing.
I concur as a man. When I wear historical clothes, or the full three-piece suit (which I wear everyday, and consider almost historical garb), I feel handsome and masculine, and you cannot see the actual shape of my chest, or the size of my arms, etc.
I'm always shocked to see people in their 18th C clothes, and then see what they look like in their modern clothes. Somehow I find 18th C clothing more flattering to most of us.
I wear 19th century clothing almost everyday. I feel so comfortable and happy in it. I put on my frock coat and top hat and walk to the park or wherever. I love that you explained that it's not a costume anymore, it's just our normal clothes. I encourage people to wear historical clothing. I'm glad videos like this exist.
And yet... The Powhatan indians who were actually native to the Williamsburg area wore next to nothing. They were actually dressed appropriately for the extremely humid climate. Powhatan women had exposed torsos yet weren't burdened with the wide sweeping body image issues Abby claims exposing one's body creates. Something isn't adding up here....
@@Sleipnirseight I'm amazed that you've managed to compare the lifestyle of the Powhatan tribe women to the typical average lifestyle of women today. Two completely different things. Their society was *so different* to our own, it's not adding up because there's nothing to add up between those two. And just because you haven't experienced the whole "lack of mental comfort" thing doesn't mean other people haven't. Like yeah, be you, dress however you want and be comfortable, but also let other people do the same. Some people are okay wearing exposing stuff and some people prefer more modest stuff, and both of those are okay.
@@eyeseehere One, never said it's not okay for people to wear what they want. Two, I never said whether I prefer to dress "modestly" or not. Three, Powhatan women of the Colonial era are relevant as we are discussing the clothing of people living in that region during that specific time. Abby is the one extrapolating those specific circumstances to modern day and making claims that dressing "immodestly" is bad for people's self esteem, and that hiding your body with clothing leads to better confidence and better mental and physical comfort. I'm simply pointing out that these statements and reasoning are fallacious, and limited in social and historical scope. Traditional Powhatan clothing is simply a counter to her specific historical extrapolation.
@@scara_escape_artist In this video, Abby equates English colonial beauty standards and neuroses to modern ones. So yes, I absolutely agree with you that it's inapplicable to modern times.
@@Sleipnirseight They had a completely different culture and different standards. The culture & standards of 18th century western women are similar to modern western women (which are the modern women she's talking about) because we (speaking as a western woman) developed from this culture. Those are the comparisons she's making. There are plenty of women today in other cultures who have completely different ways of dressing and totally different standards but that's not what she's going over here.
The point you made about body image and the fact that you could have the fashionable silhouette no matter how much you weighed, etc. is something that I've also discovered while wearing historic costume, and it's one that the patrons at the museum I used to work at, would always have a really hard time believing. I will *never* look good in modern clothing, because I've never had a fashionably thin figure, plus I'm too short, short-waisted, etc. for the ideal for any decade that I've lived in. BUT when I wear 18th and 19th century reproduction clothing, I look like I stepped out of a photograph or illustration from the time period, and it's much more flattering! Plus, it's all fairly adjustable in a way that modern clothing isn't, especially 18th century clothing where everything is laced, tied, and pinned on. There is just so much flexibility! Also, I'm totally with you on wearing linen next to the skin, and wearing corsets or stays instead of bras! Much better!
@@sarahk5412 bras are ridiculous, they have that one inch of size difference that becomes irrelevant in half a year as elastic band streches out and becomes useless.
@@cloakedbook as someone with large boobs and small frame, stays/corset takes their weight from your shoulders to your torso. The relief my shoulders feel is so surprising!
While I don't wear 18th century clothing, as a Muslim woman, what you've learned about comfort truly resonates with me. This is because I dress modestly (or wear long, loose clothing) every day of my life. In the summer I prefer ankle length, cotton, empire waistline dresses and a silk head cover next to my hair with a cotton outer scarf (called a khimar). And winter typically means woolens and corduroy (depending on the local weather). I love my Islamic style of dress and wouldn't trade it for anything. It's truly liberating to not live as a slave to fashion dictates that are not conducive to female dignity much less physical and mental health. Thank you for your video and commentary.
not live as a slave to fashion ! are you kidd ing ! you live as a slave to a false violent religion and thats ok ? so you may aswell wear fashionable clothes 🤷♀🤦♀
Slave to fashion? You're literally doing fashion dressing yousef like that. Not to mention, hijab is also fashion lmao??? Have you not seen the brands and clothing lines? Do you think any woman showing her ankles or shoulders has less dignity and poor mental health?
@@cor3944 Just because Muslim women dress in a way that is different to the western world does not mean that they are not expressing themselves. Just because their clothing does not read as “fashion” to you does not mean that it is without appeal in their own culture and that they are communicating nothing by the clothes that they choose to wear.
@@Raven-cd4oy💯 I'm not sure why some people seem to think that the only style of dress that allows people to "be themselves" is modern, mainstream, American clothing. I would argue that by choosing to wear traditional and/or cultural dress is in itself a way to express yourself and "communicate". So many people seem to think that Muslim women are so oppressed and miserable being forced to dress modestly and cover their hair or face; it's impossible to conceive that they would enjoy and choose it for themselves. Almost like the mindset of corsets back in the day...
As you wear a corset can I ask a question? How did you first get into wearing a corset like I wanna try wearing one but idk where to start or how to do it
@@NyxieLove22 You can get them from about seven million shops online varying in prices from about $50 to $500 depending on quality, style, historical accuracy, etc.
@@NyxieLove22 I buy my corsets from Orchard Corsets (www.orchardcorset.com/) and so far have been very happy with them. There are a bunch of other places you can buy corsets from (and if you are willing to drop some serious money, have one custom made to fit your body), so feel free to do your research. Orchard Corset also has informational videos on their website (Corsets 101) that explain a lot about figuring out what corset is best for you, how to waist train, season a corset, etc. The videos obviously promote their products, but if you're curious about modern corsets it might be helpful to check out.
Maybe we should just relax about having a belly instead of trying to fix it with either clothes or dieting? Sounds like the same things to me, both not accepting our bodies as they are.
I gasped when I saw the linen summer dress! You NEVER see dresses like that in period movies. I understand not seeing them in museums (they're definitely more delicate and unstable than silk brocade), but I wish I would see them in movies! You always see heavy dresses even when scenes are in summer :(
@@AbbyCox I've just made a linen shift recently (needs smocking) which I fully intend on wearing this summer, with just a skirt over it. Living the natural/vintage life. If the lockdown lets me...
@@southerngothic4619 it's called a chemise a la reine. There's a video from a show called A Stitch in Time that shows a recreation from very fine cotton muslin, plus some very cool research and background on it. Bernadette Banner also made a video with her interpretation of it.
Bras have to fit the wearer, just like any other structured foundation garment. I only have a few bras in my current size, and one of them is hell to wear for any significant duration, because the underwire gets poky at my sides. My best bras are sport bras, and they’re actually corded, so I get some of the same support I’d get from underwire without having any potentially pokey metal under my bust. The only problem is that they’re visible under just about any V-necked top, so I mostly wear them under clothes that are not décolleté _at all._
costumes and cosplay Yeah, a bra either fits or it doesn’t. There’s no way to make an ill-fitting bra (the vast majority of them for most of us) into one that fits, and underwire just exacerbates any and all fit issues.
Whilst I agree that stays or corsets make more sense for supporting breasts, I am going to stand up for bras. Even up until the 1970 bras were custom made for the wearer - there were off the shelf models of course, but every town had at least one seller of custom girdles, bras etc. If you try to manufacture bras industrially you need to have 90 sizes just to cover the average woman and because that is expensive, the lingerie industry produces a limited (cca 20 - 25 sizes) range and demands that you make your body fit that. And this is where the pain comes from. Bras - especially for larger cup sizes are a very highly engineered product, so you can't just size up your pattern, but have to complexity re-design it every 3 sizes or so. The depth of the cup, the projection, the height of the wings, the curve of the bra bone, the width of the back strap, the position of shoulder straps, the list goes on and on. So you actually need more bra to make it comfortable - more types of wires, more seams, more parts - but made in the correct way to fit you. And you are not going to find that in a department store anytime soon.
I have respect for this woman. After listening to this video, it makes me want to go out and buy an 18th century corset. I am very self conscious of my body and the idea that I don't have to be is inspiring. The idea that I could wear comfortable, stylish (I tend to prefer old fashioned clothing better anyways) clothes that don't fade or tear in a years time actually sounds pretty nice. I feel like a lot of today's fashion is made to not last so that we as the consumer have to go back and buy more. Whereas, the old stuff was made to last through the harsh weather and conditions. This is one of those videos that you wish you could like more than once.
While I understand the misconception, I do get frustrated sometimes trying to explain to people over and over that natural fabrics, tailored to your body, will always be warmer in the cold, cooler in the heat, and more comfortable than any plastic clothes will ever be. And thinking about how people constantly want to know “how to afford” vintage styles makes me sad becuase it has never been normal to need a whole new wardrobe every few months of your life, and making clothes unable to adjust was pure capitalism babiiieeee. Like I sincerely wish we could take that back.
I like to think of plastic clothes like it is a plastic wrap: you basically wrap yourself in plastic, like you do witb food etc. Try putting food plastic wrap on lol, it's exaggerated but works on one's imagination. BTW I've only recently started to get into the whole hand sewing, historical clothing etc. thing, mostly through youtube videos. I started to look into the clothes I own because of these videos I found and also because I was thinking about getting rid of most clothes I own. Reason being I gained a few pounds and many of my clothes don't fit me well anymore, and many of my clothes I stopped liking some time ago anyway. I mean I basically wear two shirts that I change every other day at this point. I was shocked how pretty much all my clothes I looked into were synthetic, including polyester. So since I've been wanting to start replacing my wardrobe anyway I am looking into natural fabrics, and I actually started to attempt to sew things on my own because this way I can make sure they fit me well. Also lets me learn a lot about garment construction and how the body works in general. I started to make a corset, among other things, because I feel like if I can make something that sits this close to the body and actually works, I'll understand bodice construction enough to make anything work lol. Can't wait to wear my first clothes I made from scratch to work. My dream is to replace my whole wardrobe, or at least say 80% of it, with custom made clothes. I mean if I don't lose interest in it in a few days lmao. TLDR Think about plastic clothes like plastic wrap you wrap your body with. It's terrifying, seeing how many (fast fashion) clothes are synthetic/plastic.
@@curiousme113 If it's synthetic, like polyester, fake fur/leather, nylon, spandex (just to name some common synthetic materials), then yes. It's plastic. Materials like rayon and artificial silk are considered semi-synthetic since they're made from natural raw material which have been chemically treated to be broken down to a pulp and reconstructed into a fiber. While semi-synthetics are marketed as environmental-friendly since this process uses biodegradable plant cellulose, it takes a range of pollutant chemicals and heavy metals to breakdown plant cellulose and rebuild into semi-synthetics.
We're taught to believe that women in the past were subjugated by their clothing.(corsets) But I believe today's modern clothing is more of a problem. Bras are a nightmare, at the end of the day, you just want to get rid of it, because no matter how well it fits, by the end of the day it pinches, and rubs. My biggest peeve is today's heels. How do you walk in them? I used to wear stilettos, and run for the bus, and after my toddler. Now I see platform stilettos, how do you ladies walk in them? My stiletto days ended after the first time I hurt my back!
I'm older now but even when I was young I never felt comfortable in high heels on so many levels. I always felt like a bent over stork. Some women can wear them, some can't. Bras - my favourite clothing pet peeve. I call them my 'harness'. They don't seem to want to make bras that are light weight yet actually covers up the nipples properly. If you're a bigger size (body/boobs) good luck finding a comfortable bra with coverage. I'm even a little surprised that throughout the decades someone hasn't come up with a better idea. If anyone knows of any let me know lol.
Bras and heels are the worst! Legit cannot walk in any kind of heels and I feel like an ostrich wearing them. (Although they are kinda nice when you need to reach a high shelf) And bras. Oh my God, bras. My size is a 38J, so yeah, expensive and hard to fit. And no amount of lift can hold them up enough to where I don't get a buildup of sweat under my boobs that doesn't dry until I get home and take it off! Don't get me started on the back/shoulder pain, either. I wonder if a corset would actually relieve any of the pressure.
@@BreGrant98 apparently its much better. They don't put stress on your shoulders, so it's like a built in shelf for your boobs. I go braless as much as I can, but with an Ecup it's really difficult in public. My posture is so much better without a bra. My back carries my boobs, not my shoulders.
So interesting! Especially the part about how modern clothing puts our body on display and the commentary about corsets. I actually can't stand our modern clothing and feel as though we have lost a certain art in our quest for 'comfort'.
Do you think though that the art of clothing is still very prevalent but only among the wealthy? I’m wondering if 17&18th century poor women thought their clothes were art pieces ? Also, maybe makeup is “making up” for that loss of art thru clothing and is not affordable for rich and poor ?
I do think we lost a lot. But it's not about comfort or practicality imo. Nice (tailor made) linnen trousers, a blouse, wide brim hat and woven leather shoes. That's the epitome of comfort on hot summer days imo... They also showcase skill and craftmanship (or womanship, I guess🤷♀️🤔). A clingy polyester dress with heels? Incredibly uncomfortable in comparison. The loss is imo probably due to about fast fashion and consumerism, tbh...
@@leonamay8776 exactly, and the struggle is, where to find those linen pants that fit your body shape, that you feel comfortable in and not fat, that do not create mental discomfort and you know will resist fo years, not for 2 seasons? Where to find affordable wide brim hats that are not fast fashion made and that will give you this sense of peace and ownership and happiness?
I’m a Muslim girl and I totally understand how much comfort to cover my body, I felt her when she said you don’t know what my body looked like, yea go girl😍
@@ScienceDiscoverer wut do you mean? They just cover their body with their choice of clothing, what’s so bad about that if she’s perfectly okay with that and even likes it?
Yes! Women had these large pouches, essentially, that they'd tie to their waists under their shirts. Then the skirts had slits in the sides so they could reach the pouches. You could carry a lot of stuff in them!
They had *giant* pockets. Seperate from the skirt, tied around and worn over the petticoats. You could reach them trough the splits at the sides in the over skirt. I think we see hers at 0.42, the stripy part.
I tend to buy winter coats with lots of pockets. Purses are nice when you don't WANT to be wearing a ton of clothing, but I don't always want to carry a purse. Which leaves my jacket to put everything in because if I stuff my jeans pockets it looks ridiculous with the bulges front and back.... Pouch under puffy skirt. I like it.
Yes! I have talked about this before! Rich or poor, nearly every dress had hidden openings in their skirts where they cod access large pouches that they would tie on their waist under they're petticoats.
R D thing is about aqueducts- some still work in Europe today! People there kept using the technologies - and a big part of the Renaissance was rediscovering the philosophies and technology that was made then
This reminds me of the traditional German clothing "dirndl". When I get to wear it at an event I immediately feel like a reeeeeal woman. There is not one woman in the world who would look dumb in a dirndl. Change my mind 😂
@@Ri57490 maybe try "classic Dirndl" or something like that. It's true that the Dirndl is often sexualized. But there is no women that doesn't look good while wearing one
Yet my German first husband told me that wearing a dirndl would be grounds for divorce. That only stupidly ignorant peasant girls and old women would think that means of dressing were attractive. Stupid boy.
It fits so well, right? Your phrasing is really fitting. Beauty standards change. With a changing body standard you fall in and out of fashion. Which is so weird. Suddenly you're in when you have been out all the time....That concept is so weird.
The thing I always thought smart about clothes from back then. That they made clothes to last. Where they couldn't run off to the nearest mall to pick up some new pants if they went out of style. They took care of their clothes and choose material and styles that they could use and wear for several years. I miss when clothes were more practical and reliable. Where a good quality shirt could get a lot of use out of it, instead of a lot of fast fashion that starts to deteriorate pretty quick. One of the things that really bothers me, is how much of old clothes fill up landfills, when we should find better ways to recycle and upcycle things.
You can have anything made on Etsy. It's not horrifically expensive. One good shirt should equal several cheapies. I bought a gorgeous kitsch apron (flamingos and all!) And leg warmers. As well as a Yip Yip (it's from Sesame Street) catchall. Just make sure you find someone in the country you live in. Customs charges can kill you and take a very long time to arrive. Nevdr mind returns
Be mindful of the fact that these clothes were very expensive and hand sewn. You can still buy long lasting clothes, but are you able to afford them? Now you can buy 10 t-shirts for a low price and have some variety instead of wearing few dresses whole month. And since nowodays clothes are cheap and mass produced you can buy another one next season. Back then if you weren't an aristocrat you would most likey have 3 or 4 hand sewn, plain dresses, and that would be it.
@@kertelas4272 Sadly no I can't afford something that is hand sewn. But for the most part my closet is hand me downs, thrifting, and trying to use my clothes to the last man standing. I do have to do a bit of fast fashion because my body is hard to fit and I admit I am a bit too round for my liking.
@@eleanor7 It's okay. You actually can probably afford to buy a custom piece. Custom clothing isn't that far out of what you pay for clothing, overall, in a given year. There's a difference between "hand sewn", "custom", and "handmade" clothing. Hand sewn clothing is fabric that is sewn together by someone with an immense amount of patience and takes the time to stick an actual needle, with actual thread through a length of fabric - by hand. No machinery more complicated than a scissors is used in the putting together of the pieces. This is way outside the price range of most people. The clothing, provided the fabric was chosen with the same care, will last forever, effectively. Handmade clothing is more loosely defined. It can mean anything from "Sheep to shawl", all done by the same person or a team of talented people to someone who adds trim and skirts to ready-made t-shirts for "t-shirt dresses". It depends on where you're looking and what your local area steers towards. University towns, touristy places, and places that have a large population of younger people will trend more towards the quick fashion, and less towards anything that involves a lot of time and/or personal skill. You can still find people who will have varying levels of skill in those places (the person who showed me how to choose patterns and sew "to a picture" was in a university town and was a godsend), but you may have to look for them. Custom clothing is just that, clothing that is made just for you. It uses your measurements, fabric choices, style decisions and you get a thing that is 'made' just for you. It's cheaper than hand sewn, can be cheaper than handmade, but it is your decisions made real. Do not, please, try to get a tailor (usually someone attached to dry cleaner, these days) to make you a custom garment, if you haven't seen their work in such a way. People get comfortable with certain types/styles of sewing. A person who usually hems skirts and pants, and can do minor repairs on a made garment may not feel comfortable making something from scratch. A person who normally works with bridal satins and taffetas may not be good at wool plaids or doing something with a sheer cotton gauze. It's all in what they do most, what they enjoy making, and what they are willing to do for a paying client. Piece goods, fabric and trim, can run the list of quality as well. Quality fabric from good quality fiber, is the most expensive part (for me at least) of any sewing project. Next would be the fastenings and supports (boning and buttons and trims). When you look at Etsy shops, don't be afraid to take close looks at the hems and/or trims/buttons/laces you see. Be aware, also, that Etsy is starting to lose cachet thanks to some of their newer policies. You may have good luck checking through different online small shops (if I knew any names I would share. Right now, people are either working through Facebook or some other mass media type, while they look for other outlets). DOing a general search might turn up something/someone close to you. Be safe, have fun, and just enjoy that you have options. You don't have to buy cheap stretchy denim while dreaming of a lovely wool skirt. You can save up a bit and have a lovely wool skirt. If I can do it, you can do it.
Honestly, on the area of clothing, we were going backwards. Take for instance a few of the Hallstatt area: they were able to spin wool so much finer. We have not mastered that skill again. And that was the continental iron age! And it is weird. For a long time, I had trouble wearing no bra during my historical events (again, iron age). Now, it comes natural. We nowdays are weird people.
I personally really want to begin spinning fibers because I'm afraid that it's a dying knowledge. I'm scared if I wait too long I'll lose the opportunity. For instance, the netted lace gloves of the early Victorian era are a dead art. I've scowered resources and I can't find any specific instructions on how they were made and it makes me sad :(
backwards or forwards does not exist in history. Humans always adapt to their needs and circumstances. Our society doesn´t need finde wool (as well as other things like high quality throwing spears for example). It needs fast fashion - so that´s what has been invented.
@@isabellaw.6330 But do we need fast fashion or are we just easily-bored and greedy? Also, fast fashion fules itself because when clothes are made low-quality, they don't last as long as they could, which pushes the need for more cheap, fast, lower-quality clothes.
@@lucasmcinnis5045 both. it´s cheaper to buy new clothes than make ones that last. it´s in the sense of our actual economy. This times society also requires all your time for work, so throwing jeans ans a shirt on works fa better than pinning clothing pieces together and handsew your own clothes. If you make that the major hobby of yours it will work but not for the majority of working people. I don´t say it´s good. But it mirrors the way our society and economy works. Just as the clothing did back then.
When I was in high school in the nineties I was a goth, and I was telling my older cousin who was a professor, that part of what I liked about gothic fashion was the callbacks to Victorian clothing. I told her I adored the gowns are would wear THEM if I could. She said, "Why can't you?" That stuck with me. (Although the answer was, I can't because it's Tampa Bay and it's 110 degrees here on the reg.) But the moral remains.
It's helpful to remember that Victorian women wore their dresses throughout the British Empire - including the tropics. It's doable with the right fabrics and construction!
as a woman who wears a full veil, I can say in the summer when you wear loose flowing clothing, specifically in light colors you won't be hot at all. When the sun directly hits your body you become hotter, wearing tight clothing traps your body causing you to sweat and overheat more as well. the trick is to wear loose and breathable clothes because when there's wind even the lightest of wind it will flow between your legs cooling you off from underneath.
Yes, I have always heard that the loose, thin, long robes worn by people in desert climates made a lot of sense, protective and kept the air flowing. Not so sure about how they'd be in a climate with a lot of humidity though.
Wait, really? I always heard that looser clothing made you hotter because of the airflow heated by your body. Maybe I should wear looser clothes this summer instead!
YoRHA No.2 Type B i’ve been wearing looser and more modest clothes all my life due to religious reasons but there was one point in life that I was giving up on myself and started dressing like a ‘normal American’ and I was sufferingggg in the heat lool. It makes sense that less clothing would make you cooler but for some reason it did the complete opposite.
@@user-hy5ee2xt6z that's because most of our "normal american" clothes are made out of polyester mixes, so they're like wearing a plastic bag! When you wear those instead of natural fibers, your body gets hot soooo fast
I don't wear a veil. But I mostly wear loose linnen clothing in light colour when it's hot. Palazzo pants, light skirts, blouses, linnen blazers, kaftan dresses etc with sandals or leather shoes. It's so comfortable! Especially when I add a wide brimmed hat. (which is also really good to avoid photo damage due to UV exposure, btw!) What I'm trying to say: I absolutely agree with you!!
With you to a point - as a dancer I really love my Lycra/spandex. I've worn dancewear without it before and ugh is it ever hot, scratchy, and misshapen. And for some people, "fast fashion" is all they can afford. But I would suggest on a consumer level that we utilize our local thrift stores!
Sarah K I think I keep our local thrift shop in business lmao. I used to teach ballet. Lycra and spandex are forms of latex. I know because I’m very allergic to latex. It can easily be sourced naturally. Banana and Kiwi are two fruits with the highest level of natural latex. It’s actually plastics which are hot, don’t breathe well, and are scratchy. Poor quality wool is often a skin irritant and just as I am allergic to latex, I know many people are allergic to other natural fibers. I agree there’s definitely a place for man made fibers. Hospitals couldn’t function without them. The bacteria level would be insane. There MUST be disposable and hypoallergenic materials. I’m not anti-progress in any way. I do believe a bigger return to natural fibers and avoiding fast fashion disposable items would help lower the cost of better clothing as there would be more of it. Even peasants could afford casual linens and farmers traded for wool.
I only wear vintage clothes from 2000 on and I prefer cotton, wool, silk and linen to artificial fabrics. I also exchange clothes with other women and use my sewing machine to better fit them to my body. Old clothes are well tailored and the circular economy is a way to stop consuming. We can use and reuse clothes indefinitely.
@@PowerToolsnPearls I said dancewear /without/ Lycra or Spandex usually feels hot and scratchy, mainly because they make it out of synthetic fabric instead of natural fibers plus stretchy stuff. I know disposable medical stuff is important (and I have issues with wool, too), but I would love it if I could get more 100% cotton (or linen or silk or bamboo) items, especially sweaters.
I was reading a kind of uninformed article about 1840s clothes and they talked about how the all-around brims on bonnets were a "moral check".... and I was like.... "It's not that deep. It keeps the sun out of your eyes."
Haha too funny, although at that point many people were still being forced to follow the old testament with women having to wear head coverings. So glad we've moved on
Lots of non american people wear clothes according to the season since we prefer walking to use car for everything, and we don’t use heaters and airconditioning as much.
That's normal in more temperate areas, but we have extreme temperates (-20-115F easily, some places maybe even worse) in a lot of places and there's not as much population density so walking to places isn't always feasible.
@@southerngothic4619 haha you're so funny. I've had -25°C at my grandma's (-13°F) and still walked my dog for hours without even needing gloves, because I actually own a decent jacket and some cotton tights that fit under my jeans. In summer, it goes up to over 100°F in Vienna, and since my apartment is right under a flat roof in the middle of the city and has a massive roof deck facing south right in front of it, you shouldn't expect it to be any cooler in there. Of course, heating to some extent is important, but I definitely don't need malls to be 25°C in winter (it's way too annoying to get in and out of your coat all the time) and believe it or not, but humans can very well make it without air conditioning.
Air conditioning is a must in Florida. I lived in a house with broken ac. It was fine during the cooler time but when summer came around it was horrible. I was also pregnant and I fainted from the heat. I had to go live with my friend until my uncle came and fixed it. When I went to England for 5 months to be with my husband and his family so they can meet our son. they don’t have AC. I was fine because it doesn’t get ridiculously hot there. And walking everywhere was fine because I wasn’t hot and sweaty.
@@silviamanrique2864 England is the exact opposite from ridiculously hot. Compared to other European countries it's freezing in summer. So that's not really what we all are talking about.
The point you made about being comfortable knowing that no one knows what your body really looks like was so interesting! You are so right about that avoiding the crazy (and always changing!) standards we have today. Such an interesting thought.
From a female perspective, having something covering your crotch is a good idea sometimes. I won't go into details, but they're there more to protect the rest of you from your crotch, rather than the other way around.
@Elizabeth Day I'm a woman who likes to wear men's boxer shorts. When I was younger, I work them under both jeans and dresses. Loved it. I don't wear them now because I can't find them in 100% cotton. Getting ready to make historical undies for modern wear.
I love what you said about the “mental comfort.” I just started dressing vintage, I tend to gravitate more towards 1930s-40s For me the mental comfort comes from feeling fashionable yet people not be able to see every curve or outline of my body. When I dressed modern I constantly would avoid groups of guys or would feel myself kind of shrinking into myself when I was in line somewhere or walked by a guy and could just feel their eyes on your body. I also grew up in the ghetto side of LA so the catcalls and unwanted attention (from grown ass men might I add) started almost as soon as you hit puberty. Dressing vintage gave me the confidence to walk into a room or by a group of ppl and not feel like a shrinking violet. Now if they stare it’s most likely because they aren’t used to seeing ppl dressed like me instead of staring at you for how you look physically.
I’m a late 30’s early 40’s girl too. And I feel a zillion times more put together, more presentable than I ever do in my modern clothes. I put on jeans for the first time in 6 years... Eww.. They force fabric to go places is was NEVER meant to go. Low rise jeans need to all go away as do skinny jeans. BLECH
I wear 1930s style and a lot of it knitted. People recognise the elegance but it doesn't look 1930s until the hat and gloves go on. Modern "fashion" just looks cheap.
Wow, I always felt the same about the “mental comfort”. It’s the same with Indigenous and African tribes who wore less but just a different reason. In the west they had the comfort from creating a new silhouette and covering their bodies, while in the other cultures the had the comfort because no one was saying that the bodies were gross and the concept of fashion was totally different to what it is today. Really well done video, i’m a little late to the party. 💕
When I was younger, I used to wear a long skirt with a genuine Edwardian petticoat (plus modern tights in winter), and I was sooo comfortable whatever the weather! Makes me want to go back to that way of dressing 😀
I love this! I’m recovering from an eating disorder and have been listening to Christy Harrison’s book, Anti Diet. She talks about the way clothes used to be made to fit individual bodies, instead of bodies fit in the clothes. I really struggle to find clothes - it’s not about the size, but the shape of the clothes and how they fit on me. I would love to find clothes that were both fashionable AND flattering.
You're probably going to have to make them. Or have them made. There are still some tailors around. Or you can give up the idea of "fashionable" and go for timeless and classic instead. Have you looked into the idea of a capsule wardrobe? Where you only have a very limited number of classic, versatile, high quality pieces, but you customize mostly with accessories etc.
@@pienkunicorn yep. My mother is a tailor (with some additional degrees in pattern making and fashion history). One problem is (according to her) that many modern tailors don't learn how to create their own patterns and designs due to an increased focus on industrial production and primarily rely on adjusting already existing patterns. That's fine for most demands but if you want something truly unique and or unusual...🤷♀️
Hey! I always watch Annika Victoria (on TH-cam) . She makes beautiful things and is body positive. Even if you don't make your own clothes, her videos will make you feel very good about yourself. And very inspiring :)
@@jeezursilly5252 maybe all of us who secretly want tp dress as this (like me for example) should start to wear it all together so that it will become fashion again
The part about realising how valuable your clothes are when hand made : I’m currently in the process of making a long plaid skirt using a combination of historical sewing tips (thanks Bernadette Banner!) and my dad’s extensive knowledge of 30 years doing upholstery. I 10/10 do not recommend learning to sew on an industrial machine unless you already have a dad who knows how to upholster 😅 Anyway, I’m making this skirt with my dad’s help and it’s so tedious, and frustrating and rewarding, and there’s something so wonderful about being able to think : oh that looks bad or that doesn’t fit right, let’s take out those stitches or add something else here. It’s also nice knowing that this skirt is exactly fit to me! I’m 5 feet tall exactly, and we made sure that it hit at the right place below my knee, and the waist is just my size. I don’t think I’ve ever had an article of clothes before that has fit so well! and this is just an amateur made simple circle skirt! I reallly hope to have this skirt for a long long time! And it of course has lovely memories now too, of my dad teaching me to sew ^^ I do after all come from a family where most of the women made their livings as seamstresses, both grandmothers were seamstresses and sewing teachers. Sadly though, I had a few aunts who worked in clothes and car factories making all sorts of things (including car seat covers and such). So I have some insights from both the side of handmade clothes and what it’s like to work in a factory as a seamstress today (at least in the US). Definitely runs in our family!
Sewing skipped a generation or two in my family. I loved being in theater (something covid has taken from me for now) and did end up becoming friends with the costumer's daughter so it was not unheard of for me to go over and be the tiniest bit involved in making the costumes or picking things out for people from their massive storage of clothes. Community theater costuming isn't the best fit and there's a lot of elastic to make it workable for pretty much everyone, but the costumer made cosplay for my friends and i (including her daughter) for years as long as we paid for materials and some of her time), so i got to see some of that. Unfortunately, it's only been within the last year or two that i've wanted to pick up sewing for myself and only more recently that i've had the money in order to buy fabric and the tools i needed. I have a problem with thinking my finished products are good enough, though. Made a skirt for my sister and have doubted it every step of the way and am still doubting it even though i already gave it to her
If you have any advice PLEASE message me, I'm starting to try and sew my own skirts and dresses so I can throw out jeans because UGH pants end up being so mentally taxing and always make me a bag of sweat
@@MsTrumpetChick1 My best advice is to watch a variety of people using what you plan to use, whether it's handstitching or a machine. Also, start off with very simple geometric designs (think medieval) to start. This gives you basic movements and experience without the daunting number of pieces more shaped clothing has. Over time, you'll start to see things you wish you could improve and notice how others have a trick to do it. For me, that was a huge help since it was things like not sewing or cutting straight. Sewing, i can chalk a line to follow. Cutting, i've seen and started using the pulling out of a guide thread in the material to show a visible line. I've found that smocks/shifts are a good starting point, or drawstring skirts, since there is more room for error in these. Another thing i suggest is, once you get more comfortable, check out the books recommended or used by your favored youtubers. They are incredibly helpful and should be available even if not through your library specifically.
Bernadette Banner is a life saver, I basically started getting into this whole historical clothing/sewing thing because of her. And since I don't have a sewing machine, I do everything by hand lol, which watching her helped a lot with. I'm definitely glad I did take my time watching lots of videos where people (Bernadette, Morgan Donner, Rachel Maksy, recently Elin Abrahamsson and Abby too) sew things and explain it, helped me avoid a lot of mistakes - things I'd never think of like how important straight grain and not sewing bias with bias (it's gonna stretch) is. Mostly learned all that from Bernadette though, she's good at explaining such basics. 11 out of 10 recommend her. Also I do agree on the "clothes you sew on your owm are so much valuable and you appreciate them much more" part. I'm planning on shifting my wardrobe to mostly hand sewn (by me of course) clothes, just because I ended up not liking and not wearing most clothes I do own. And sewing your own clothes is such an amazing and rewarding experience: you get to choose your fabric type, color and pattern, then the pattern for the garment, you get to fit it exactly to your body, you have full control over and commission to every single detail. At the end of the day you end up with a new, unique piece of clothing - there's literally no other piece in the world, not owned by any other from over 7 billion people, quite like yours.
This was SO EYE opening as someone who struggles with body image and is also passionate about fabric and clothing. The fashion industry has SO MUCH to improve on.
The bit about how we've "evolved" by not hiding our bodies, but what we do now instead (starting at the 7:00 mark) is mind-blowingly astute. Thank you for pointing that out!!
I'm impressed by your comments on comfort and body image. I would be interested in learning about how to modify modern fashion patterns to incorporate these silhouette adjustments.
I realize that even as late as the 1970/80s fashions were designed to wear with a girdle. We've forgotten that we didn't have to have a perfectly smooth contour, because your girdle, panty hose and torpedo bra sorted all that out.
Yup, and now we have pushups and spanx. Shapewear is still very much a thing today. But in the era of the influencer somehow those are no longer acceptable so people are modifying their bodies to get that same look and it is scary AF. Then again, in the era of the nude dress (Marlene Dietrich did nude illusion, nowadays it's mostly just nude), shapewear would be too visible. Personally, I'm all for empowering women to show skin, but if you say showing skin is good and then shun those who show the 'wrong' type of skin...?
Rebeca Stanca I agree, it’s a slippery slope. I grew up in California in the 70s and 80s, and I was in despair because even underweight, my hips were still too big and stuck out in shorts. I remember trying to buy jeans in high school, when GAP first started doing jeans for hips, but you had to have a tummy as well. So I looked crap no matter what I wore. And who can miss the blatant hypocrisy of the cult of tanning? It’s desirable to be the colour of mahogany, oh, maybe not for everyone 😢 A rebound would do us some good.
And it freaks me out to see people turning to the knife and drugs to change their appearance. I don't want everyone to look the same, and I don't want to look like everyone else.
Plus shape wear is like 100% polyester so if you want to die of heat stroke (or move to Canada I guess?) you can have the fashionable silhouette... Sort-of..
Having seen some poorly modeled dresses in magazines, I still stand by the fact some dresses today are STILL designed to be worn with a girdle or corset. Spanx just doesn't have the right form for some dresses.
Loved your explanation. I'm a Hijabi Muslim and I totally get what you mean by mental comfort in wearing certain clothes. I'm blessed I don't have to wear tight clothes. But a lot of people just don't get it and love to belittle how we dress. And I agree that it's the over exposure, internal modifications and procedures that are actually the difficulty. x
This was FANTASTIC Abby, thank you for answering questions I've had for ages! I'm going to go a step further and ask this... do you think that if we had clothes that we valued, we would value ourselves more? Do you remember feeling a difference in your self-worth when you dressed this way?
I find that, even in modern clothing, I feel greater self worth when I dress nicely. I do my hair and co-ordinate my earrings with my outfit, and I feel better about myself. When I just ignore my hair or toss it in a messy bun, or putter around the house in my pajamas, I find I'm less productive, less cheerful, and generally feel less valuable. If, as my parents always posit, love is an action not a feeling, then getting dressed with care could be seen as showing yourself through your own actions that you're worth taking care of.
Oh absolutely! I think the devaluation of our clothing has also resulted in an unintentional de-valuation of ourselves. I talked a lot about this when I worked at CW, how (at least in parts of the USA) that society has begun taking an odd sort of pride in NOT putting value in clothing and shaming people who do put value into their clothing. It's a long discussion type answer, but the quick version is, yes I think there is something to this.
@@bluenuttefly8813 Your ideas are valid: it does benefit the powers-that-be for the majority of people feel cheap and lack autonomy. But I don't know if it's a conscious conspiracy. I don't think any elite people ever sat down and said "Let's chip away at people's self esteem by gradually devaluing their clothing." More likely it's a subconscious expression of value on many levels: the purchasers demanding high variety and low cost, the purveyors looking to make the greatest profit by underpaying the makers, and the makers thinking "let's just throw it together as fast as possible, since we're underpaid anyway." In other words, in modern fast fashion, disrespect and devaluing runs in all directions. Learning how to sew is a time consuming yet ultimately powerful way to opt out of the system. I love making my own clothes! Good luck to you.
You explained how I feel when wearing the hijab better I can as a hijab-wearing Muslim woman. There is a great deal of mental comfort in privatizing my body when practicing the hijab.
khadijo Abdi Yes I can totally feel You on that, I,m not Muslim and I am conscious about "western fashion" trying to empower woman only as long as it involves nudity. Even now wearing the covid mask feels kind of relieve. Freedom is choosing if You want to cover or not. Bless You all sisters, bikini or Burkini it,s ok as long as it,s You who decides on it that same day.
khadijo Abdi, that was exactly my thought when she talked about the mental comfort of hiding her true body shape underneath the layers of clothing; that that must be how a Muslim woman wearing a niqab/abaya or burka must feel.
Same. I follow a "prudent" Christian (think Mennonite ) dress code and it is rather freeing actually. I go MONTHS without shaving because no one's ever going to see my legs and dresses are WAY more comfy than pants. Ha
@@hbanana7 yep, as Deborah said, you can't really bend all that well in corsets, certainly nowhere near as well as what you can in modern clothing. This is because of the boning and other structural support elements in corsets. While it makes them great for posture support and enhancement, which can help with back pain and similar and can be why some people choose to wear them, it can come at the cost of waist flexibility. While you should be able to still bend at the hips (which is what you should be doing anyway) the removal of that waist flexibility can have an impact. So, anything that you would typically use lots of waist bending (or twisting) for can become more difficult. Are there any corsets available that have less of an impact on it? Maybe, I don't know. I don't *yet* have a full-on actual corset, just a couple of long-line bras that I occasionally wear. But, even with them, even though they end at the bottom of my ribcage, I can tell you that even *they* have an impact on ease and comfort of back-bending. Although some of that could well be because curving the back while bending can bunch the abdomen up, which can result in it pushing against the edge of a long-line bra
@@willowtabby4926 Thank you for all the replies! As I live in an Asian household, putting shoes on before the outfit will be a challenge. Also I misunderstood the first statement. I thought it meant you start with shoes first when starting your journey of wearing period clothes. ^_^;;;;
Back in 2016, my friends and I took a roadtrip down to Colonial Williamsburg-we stopped in at the milliner's, and you were extremely helpful answering our questions about the physical details of colonial clothing! Two of my favorite facts you shared with us: stays creak in warm weather, and an untucked kerchief ("getting a draft") is a pain in the ass. I just stumbled across your channel seven years later, and knew I recognized you from somewhere!
This is the best argument for historical clothing I've heard on YT. And it's one that I've tried to articulate myself. I often feel like there's a great deal of effort put into "dispelling the myths of corsetry" or whatever without actually trying to explain why. It just lacks nuance and comes off a bit contrarian to me. My biggest beef with any of this is due to societal (and let's be honest, in recent times, market) pressures, of all time periods, forcing women (and to a lesser extent, men) into wearing this, that, or the other thing lest they be deemed "not respectable". I can completely identify with the notion of the costume becoming your clothing, as I have personally worked laced up and can attest to that form of comfort you speak of. That said, it was absolutely amazing when, at the end of the day, you got to take that shit off and be free. Also, modern underwear is uncomfortable trash!
This is literally what drag queens are doing now now that I think about it lol. Pad, shape, create silhouettes, make their own clothing accustomed to their body
I hope that at some point people will just wear whatever they want everywhere. Like a wedding dress at school. People would walk around in clothes from different time periods and discover what they actually want to wear.
I would love this & I think we are moving towards this thanks to TH-cam & Social media - I can't wait to see how much society shifts over the next few years in regards to dressing for one's self!
When I was in second grade there was a morning where I was too lazy to put on clothes. My dad was very strict on sending me to school and I was so happy for my new night gown. So I went to school wearing that 😂 only 1 girl commented on it and bullied me lol. So in my defense I was telling her it wasnt a night gown, but at the same time I was like... does it have to keep this specific title to it, because it looks like any other T-shirt dress.
I really like the practicality of historical cloths. They are adaptable in size and you can add layers for added warmth. Breathing fibers, thoughtful cuts . . . I realy like that
I ride horses and always wear a corset when on a long ride. It supports my back and (in draughty weather) keeps the muscles warm. I can ride for miles. Nothing restrictive about it at all.
Interesting video! Love how you do you. Modern clothes can still be about optical illusion though. No need to wear a T-shirt and leggings. Eg. wear a structured, knee-length A-line skirt and your butt, hips, thighs will remain more or less a mystery to everyone around you. You can de-emphasize body parts you don't like and emphasize those you do with modern fashion. Even more so than in the old days, I'd say. But what was so enlightening about this video is that you're saying this wasn't even necessary back then because fashion was flattering to all body shapes regardless. It's also that most modern people are not educated on dressing for their body type / complexion, the focus is on trends, sizing is awful and rigid, and quality of high street clothes is generally bad. So yeah, this video was inspiring. I love the idea of a curated wardrobe with timeless pieces that make your body type and complexion shine, and that you can love and truly care for because they were made with love and attention. And yes to corsets! So far, I've worn corsets only as part of costumes, but they always raised my confidence. Not because of my body shape at all, but because the feeling of the corset made me feel grounded, like I knew where I began and ended. My mind wouldn't whirl out of my body, I stayed rooted in one place. Does that sound weird? Anyway, longest TH-cam comment I ever wrote. Sorry for the word vomit. I had a glass of wine, it makes me talkative.
"modern people are not educated on dressing for their body type / complexion" I actually think that's part of the problem too - focusing too much on your body type or skin undertone or whatever, making women feel like there's some colors or shapes of clothing that they aren't "allowed" to use because god forbid a "pear-shaped" woman wears skinny jeans or whatever. For me, part of the appeal in Abby's video is exactly that in old times that wouldn't have mattered as much. And of course this is just a personal opinion, but those "dress for your body shape / skin undertone / whatever", for me, are crap, as they try to narrow all the complexities of what might look good on a single individual person to one single, abstract aspect / theory. Just as a personal example about "complexion", my skin undertone is decidedly warm, and every article on the subject insists that I *must* wear warm tones, but I just look awful in them, they make me look almost jaundice-like. The moment I ditched them for cool tones was the moment I started receiving compliments about my clothes and makeup (I love classic makeup but it never looked good on me, until I finally had an epiphany and ditched the classic red lipstick and started using berry tones instead). I'm also heavily pear-shaped, and I only found my style, that makes me feel wholly like myself, when I started to buy clothes focused on what I love and not on what would hide / balance my hips. Realizing that it's not about dressing for my body type or complexion, but about dressing for me as an individual made ALL the difference.
Hello Abby. I started dressing modestly in September of 2019. I have never felt more comfortable physically or in my mind. I wear either dresses, long skirts or skirts below my knees. I have loathed tight clothing my whole life, even when i weighed 129lbs. I assure i weigh nowhere near that now lol and still feel comfortable. I wear a cotton coulatte (think light white airy thin shorts as my "slip" which keeps my legs from rubbing and keeps me cooler. I love it. While I did it more for faith reasons, I never dreamed it would be the most comfortable weigh I've dressed. Thanks for sharing
I also started dressing like this for religious reasons and I would never go back. Skirts are super comfortable and I like not having to worry to much about how I look when my clothing mostly hides my body. It also helped me learn to care less about looking and dressing differently than everyone around me and what they thought.
I started to wear 40s and 50s style clothing last year, and havent looked back, the closest thing I have right now to being modern is a moto jacket and I am getting a black high wasted skinny jeans, however it fits what I like. I am sooo so much more comfortable in vintage clothing than I was in just Jean's and a tshirt.
I have wearing a lot more dresses too. Many of them are more modern, but loose and flowing. I like the 16th century, but I haven't found the courage to wear them every single day after work.
Also one thing I've noticed, if you put a stay on before eating it would probably make you eat just the right amount, you know what I mean? You eat until you're full, but not to the point of bloating because then it gets uncomfortable
6:35 - One of the most brilliant things I've ever heard from a young person on TH-cam! My mum was alive in the 1950s, when the term for what you're describing was *"leaving something to the imagination."*
Not only does historic clothing make my body fit whatever shape I want it to without fail, it makes my own “ideal shape” completely customizable to what I want to look like and that is so low key powerful it’s crazy.
Right?!? Let's do it! For real after binging several similar channels, I AM FOR IT! I'm going to start making my own clothes and dressing like this (and some other eras ☺️). I've always wanted to so I don't know why I have caved this long. I am SO ready for this change. And I'm super excited!! 🖤✌🏼
My daughter suggested I watch this since I wear mid 19th Century clothing a lot. My shirt is cotton but has linen sleeves and my coat is wool which keeps you warm even when wet, which cotton will not. Thanks for making this video. Dave
I had a dress history professor who made the argument that a lot of our "corsets are cages for women that deforms their organs!" myths stem from the dress reformers of the late Victorian period, who themselves were reacting against industrial corsets with rigid steel boning and off the rack sizes that could become quite uncomfortable (Imagine a poorly fitted steel bone digging into your hip....yikes). Of course poorly made industrial corsets were the perfect icon for a group looking to separate themselves from industrialization, and so much of which was centered around a "truth to material," and the overall late 19th century fixation with health. I think I remember from one of the sources (I'll have to remember who said it) that exactly what many of these reformers were against *was* the fact that bodies were molded into shape, and that it was representative of a dishonesty towards nature. They thought that the only way to achieve this authenticity of form was by putting attention towards the body itself. It's amusing that they didn't have the foresight (considering, all of fashion history) that when you make the authentic forms of the body itself into the decorated object, then the forms of the body also becomes the object of fashion's changing attitudes. I find it funny how many people involved in historical dress and their (completely accurate) cases against fast (read: industrialized) fashion. Meanwhile, the experience with dress is so positive because it's custom made clothing constructed entirely to fit your body. It's the same argument those reformers were making, but the forms are switched around. Anyway, I love that people are talking about this!
Oxford Comma I have no idea what Amelia Bloomer’s reaction to the Brazilian butt lift or liposuction would be This definitely isn’t what she would have wanted
That actually makes a lot of sense, thank you for pointing this out! I remember reading somewhere that the whole phenomenon of tightlacing (and the myths connected to it) also originates from the spread of ready-made corsets. Their steel bones and metallic eyelets combined with criss-cross lacing allowed to clinch the woman's waist ridiculously tight, which just wouldn't be possible with baleen/reed boning and hand-stitched eyelets.
I have a Midwest 1890's dress that my cousin made for me. It is my favorite outfit and the most comfortable thing I own. I noticed many of the same things you talked about when I dressed for Silver Dollar City. The protection offered by those fashions is unparalleled! Here, in Missouri, we've got ticks and prickle patches that catch on jeans but not those dresses with the ruffled hems. Sheer brilliance!
Honestly the whole reason I got interested in historical fashion was because I noticed the further back in time you went the more practical clothes became
"today you can wear jeans and a t shirt regardless of what time of year it is, but in the 18th century you had to dress for the climate" *laughs in scottish*
The comfort you feel while wearing your clothing is exactly how I felt while pregnant. I never felt more comfortable in my life. My round belly was my round belly and that was that lol I loved it!
Same here! As someone who always wished I had a flatter stomach and hated that I had a “pooch” all the time, I felt total fashion freedom with both of my pregnancies, and wore form fitting things that I would have never worn otherwise!
This blew my mind. I'd never thought about old-fashioned clothes that deeply, but I can see they're more practical in a lot of ways. I've been trying to get hold of wool and cotton jumpers for years now, the winter is cold: acrylic is everywhere! And I do feel exposed in skinny jeans. Finally someone said it! Thanks for this.
Hi Abby, I wanted to share with you some interesting things I’ve noticed from my own experience of choosing to dress in an “uncommon” and modest sort of way. Three years ago, I converted to Islam. When I converted, I decided to cover my body, and while that evolved, it was essentially the same concept across the board. Everything but my face, hands and feet were covered. Some of my clothes are expensive, but I wear them differently than I use to. I buy long gowns that last a long time and these gowns I handle lovingly. I’ve had to change materials of my clothing to suit the weather. In the summer, loose, cotton materials protect my skin and skirts allow air flow. Because my skin was covered, it is soft and lovely. Because my body is covered, people can’t make judgements about my actual body. They do make judgements about my religion and other such things, but not MY BODY. No one knows what it looks like. I have to choose to let someone see it. Sometimes this makes people really angry. They get really angry that I won’t let them sexualize my body as though I OWE it to them. People treat me differently, sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad, but almost always, they are addressing ME, not my breasts or my rear. Anyways, just wanted to share.
Alhamdulilah. modesty is what is lacking in the fast fashion era. We love it that women are not sexualised and women are regarded as what they are inside not how they look.
I am a lifelong sewer, because if I hadn't learned to sew in my early 20s, I wouldn't have had clothes. The modern way of clothing manufacture is targeted towards averages, and if you are at an extreme, the clothes off the rack will never fit. I agree, modern clothing is functionally thoughtless, lazy, ineffectual and as far as wearing goes, mostly a matter of monkey see monkey do. I'm 6'1" and have a 58" bust. I'm tall and proportional, but I must sew. I agree we could gain much by re-acquiring benefits of historical clothing. I put gussets, pockets and liners in my modern master patterns, and have made a single set of well fitting garments every year for over forty years. Keep up the good work... You looked lovely and comfy in this video! 🙋♀️
any tips on how to learn more sewing skills? (resources to go to, etc.) Mainly for sustainability reasons I would LOVE to start making more of my own clothes (&clothes for others if I can :)
@@karenschneiderdavis3658 Hi Karen, just start in. To save you from pattern madness, make your patterns from clothes that already fit. When they wear out, cut them up and make patterns of cloth. Overlock the edges so they'll last. You can buy 50/50 cotton poly blends for pattern making at any fabric store. Make a set of master patterns... one for a basic shirt, trousers, skirt, dress, to start with. Make a set for knit fabric and one for wovens. Add coats and more difficult items later. Mark each piece: Name & number of pattern, part of article (front, back, sleeve), and notes about it with Sharpie markers. Put your master patterns in file folders and keep them organized. Try commercial patterns after you've cut a few fitting garments apart, and understand how they were put together. Experiment with cheaper fabrics. Fit a garment in cheap fabric before making it with more expensive stuff. A machine with overlock stitch will save you thousands of hours of work. I've had a Bernina Record Electronic 830 since 1981, and it has paid for itself many times over. Get advice at fabric stores too... most of the clerks are good sewers or craftspeople, and very friendly. Don't be too concerned about mistakes, we all make them and they're all educational. Start in! You'll find your own preferred ways. Well that's my fountain of wisdom for this morning. The sewing room awaits and I must get busy. PS must mention...Fit for Art Patterns has the most reliable and easy system of ready made patterns. Their sleeves are especially easy. Rae makes and posts a lovely gallery of finished garments.... luscious.
@@jeanettecook1088 Thank you for such a thorough and well-presented answer. Do you make your master patterns out of a particular material/paper? This was very informative.
@Jeanette Cook Pardon me, but may I add to your extensive advice? when I was a young mother of two, I had "no fear", and I could make clothing...today?...not so much! if you have a need or passion, just go for it, at least it will be your creation, your style, your chosen fabrics, and colors! go for it @Karen Schneider Davis, I still enjoy looking at old pictures wherein my kids or I wore my 'hand-made' creations and wonder, " how did I do that?"... "no fear!" :)
@Karen Schneider Davis During quarantine, you could find a lot of classes/ advice online and in books. Craftsy is a resource I like to use, and Pattern Review, but they have a monetary expense. There are probably FB groups that would be helpful, just as the TH-cam video you have found is. You're on the right track!
I don't know where y'all live, but I personally do dress according to the weather (this includes different fabrics whether it is warm or cold) and the temperature of my house do change according to the season as well...
Yep, I was wondering about her statement about that. I'm pretty sure everyone had to dress for the weather unless they live somewhere that has perpetual air temperature control indoors, and only ever hop from the house to the car and don't go for any walks! 😂
i get what she means, we have temperature control on our homes and vehicles where as back then, there wasn't. obviously, in winter we wear different stuff than in summer but it was worse back then coz we don't have to wear our winter coats indoors.
I get it, we have central heating and everything, but I personally live in Europe, so we don't have air conditioning in our house and we try to not overheat in winter time, so we definitely have to wear warm jumpers inside, otherwise I'd personally freeze to death haha
I live in the Midwest US and honestly it's A Thing that people will be like, "Oh I don't need a coat, I'm just going from the car to the building." Meanwhile I'm over here with several layers, a puffer coat, hat/gloves, and waterproof insulated boots like 😳 I think modernity has separated us from the practical consequences of exposure to extreme weather in all but the most extreme climates. If you don't insulate your body when you go out in the winter you're one mistake away from an ER visit or death. It doesn't happen *often* but I'd rather buy a good coat and pair of boots (honestly a 5-year purchase unless you're more outdoorsy) than risk an exposure incident 🤷🏻♀️
I think she is referring to the United States. It depends on personal preference obviously but most middle class people who have their own car do not "have" to be exposed to the outside weather for more than a few seconds. You can turn your car on and adjust the temperature before you walk outside.
![ประสบการณ์ จ้าง Developer ที่ผมจะไม่มีวันลืม [ภาค1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bzivN4KDg-k/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey Everyone! 👋🏻
Thank you all so much for taking the time to watch this video about my experience! I've noticed a lot of the same questions in the comments, so I want to take a minute to answer them here -
🎉UPDATE (Sept 27, 2020) - I've answered your questions about menstruation here: th-cam.com/video/iV2TgwjjhOE/w-d-xo.html
🎉UPDATE (June 7, 2020) - I've taken the most commonly asked questions from the comments and have done a video to answer them! You can watch it here: th-cam.com/video/SN3agbKZVP0/w-d-xo.html
- My stays (18th-century term for a corset) are from redthreaded.com/ - they're a fantastic historical corset company that I adore. (and for the couple of you trying to call me out - my 100% hand-sewn, me-made, reproduction stays are so worn out that they're in retirement, and just because I can make stays by hand doesn't mean I have the time. I'd also rather support a small business that I believe in.❤️Finally, the gown I'm wearing in this video was cut to go over those stays, but if you'd like to see my hand-sewn reproduction stays in action you can buy the book I co-wrote here: www.american-duchess.com/book/american-duchess-guide) ☺️
- While I haven't gone down the menstruation research rabbit hole (cause it is its own subject of study) I am going to do my best with limited access to primary source documentation (which is what I really need to be able to answer this question) to produce a video about what 18th-century women would do. I don't know when this will be, but I will do my absolute best to answer this question, and if I can do some experimental archeology in the process, I will. 😎 (ravenclaws gotta ravenclaw...)
- Thigh chafing - so I think that varies from person to person. I never really had a lot of issues with it (and my narrow hips mean that I will never have a thigh gap) because my linen shift would always kind of end up between my leg and absorb the sweat. However, I know a lot of costumers who will wear split-crotched drawers because they find it more comfortable, even though drawers weren't a thing in the 18th-century.
Ok! I hope this helps answer some of your questions! Thank you all so much for watching and engaging in this video. I really can't tell you all how much I appreciate it! ❤️
I'm thrilled I came across your channel and enjoyed your historical fashion insights. Thank you so much!
Thigh chafing - I use my hair powder as body powder for my underarms and inner thigh and it really helps prevent chafing.
The top link for red threaded, is not working when I try to click through.
Great video! You mentioned incorporating the best aspects of this style into modern day clothing. What im most curious about is from your experience what do you feel would be the best aspects of 18th century style to incorporate into modern day clothing?
P.s. Go Ravenclaws! 😀
Abby, thank you so much for this video - can I please ask you more about the shifts. If it's not too personal, does it ever bother you with discharges? Or what about during your period?
I use pads, because they don't sell tampons where I live but modern underwear is so not for me because of my sensitivity issues. I want to "shift" (sorry for the pun) to more looser undergarments because I hate bras but I'm just wondering how shifts deal with things like discharge and period stains. Thank you!
Edit: Also, HISTORYBOUNDING IS SUCH AN AWESOME IDEA!
Ladies and gentlemen, the TH-cam algorithm has brought us together once again
Too shay:)
🤣🤣🤣🤣😅
😂 yup
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I was just wondering about that. But it's a great encounter everyone.
Hey guys.. good to see you here 🤣
the standard of beauty has moved from clothes to our body
@@Sputterbug Well back then the fashionable silhouette was the shape but not really the size. Like they didn't really care about whether you're skinny or plus-sized since the focus of the ideal is the shape (like conical or hourglass). I think Abby did a video on this topic as well.
I know it was so much better back then
NowadaysI don’t see beautiful bodies on the beach, sorry.
@@cor3944 Every body has beauty, the problem must be your perseption. Or you were just looking at an empty beach.
@@torzimayyou have a beautiful soul ya know, you said that quite perfectly.
I like how you touch on how we in the 21st-century look at corsets as repressive, yet we do many things to our bodies that are far more repressive and controlling and trying to fit into an that very few actually can.
Agree. Though TH-cam did make me laugh/groan when that section concluded and a commercial for Lean Cuisine was inserted before the next portion of the video. Humorous airony right there. LOL
Personally, I can't wear underwire bras. I must have tried dozens upon dozens of types and designs but they always sit uncomfortably or straight up cause me physical pain. Luckily, I found bras with an elastic support band, which are actually perfect for me.
@@kosaragolemshinska bralettes are also a good alternative
oh yes i had anorexia at 14 b/c i thought i was fat.
Agreed! I hadn’t really thought it through until I just watched this. Mind blown. 🤯
Girl why are you low key convincing me to wear historical clothing on a daily basis Lol
Same!
Me too lol
^^^ You guys should wear whatever you want, whenever your heart desires. If that’s historical dress on a daily basis, do it!
Well now that cottage core and regency core are now a thing… I’m 🙏🏻 we’ll start seeing more historical clothing popping up in everyday life
It’s a goal for so many of us watching these videos. Personally I intend to start sewing and learning how to make these things, because not only is ready-made historical clothing too expensive for most people, but size options make it impossible. People in the past made their own clothing (the wealthy had it made for them) so it was always tailored to them…Another foolishness of modern clothing.
When I learned (months and months ago) that shifts and camisoles were worn UNDER the garments that had boning, I began wearing camisoles UNDER my underwire bras. OMG, what a game changer! They no longer hurt!
OMG, I need to try this.
I didn’t know that. I stopped wearing bras because of where the wires came to for the size I needed and they’d leave rubbing scars, that were like birthmarks under my armpits. Since going commando, have dissipated. My daughter has a big bust too this’ll will be passed on to her, maybe she’ll find comfort in a simple cammy under her painful wire bras.
Yes I do this too! I’m so happy I’m not the only one.
🤯🤯🤯🤯
I've done this too ... wisdom from the past. 20th-21th century woman are probably the only women in history who routinely wear their shaping/support garments against the skin and they're all made of plastic! I think I lot of the reason women assume corsets/stays are uncomfortable is because bras leave marks and are sweaty sweaty so we assume ... huge bras must be worse right? But because of material differences, shifts, not having shoulder straps and how force/pressure works when you increase the area ... it doesn't work out that way ...
The house I live in tend to be cold so I have learned the value of a thin, breathable light under layers for warm and also re-discovered the laundry benefits of that!
The whole segment about how modern clothes aren’t made for mental comfort was so body positive and inclusive and it made me feel so good about myself 🥺💕💕💕
I was thinking the same thing! It was such a nice surprise
haleymalinvernomusic it really was!
what do you mean aren't meant for mental comfort?
@@bobbyc.1111 Historically, your clothes made your silhouette. Nowadays our body makes the silhouette and it's up to the latest beauty standard who looks good in what and who doesn't. Our body is on display all the time because modern clothes have no structure
@@Antiikkikauppa very interesting! You are right, before if you wore the right foundation garments, well you looked like everyone else for the most part. The material, style might be judged but not the person persay. Now it's her body is ugly instead of her dress is ugly.
I actually wrote my thesis on how we in modern-day mock people from the past for their lack of reasonable clothing, yet our society is starving ourselves so that we can fit an impossible ideal. Thank you for sharing this message much more eloquently than I ever could.
Austyn Rose They starved themselves back then too though.😐
And lets not forget all the cutting, and injecting modern beauty standards often require... Some of the women (the Kardashians are the worst example) people look up to don't even look vaguely human anymore!
"My ImPoSsIbLe StAnDardS" Sorry but healthy weight is not impossible. Some have to gain weight to achieve it and some have to lose weight. And the designer clothers in all those fashion shows are just the extreme and very expensive and sometimes totally unwarable in normal life.
@@BlackCroft666 A lot of them are not supposed to be reasonable though... Haute Couture is often supposed to be more art pieces than wearable clothing. Like Alexander McQueen said: "For me, what I do is an artistic expression which is channeled through me. Fashion is just the medium." I recommend looking into the stories he wanted to tell with his designs and collections. It's really quite fascinating.
@@BlackCroft666 have you heard of Brandy Melville
Me: How did I get here?
Also me: I need a corset, linen and wool
I want a corset soooo badly
Same 😂 I just found this video and I feel like okay can we just go back to dressing like this now? Like please? 😆
oh my GOD I feel this so much about the "mental comfort". I'm a professional opera singer so I often get to wear these costumes and... when those corsets and skirts go on.. man. It's like. Finally. QUIET. In my head. I have never heard anyone articulate this before. Thank you! x
What company do you sing for? I volunteer for Seattle Opera! Nice to meet you!
Traci Sims I sing for a few different places! But mainly Opera Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia. So lovely to meet you too! X
Emma Nightingale what’s it like getting to wear these??
Sofia P it’s wonderful to step into a different era, sooooo much fun! They are heavy and can be a bit cumbersome, so it does take a bit of getting used to but I love it.
Emma Nightingale id love to dress like that! What periods do you dress in the most?
Oh man, concerning body shapes and fashionable silhouettes, I was just thinking about this the other day - how we are still obsessed with having a fashionable shape today as much as 300 years ago, but these days we expect our *bodies* to conform to that shape, or try to change them, rather than using our *clothing* to create a shape. And here we are deriding our ancestors for forcing themselves into corsets and such, while not questioning our own unhealthy diets and expectations of body image...
Body shape issues 400 years ago? Make a bumpad!
Bosy shape issues now? Get ready to spend a fortune on being cut up and stuffed with silicon like a chrismas turkey. I said it before but, having multiple plastic surgeries turned into a status symbol. Where there was lace and silk now are scalpels and injections.
In modern times we have the same ability to buy our body shape through clothing additions. There are butt pads, bust enhancers and shape wear to move the figure into the "right places." Getting plastic surgery instead of buying specialized shapewear is a conscious choice.
@@TomRiddleMeThisSpock consious choice under patriarchy is like ethical consumption under capitalism.
@@TomRiddleMeThisSpock not really, because woman are told we have to look like this naturally and using shapewear is "lying".
Honest Question: How does one feel when they aren't wearing the optical illusion clothing? Because from what I've sort of understood from psychology and body image is the more we resist our natural shape with things like spanx or Photoshop the more "wrong" we can feel when we don't have those things...
the point she makes about our transition to letting our clothes give us a nice shape to expecting our bodies to fit that shape is really interesting. I've never thought about that before.
There's an episode of the Dressed podcast that opened my mind to this. Once corsets/stays went away acceptable bodies went to being ones that could keep the fashionable shape without any help. A lot of the ideas of acceptable bodies are still so tied up in Victorian morality even though I don't think we are really aware of it.
It's a good point, in prints and sketches from periods like this when the ladies are dressed they have the over-exaggerated waists and figures. However, when you see the more bawdy or comedic ones with half or fully naked ladies (and men) they are drawn rounder and plumper. So even back in the day, the were not trying to hide that the cloths change the natural form, nor did they expect the ladies bodies to be naturally shaped like that without the clothing.
Fast forward to now when people obsess over a small blemish, is the thigh gap wide enough and my waist tiny enough on photos, just shows how sad a state "beauty standards" are now.
I never thought of it either. It's an interesting commet on society's expectations.
Yeah, mee too!
While I haven't explicitly thought of it, I have had that gripe with modern clothing. I prefer vintage clothing like vintage sundresses because they have a form to them. Modern clothing just kind of looks terrible on almost everyone. The shirts are like trash bags and the pants are like plastic wrap. It really only looks good on teens, but adults wear this stuff. It's really a shame you can't find clothing that helps give you a nice figure these days. It's like our fashion has devolved to the point we're wearing, essentially, underwear.
"You can't hide behind modern clothes"
That's why I never feel comfortable wearing just leggings outside of home. Because I always feel like I need to cover my @ss with either a skirt, dress, or shorts, or just wear jeans and be done with it... But when I replicate historical clothing (with what I have on hand) I feel comfortable and happy. Yes, my anxiety makes me feel anxious about getting looks, but they clothes themselves make me feel happy. Sitting on the couch with a long skirt just means that I have a portable blanket
And to be fair... Leggings aren't pants so everyone should cover their ass, no matter how fit it is, IMO. Lol
@@nonyabidness5708 I don't really understand that, it's not like asses are a menace to society so why is it such a big problem if you can see someone's ass under leggings lmao
Leggings are opaque tights (with the foot cut off), they're not pants/trousers. They're meant to be layered under a long garment such as a dress.
@@Ri57490 Wait really? I didn't actually know that until now!
Yes this! I always feel much more comfortable in my (accessible) historical clothes, it covers me up so nicely.
I don't know why anyone would think that people in the "olden days" were dumb. After years of reading books on pioneers and rural life in many different cultures I am filled with admiration and fascination for their intelligence and ingenuity. Technology has advanced, not people.
Technology advanced yet their architecture is superior.
Do you actually have any recommendations on good books about pioneers/rural life because I'm interested! 😅
Technology advanced, yes, but i think the thing that people have the knee-jerk reaction to is actually the unknown dangers they faced. Like asbestos seemed like such a good idea until it became known that it was damaging. Arsenic or other poisons in makeup. Rapidly growing cities with poor waste management. Hygiene being as important as it is in regards to medical aid and cross contamination.
Humans are very good at surviving, which is how we've made it this far, but i don't think that anything should necessarily be said about changes in intelligence. Your statement is correct that it is not the people who have advanced.
Lauren Knicely I recommend “Oh, Pioneers” and “My Antonia” both by Willa Cather. Beautiful books about the pioneers in the American Midwest. Also “A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains”, I forget the author, is amazing. It’s a British lady’s actual journal as she traveled through Colorado in its founding days. I have a hard time reading nonfiction, and I couldn’t put it down.
@@amycortez3289 Thank you so much for your recommendations, they sound wonderful! I will definitely pick them up! :)
Oh so much yes. I was trying to explain to a friend years ago that getting rid of corsets and girtles and the like wasn’t freeing because now we were expected to alter our bodies to fit a shape rather than just our clothing.
And bodies are harder to tailor.
And more expensive.
@@ladyofnoxus6733 and far riskier
@@Call-me-Al We don't have that level of nano technology yet!
it might be expected by some for women to be a certain shape but that doesn't mean we have to fall for it. Why did we have to be that shape with a corset then or by dieting or surgery etc now?? We do NOT.
There are tons of ads for gaining and losing weight from the same time as corsets and girdles. There was still a fashion and an ideal based on how the physical body looks. It's fine not to go along with it, but it exists.
I remember when the live action Cinderella came out and everyone was freaking out over her waistline. They figured they either used CGI to shrink it down, or they corseted her so tightly that her waist was minuscule. I just kept thinking 1) Her waist is pretty small anyway so of course the corset she’s wearing will bring it in more. 2) The skirt had a crazy amount of volume so the optical illusion is of course going to make her look tiny. The lack of common sense was crazy to me, even before I knew anything about the reality of corsets and historical dress.
She's out of breath a lot in the ball scenes, whereas she looks comfortable with her maid costume. So tight lacing and no seasoning for the ball scenes? Dunno
*I'm correcting my statement here a bit, after reading so many news article that confronted Lily on her waist, she didn't do the liquid diet for a long period of time, she did them when she was wearing a corset, keep in mind too the shooting and photoshoot with the gown on is not just a 2 days thing,, the lead costume designer also makes her wear that corset everyday, as they thought it was a ritual, while it's not in a long period of time, she does state she can only have soup when she is in that ball gown, so my apologies on that part, but I am still not wrong on my other statements*
She even looks out of breath in many of the scenes(despite her masking it with her expression), as shown in her collarbone and heavy breathing during the ball scene,
So in conclusion, yes, she is doing a tight lacing, other aspect of the dress helped to exaggerate the waist image even more, I know lots want to keep the fairytale aspect of it alive but why the director wanted her to have a super small waist is to fit into the word *So delicate you can wrap your hand around it* from the Cinderella story
Also the ruffles around the shoulder create volume there, so creating more emphasis on the waist and the hourglass shape
and not just the skirt...but the collar too...
so much tulle.
JustAnotherPotato
There is historical precedent for lacing the corset tighter under ballgowns than under everyday clothes, so that sounds very likely.
And suddenly I want to dress like an 18th century woman! Stays! and full skirts? YES PLEASE
I’m gonna be manifesting the day where we go back to dressing that way again🙌
1890s through like 1919 has some amazing silhouettes that just like bringing down the shoulder puff a little bit no one would freaking know it's a historical garment. When I finish this semester University I'm going to throw it on start making myself some clothes
It's called history bounding and I am super into it. watch Bernadette Banner for more information
Always have wanted to, as long as i can remember.
Let's make this a thing! I'm totally in.
How do I get started on dressing like this? I don’t just want to wear costumes, I want to wear the clothing of the period with the proper construction of the garment. I now have a wood burning cook stove, which I love to use but my clothes are flammable and just the other day, my robe began to smoke.
People: she must of been so uncomfortable
Me with back pains: man she must have been really comfortable
YES!!! It's my dream to have a corset made specially for me to help back pain and posture.
Fabieli Mueller I didn’t know those were a thing I’ll look into those, my main goal right now is to put cups on my corset for the extra support
Haha me too im like i bet that feels good for your back 😂😂😂
Same. I made a corset and wear it sitting at my desk. Instant back relief it’s amazing.
Really interesting point... I have pretty extreme scoliosis and I hate my back brace, but it does the job... this might be a better solution. 🤔
I watched this video with my 2 year old daughter and she said, “She’s a princess!” With so much excitement.🥰
Aww I hope, you told her that she's the real princess?! Is she too young to watch the last Cinderella movie? I loved it. I loved Ella Enchanted too but I think, that has a scary, dragon in it, it may upset her. X
Mathona Moore I remind her everyday!🥰 I am so happy you brought those two movies to my attention. I will definitely introduce them to her! She loves dragons, so she may enjoy.❤️
@Iliana Grenwalt, My apologies, I always forget, it's not' Ella Enchanted' just 'Enchanted.' I am sure there are more Cinderella movies but I loved Amy Adams, that played her in it. Most of ' Enchanted' (2007) is benign. Google - Enchanted the dragon scene - first then, you'll understand me. It is scary, loud and dark but most of the movie is lovely. I'm 46 and I have seen it, many times. Lol it takes me away to this fantasy land. I love ba boys but 2 years old, is a really adorable age. Your girl must be so cute. I know, she's a baby but if you watched the movies with her and chat with her about the lovely dresses and their colours,shoes etc I'm sure it won't harm her. You just switch over if a bit isn't suitable but you know this. Enjoy her beautiful baby because my only baby lol is now 6 feet 23 year old young man. The years flew by. Oh, I'm not into comedies but I liked this 'Hot Tub Time Machine.' If you like the 1980s then you'll like that. God bless xx ps. Search hard and you will find it free on line. It takes a few good trys to get it.
My 3yo little girl said the same thing 2!
Melissa S. It’s the cutest thing!!❤️
As a historian I agree whole heartedly with you. People were not stupid. They were very smart in so many ways. Natural fibers all day please.
Mimi C Panama hats and boater hats were really nice tho! They were everywhere back then.. for some reason.. yet everyone now doesn’t really acknowledge em at all. I’ve seen people wearin’ fedoras and on really rare, special occasions, top hats. No boater hats though.. never in my life have I seen someone actually wear one lol
One of the many pictures with the hats is the one with Houdini about to go in some water.. idk what it’s called but ye
@@mimic7118 maybe so men would look taller- their own optical illusion?
I used to sing opera in stays and I loved it. I could breathe just fine and as a larger bosomed woman, I loved how “sturdy” I felt. I never needed to worry that anything was shifted and that I was exposing too much. Things stayed where they were supposed to, thanks to the stays. I totally feel you on the “private body” part of the 17th century clothes. Gosh. You nailed this. Well done!
Fellow opera singer here too! I loved wearing the corsets, sometimes it did half the work on stage for me so I could focus on the technique and my acting.
I love the opera!
Wow, every meal I've ever skipped for a bigger thigh gap heard you so loudly at around the 8-13 minute mark 🙏. What a bizarre realization that we used to use clothes to sculpt a figure and now we place that burden on our bodies themselves. Kind of heartbreaking. 18th century clothing for the win.
When people talk about learning from history they always mean that we mustn't repeat our ancestor's mistakes.
Studying history made me realise that the opposite is far more important. We're always going to make mistakes and even the ones that our ancestor's made because humans are just as greedy, stupid and ruthless nowadays as they were back then. What we really need to focus on is what people in the past did well and what alternatives to our modern way of life and our modern mindset history presents. So many solutions are already part of our cultural heritage! We just need to learn to look at it from the right perspective.
Yessss👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 100%
@@jenniferelizabeth3996 Happy, you agree 😇
Yeeessssssss
As a fellow historian I agree. There is so much we have forgotten but actually could learn so much from it or adapt it to fit our needs and problems.
Or we can stop referring to ‘we’ when it really means ‘you’
Main difference to me : Clothes were also made to fit the body, everything was actually tailored to one's unique body. Now it the opposite, our bodies have to fit the clothes.
As a tall woman, it is a running gag, any short dress looks like a tunic on me. I am used to 3/4 sleeves because I have no choice. Getting to sew my own clothes is empowering in that matter. Tailored, fit clothes are the epitome of comfort. And don't get me started on natural material...My kingdom for a Yard of linen/silk/cotton/wool !
I have the opposite problem that all 'knee length' skirts are actually calf length on me. I have given up and just make them myself
Yes--modern clothes here, but I sew my own. Made my own dresses and skirts which I wore every day, and which fitted my own individual body shape, personality, artistic taste, and so on. No need for historic clothing for modesty's sake.
Yes!!! And nowadays it feels like it’s too expensive to get your clothes tailored whereas back then it was most likely the norm! Really wish we could just go back to that time where clothing was that way and money didn’t play a huge part
I feel for you! I'm only 5'6 and shirts are forever short on me! Not so much in the torso so much anymore but always the arm length!
I'm only 5'9" and have long legs but I hate when long leg now is 31/32" where I buy my trousers/jeans !! At least shorter people can get things shortened which I know is a pain but unfortunately we can't add a piece of material on to make them to make them longer
Love the idea of literally never having to go out and buy new clothes because I either lost or gained weight. Just keep all the same stuff and just adjusting it to fit whatever is going on at the moment.
it sounds really nice, I just don't believe it will be that simple for everyone. It will depend on where you tend to gain/lose weight.
This one of those things I would've never clicked on if it wasn't quarantine but I ain't mad at it lol
I’m not mad about it either. 😂❤️
@@AbbyCox
D9zp9
Hahaha same! Pretty interesting actually
Lol!!! Me too, and damn sure didn't expect to have my mind shift about body comfort...
LOL same. But its nice
I'm recently starting to embrace my love of vintage clothing, and even though I cannot really afford to dress in a fully historical fashion, nothing ever made me feel so good and confident like wearing an ankle length skirt does. Modern clothes make me think thoughts like "Does my butt look good in this?", "Are my legs skinny enough for this?", wearing a long, full skirt is just "I have an amazing peace of clothing on me, and noone should care what's underneath". This is the true feeling of empowerment and comfort 😊
I generally wore jeans to work but if I wore a dress or skirt it was long. I worked with all guys (an Environmental office) and one of them asked me why I always wore long skirts. I just told them it was because I usually sit like a guy and I can’t do that in a short skirt...but I can sit like a guy in a long skirt. I’ve never been a real girly-girl. LOL
Cannot agree more💗
@@jenyj89 I'm a lover of pants and longer skirts myself. For the same reasons. The way you sit in a shorter skirt/dress is so important. Pants and longer skirts = peace of mind.
well said and that's the reason why women in Islam are empowered and not oppressed...yes I know for western people a Hijab or long headscarf and loose dress is again one step further, BUT ... the idea behind it is the same...making the woman comfortable in her way she is looked at and protecting her from being just a piece of flesh for display....
@@MoonshineBeauty for this reason I will be revolutionizing my entire wardrobe as time allows, making more and more traditional Indian and African wear (long, loose tops with pants underneath) going forward.
Probably unpopular opinion: I honestly wouldn’t be mad if this went back to being the norm🙃
I would agree, but i think i would sweat a lot lol. I struggle with sleeves, let alone fitted sleeves 🙈
Danielle Rose
I personally would most enjoy if there were no “norm” and everyone could just wear whatever they like without being judged.
I think my back would love a corset. My boobs too.
I’d like it as a valid option.
Mostly I would like mass media to stop force feeding us one single ideal and embrace beauty in more forms.
Holly Smith Most clothes made on the 18th-17th century were made out of cotton, which is quite awesome since it stays cool in the summer and gets hot on winter.
society: "corsets are uncomfortable and torturous"
bras: *blackmails people into keeping quiet about them*
I never wore a corset but it can't be worse than a bra honestly
@@xylypotatohead3947 oh they are so much better. All of my bras have wire jabbed me, but i only had one corset hurt and i bought it at a halloween store (didnt jab me but the entire thing started twisting, only wearn twice)
@@xylypotatohead3947
Corset were made to fit your body individually. Bras aren’t made like that unfortunately.
That is why they were more comfortable
Exactly. I’ve never heard of a corset stabbing anyone lol
@@positivelyme5605 stab, not really but if you do get the wrong size (i.e. too small) or bad boning (also usually the wearers falt) the boning can slid into your ribs and get stuck or break your ribs (but if you ask the rib breakers what they were doing,I'm sure they will say bending over to pick something up)
Oh my goodness, yes to everything! Can we please go back to corsets and shifts now?
Morgan Donner Yes please!
Morgan Donner agreed
moda dunyam 01 why not?
@moda dunyam 01 why not?
moda dunyam 01 do you mean uncomfortable?
Because I’m far more comfortable in a corset than I am in a bra. They’re a godsend to those of us who are big busted and/or have really bad backs. Wearing a corset means I can sit up in my wheelchair for twice as long!
And I feel better about myself, as well as having this mental comfort having all my squishy bits protected. Corsets and stays are awesome! And I’d go back to a corset over a bra in an instant!
I really identify with the "mental comfort" in period clother. Whenever I put them on, I just feel beautifull and that is not something I get from modern clothes. Like you said, with the stays and all the padding and rumps, I can kind of hide in them and that is what I love
I feel that comfort even with just normal 'vintage' clothes from my grandmother. I feel like even a 50-year gap makes a HUGE difference in how much pressure I feel to look a certain way. I'm very skinny petite person, like Audrey Hepburn with a somewhat wider waist, and modern clothes are NOT designed for my body type. At all. Pants gape at the back because I have no bum, or if I find some that fit my waist then they're too tight around the crotch or too short. Shirts expect me to have a ridiculous amount of boobage to fill them in, and all bras are either padded or offer no support at all. Vintage either fits 'out the box' or can be tailored to fit, because quality clothing allows for alterations.
There are plenty of beautiful modern clothes! Of course don't look at walmart for them!
@@glasslinger I think the reference is not to the beauty of the modern clothing, but how the person feels in them. Most modern clothing is made to fit a specific size range and height, and if a person does not fall within that range, which most people do not, then that person will not feel comfortable or beautiful in that clothing regardless of how beautiful the clothing might look on a mannequin/model/clothes hanger. The fact remains that until around 100 years ago, the standard of beauty was based on the clothing and its manipulation, not based on the size or shape of the body under the clothing.
I concur as a man. When I wear historical clothes, or the full three-piece suit (which I wear everyday, and consider almost historical garb), I feel handsome and masculine, and you cannot see the actual shape of my chest, or the size of my arms, etc.
Modern clothes, no matter how good they look, will never make me feel as beautifull as I do in period clothing.
I'm always shocked to see people in their 18th C clothes, and then see what they look like in their modern clothes. Somehow I find 18th C clothing more flattering to most of us.
I wear 19th century clothing almost everyday. I feel so comfortable and happy in it. I put on my frock coat and top hat and walk to the park or wherever. I love that you explained that it's not a costume anymore, it's just our normal clothes. I encourage people to wear historical clothing. I'm glad videos like this exist.
Wow the lack of "mental comfort" because our physical bodies are so exposed....never thought of it that way 🤯
And yet... The Powhatan indians who were actually native to the Williamsburg area wore next to nothing. They were actually dressed appropriately for the extremely humid climate. Powhatan women had exposed torsos yet weren't burdened with the wide sweeping body image issues Abby claims exposing one's body creates. Something isn't adding up here....
@@Sleipnirseight I'm amazed that you've managed to compare the lifestyle of the Powhatan tribe women to the typical average lifestyle of women today. Two completely different things. Their society was *so different* to our own, it's not adding up because there's nothing to add up between those two.
And just because you haven't experienced the whole "lack of mental comfort" thing doesn't mean other people haven't. Like yeah, be you, dress however you want and be comfortable, but also let other people do the same. Some people are okay wearing exposing stuff and some people prefer more modest stuff, and both of those are okay.
@@eyeseehere One, never said it's not okay for people to wear what they want. Two, I never said whether I prefer to dress "modestly" or not. Three, Powhatan women of the Colonial era are relevant as we are discussing the clothing of people living in that region during that specific time. Abby is the one extrapolating those specific circumstances to modern day and making claims that dressing "immodestly" is bad for people's self esteem, and that hiding your body with clothing leads to better confidence and better mental and physical comfort. I'm simply pointing out that these statements and reasoning are fallacious, and limited in social and historical scope. Traditional Powhatan clothing is simply a counter to her specific historical extrapolation.
@@scara_escape_artist In this video, Abby equates English colonial beauty standards and neuroses to modern ones. So yes, I absolutely agree with you that it's inapplicable to modern times.
@@Sleipnirseight They had a completely different culture and different standards. The culture & standards of 18th century western women are similar to modern western women (which are the modern women she's talking about) because we (speaking as a western woman) developed from this culture. Those are the comparisons she's making. There are plenty of women today in other cultures who have completely different ways of dressing and totally different standards but that's not what she's going over here.
The point you made about body image and the fact that you could have the fashionable silhouette no matter how much you weighed, etc. is something that I've also discovered while wearing historic costume, and it's one that the patrons at the museum I used to work at, would always have a really hard time believing. I will *never* look good in modern clothing, because I've never had a fashionably thin figure, plus I'm too short, short-waisted, etc. for the ideal for any decade that I've lived in. BUT when I wear 18th and 19th century reproduction clothing, I look like I stepped out of a photograph or illustration from the time period, and it's much more flattering! Plus, it's all fairly adjustable in a way that modern clothing isn't, especially 18th century clothing where everything is laced, tied, and pinned on. There is just so much flexibility!
Also, I'm totally with you on wearing linen next to the skin, and wearing corsets or stays instead of bras! Much better!
E. Urbach I think bras are the worst invention ever
On the topic of adjustable - I loosened my stays on the fly one day, without undressing at all. Can't do that with a bra!
@@sarahk5412 bras are ridiculous, they have that one inch of size difference that becomes irrelevant in half a year as elastic band streches out and becomes useless.
Really interesting. I have long wanted to make a corset/stays and try wearing them as everyday support for the girls. Might just have to do that now.
@@cloakedbook as someone with large boobs and small frame, stays/corset takes their weight from your shoulders to your torso. The relief my shoulders feel is so surprising!
This makes me want to dress in the 18th- 17th century clothing... even more than I already did.
Me too! LoL
Same
Ditto
Yep!
Me too!
While I don't wear 18th century clothing, as a Muslim woman, what you've learned about comfort truly resonates with me. This is because I dress modestly (or wear long, loose clothing) every day of my life. In the summer I prefer ankle length, cotton, empire waistline dresses and a silk head cover next to my hair with a cotton outer scarf (called a khimar). And winter typically means woolens and corduroy (depending on the local weather). I love my Islamic style of dress and wouldn't trade it for anything. It's truly liberating to not live as a slave to fashion dictates that are not conducive to female dignity much less physical and mental health. Thank you for your video and commentary.
not live as a slave to fashion ! are you kidd
ing ! you live as a slave to a false violent religion and thats ok ? so you may aswell wear fashionable clothes 🤷♀🤦♀
Maybe you are not a slave to fashion but without it you miss the code of “communication” and to control it. So, who’s the slave?
Slave to fashion? You're literally doing fashion dressing yousef like that. Not to mention, hijab is also fashion lmao??? Have you not seen the brands and clothing lines?
Do you think any woman showing her ankles or shoulders has less dignity and poor mental health?
@@cor3944 Just because Muslim women dress in a way that is different to the western world does not mean that they are not expressing themselves. Just because their clothing does not read as “fashion” to you does not mean that it is without appeal in their own culture and that they are communicating nothing by the clothes that they choose to wear.
@@Raven-cd4oy💯 I'm not sure why some people seem to think that the only style of dress that allows people to "be themselves" is modern, mainstream, American clothing. I would argue that by choosing to wear traditional and/or cultural dress is in itself a way to express yourself and "communicate". So many people seem to think that Muslim women are so oppressed and miserable being forced to dress modestly and cover their hair or face; it's impossible to conceive that they would enjoy and choose it for themselves. Almost like the mindset of corsets back in the day...
I love wearing a corset because it's the only time I am not thinking about "is my belly jiggling?" No. No it is not.
As you wear a corset can I ask a question? How did you first get into wearing a corset like I wanna try wearing one but idk where to start or how to do it
@@NyxieLove22 You can get them from about seven million shops online varying in prices from about $50 to $500 depending on quality, style, historical accuracy, etc.
I like high waisted jeans for this reason. But if I were less lazy and less time poor, I’d probably appreciate corsets for the same result!
@@NyxieLove22 I buy my corsets from Orchard Corsets (www.orchardcorset.com/) and so far have been very happy with them. There are a bunch of other places you can buy corsets from (and if you are willing to drop some serious money, have one custom made to fit your body), so feel free to do your research. Orchard Corset also has informational videos on their website (Corsets 101) that explain a lot about figuring out what corset is best for you, how to waist train, season a corset, etc. The videos obviously promote their products, but if you're curious about modern corsets it might be helpful to check out.
Maybe we should just relax about having a belly instead of trying to fix it with either clothes or dieting? Sounds like the same things to me, both not accepting our bodies as they are.
I gasped when I saw the linen summer dress! You NEVER see dresses like that in period movies. I understand not seeing them in museums (they're definitely more delicate and unstable than silk brocade), but I wish I would see them in movies! You always see heavy dresses even when scenes are in summer :(
I know right?! A sheer summer gown in a gorgeous golden hour wild flower filled scene on a gentle hill would be 🔥🔥🔥🔥
@@AbbyCox I've just made a linen shift recently (needs smocking) which I fully intend on wearing this summer, with just a skirt over it. Living the natural/vintage life. If the lockdown lets me...
Do you happen to know if anyone has recreated the white cottage dress from 'Marie Antoinette'?
@@southerngothic4619 it's called a chemise a la reine. There's a video from a show called A Stitch in Time that shows a recreation from very fine cotton muslin, plus some very cool research and background on it. Bernadette Banner also made a video with her interpretation of it.
What is the time stamp?
I’m so glad I’m not the only one that thinks bras are the root of all evil lol.
My las bra shopping trip involved asking the poor salesperson for "as little 'bra' in my bra as possible".
Bras have to fit the wearer, just like any other structured foundation garment. I only have a few bras in my current size, and one of them is hell to wear for any significant duration, because the underwire gets poky at my sides. My best bras are sport bras, and they’re actually corded, so I get some of the same support I’d get from underwire without having any potentially pokey metal under my bust. The only problem is that they’re visible under just about any V-necked top, so I mostly wear them under clothes that are not décolleté _at all._
bras are the root of all evil. They cant really be adjusted to the shape of the wearer and pushup bras just hurt.
costumes and cosplay
Yeah, a bra either fits or it doesn’t. There’s no way to make an ill-fitting bra (the vast majority of them for most of us) into one that fits, and underwire just exacerbates any and all fit issues.
Whilst I agree that stays or corsets make more sense for supporting breasts, I am going to stand up for bras. Even up until the 1970 bras were custom made for the wearer - there were off the shelf models of course, but every town had at least one seller of custom girdles, bras etc. If you try to manufacture bras industrially you need to have 90 sizes just to cover the average woman and because that is expensive, the lingerie industry produces a limited (cca 20 - 25 sizes) range and demands that you make your body fit that. And this is where the pain comes from. Bras - especially for larger cup sizes are a very highly engineered product, so you can't just size up your pattern, but have to complexity re-design it every 3 sizes or so. The depth of the cup, the projection, the height of the wings, the curve of the bra bone, the width of the back strap, the position of shoulder straps, the list goes on and on. So you actually need more bra to make it comfortable - more types of wires, more seams, more parts - but made in the correct way to fit you. And you are not going to find that in a department store anytime soon.
I have respect for this woman. After listening to this video, it makes me want to go out and buy an 18th century corset. I am very self conscious of my body and the idea that I don't have to be is inspiring. The idea that I could wear comfortable, stylish (I tend to prefer old fashioned clothing better anyways) clothes that don't fade or tear in a years time actually sounds pretty nice. I feel like a lot of today's fashion is made to not last so that we as the consumer have to go back and buy more. Whereas, the old stuff was made to last through the harsh weather and conditions. This is one of those videos that you wish you could like more than once.
While I understand the misconception, I do get frustrated sometimes trying to explain to people over and over that natural fabrics, tailored to your body, will always be warmer in the cold, cooler in the heat, and more comfortable than any plastic clothes will ever be. And thinking about how people constantly want to know “how to afford” vintage styles makes me sad becuase it has never been normal to need a whole new wardrobe every few months of your life, and making clothes unable to adjust was pure capitalism babiiieeee. Like I sincerely wish we could take that back.
I like to think of plastic clothes like it is a plastic wrap: you basically wrap yourself in plastic, like you do witb food etc. Try putting food plastic wrap on lol, it's exaggerated but works on one's imagination.
BTW I've only recently started to get into the whole hand sewing, historical clothing etc. thing, mostly through youtube videos. I started to look into the clothes I own because of these videos I found and also because I was thinking about getting rid of most clothes I own. Reason being I gained a few pounds and many of my clothes don't fit me well anymore, and many of my clothes I stopped liking some time ago anyway. I mean I basically wear two shirts that I change every other day at this point. I was shocked how pretty much all my clothes I looked into were synthetic, including polyester. So since I've been wanting to start replacing my wardrobe anyway I am looking into natural fabrics, and I actually started to attempt to sew things on my own because this way I can make sure they fit me well. Also lets me learn a lot about garment construction and how the body works in general. I started to make a corset, among other things, because I feel like if I can make something that sits this close to the body and actually works, I'll understand bodice construction enough to make anything work lol. Can't wait to wear my first clothes I made from scratch to work. My dream is to replace my whole wardrobe, or at least say 80% of it, with custom made clothes. I mean if I don't lose interest in it in a few days lmao.
TLDR Think about plastic clothes like plastic wrap you wrap your body with. It's terrifying, seeing how many (fast fashion) clothes are synthetic/plastic.
Are our modern clothes plastic?
@@curiousme113 yes.
@@curiousme113 If it's synthetic, like polyester, fake fur/leather, nylon, spandex (just to name some common synthetic materials), then yes. It's plastic.
Materials like rayon and artificial silk are considered semi-synthetic since they're made from natural raw material which have been chemically treated to be broken down to a pulp and reconstructed into a fiber. While semi-synthetics are marketed as environmental-friendly since this process uses biodegradable plant cellulose, it takes a range of pollutant chemicals and heavy metals to breakdown plant cellulose and rebuild into semi-synthetics.
@@thesleepy0wl350 ohhhh
We're taught to believe that women in the past were subjugated by their clothing.(corsets) But I believe today's modern clothing is more of a problem. Bras are a nightmare, at the end of the day, you just want to get rid of it, because no matter how well it fits, by the end of the day it pinches, and rubs. My biggest peeve is today's heels. How do you walk in them? I used to wear stilettos, and run for the bus, and after my toddler. Now I see platform stilettos, how do you ladies walk in them? My stiletto days ended after the first time I hurt my back!
I'm older now but even when I was young I never felt comfortable in high heels on so many levels. I always felt like a bent over stork. Some women can wear them, some can't.
Bras - my favourite clothing pet peeve. I call them my 'harness'. They don't seem to want to make bras that are light weight yet actually covers up the nipples properly. If you're a bigger size (body/boobs) good luck finding a comfortable bra with coverage. I'm even a little surprised that throughout the decades someone hasn't come up with a better idea. If anyone knows of any let me know lol.
Bras and heels are the worst! Legit cannot walk in any kind of heels and I feel like an ostrich wearing them. (Although they are kinda nice when you need to reach a high shelf)
And bras. Oh my God, bras. My size is a 38J, so yeah, expensive and hard to fit. And no amount of lift can hold them up enough to where I don't get a buildup of sweat under my boobs that doesn't dry until I get home and take it off! Don't get me started on the back/shoulder pain, either. I wonder if a corset would actually relieve any of the pressure.
Leslie Gann exactly!
Bre Grant it seems like it would since it would be more evenly distributed almost like a back brace maybe ...
@@BreGrant98 apparently its much better. They don't put stress on your shoulders, so it's like a built in shelf for your boobs. I go braless as much as I can, but with an Ecup it's really difficult in public. My posture is so much better without a bra. My back carries my boobs, not my shoulders.
So interesting! Especially the part about how modern clothing puts our body on display and the commentary about corsets. I actually can't stand our modern clothing and feel as though we have lost a certain art in our quest for 'comfort'.
I could not agree more with you!!!!
Do you think though that the art of clothing is still very prevalent but only among the wealthy? I’m wondering if 17&18th century poor women thought their clothes were art pieces ? Also, maybe makeup is “making up” for that loss of art thru clothing and is not affordable for rich and poor ?
Carolanne Wright yes! 🥰
I do think we lost a lot. But it's not about comfort or practicality imo.
Nice (tailor made) linnen trousers, a blouse, wide brim hat and woven leather shoes. That's the epitome of comfort on hot summer days imo... They also showcase skill and craftmanship (or womanship, I guess🤷♀️🤔).
A clingy polyester dress with heels?
Incredibly uncomfortable in comparison.
The loss is imo probably due to about fast fashion and consumerism, tbh...
@@leonamay8776 exactly, and the struggle is, where to find those linen pants that fit your body shape, that you feel comfortable in and not fat, that do not create mental discomfort and you know will resist fo years, not for 2 seasons? Where to find affordable wide brim hats that are not fast fashion made and that will give you this sense of peace and ownership and happiness?
I’m a Muslim girl and I totally understand how much comfort to cover my body, I felt her when she said you don’t know what my body looked like, yea go girl😍
Same!
But your religion takes this on totally cringe and mad level. It's not good at all! Free yourself from this brain virus!
@@ScienceDiscoverer from how hard i laughed my lungs collapsed
@@ScienceDiscoverer wut do you mean? They just cover their body with their choice of clothing, what’s so bad about that if she’s perfectly okay with that and even likes it?
@@python3389 oh hi Python I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you before in another video
One of my dreams has to always been wear a dress and a cloak, so I could walk away from an argument sassily😂
Same. xD
DO IT
Life goals right there 😂
Omg yes!!!
Wow! You must have a lot of arguments.
One thing I don't like about modern clothes for women there are NO POCKETS. Were there pockets on or in 18 century clothing?
Yes! Women had these large pouches, essentially, that they'd tie to their waists under their shirts. Then the skirts had slits in the sides so they could reach the pouches. You could carry a lot of stuff in them!
They had *giant* pockets. Seperate from the skirt, tied around and worn over the petticoats. You could reach them trough the splits at the sides in the over skirt. I think we see hers at 0.42, the stripy part.
Yes right my jeans all only have fake pockets it's so annoying and men wonder why we are always carrying handbags 🙄
I tend to buy winter coats with lots of pockets. Purses are nice when you don't WANT to be wearing a ton of clothing, but I don't always want to carry a purse. Which leaves my jacket to put everything in because if I stuff my jeans pockets it looks ridiculous with the bulges front and back.... Pouch under puffy skirt. I like it.
Yes! I have talked about this before! Rich or poor, nearly every dress had hidden openings in their skirts where they cod access large pouches that they would tie on their waist under they're petticoats.
People weren’t stupid in the past, everything we have now is because of them. And ofc i meant to good things, we learned from their mistakes too.
Well I mean that's true but somehow they managed to forget pretty much everything the Roman's had like aqueducts and stuff😂
such as racism..
i know what you mean, but that statement can be a bit.. unfortunate ahah
R D thing is about aqueducts- some still work in Europe today! People there kept using the technologies - and a big part of the Renaissance was rediscovering the philosophies and technology that was made then
@@thenottherecow3599 Also the idea of not being racist. The Mennonites were a big part of the underground railroad in the 17 & 1800s
This reminds me of the traditional German clothing "dirndl". When I get to wear it at an event I immediately feel like a reeeeeal woman. There is not one woman in the world who would look dumb in a dirndl. Change my mind 😂
@@imakestuff3881 true, Polish folk costumes also super fun
I Googled 'dirndl' and all the images look weirdly sexualised. I don't think I would want to wear that in public
@@Ri57490 maybe try "classic Dirndl" or something like that. It's true that the Dirndl is often sexualized. But there is no women that doesn't look good while wearing one
@@leob9347 I would still feel too exposed wearing that because of the connotations. I think comfort for women is more important
Yet my German first husband told me that wearing a dirndl would be grounds for divorce. That only stupidly ignorant peasant girls and old women would think that means of dressing were attractive. Stupid boy.
That part about beauty standards versus body standards blew my mind
I love how you phrased this! 😍
It fits so well, right? Your phrasing is really fitting. Beauty standards change. With a changing body standard you fall in and out of fashion. Which is so weird. Suddenly you're in when you have been out all the time....That concept is so weird.
The thing I always thought smart about clothes from back then. That they made clothes to last. Where they couldn't run off to the nearest mall to pick up some new pants if they went out of style. They took care of their clothes and choose material and styles that they could use and wear for several years. I miss when clothes were more practical and reliable. Where a good quality shirt could get a lot of use out of it, instead of a lot of fast fashion that starts to deteriorate pretty quick. One of the things that really bothers me, is how much of old clothes fill up landfills, when we should find better ways to recycle and upcycle things.
You can have anything made on Etsy. It's not horrifically expensive. One good shirt should equal several cheapies.
I bought a gorgeous kitsch apron (flamingos and all!) And leg warmers. As well as a Yip Yip (it's from Sesame Street) catchall. Just make sure you find someone in the country you live in. Customs charges can kill you and take a very long time to arrive. Nevdr mind returns
Be mindful of the fact that these clothes were very expensive and hand sewn. You can still buy long lasting clothes, but are you able to afford them? Now you can buy 10 t-shirts for a low price and have some variety instead of wearing few dresses whole month. And since nowodays clothes are cheap and mass produced you can buy another one next season. Back then if you weren't an aristocrat you would most likey have 3 or 4 hand sewn, plain dresses, and that would be it.
@@kertelas4272 Sadly no I can't afford something that is hand sewn. But for the most part my closet is hand me downs, thrifting, and trying to use my clothes to the last man standing. I do have to do a bit of fast fashion because my body is hard to fit and I admit I am a bit too round for my liking.
@@eleanor7 It's okay. You actually can probably afford to buy a custom piece. Custom clothing isn't that far out of what you pay for clothing, overall, in a given year. There's a difference between "hand sewn", "custom", and "handmade" clothing.
Hand sewn clothing is fabric that is sewn together by someone with an immense amount of patience and takes the time to stick an actual needle, with actual thread through a length of fabric - by hand. No machinery more complicated than a scissors is used in the putting together of the pieces. This is way outside the price range of most people. The clothing, provided the fabric was chosen with the same care, will last forever, effectively.
Handmade clothing is more loosely defined. It can mean anything from "Sheep to shawl", all done by the same person or a team of talented people to someone who adds trim and skirts to ready-made t-shirts for "t-shirt dresses". It depends on where you're looking and what your local area steers towards. University towns, touristy places, and places that have a large population of younger people will trend more towards the quick fashion, and less towards anything that involves a lot of time and/or personal skill. You can still find people who will have varying levels of skill in those places (the person who showed me how to choose patterns and sew "to a picture" was in a university town and was a godsend), but you may have to look for them.
Custom clothing is just that, clothing that is made just for you. It uses your measurements, fabric choices, style decisions and you get a thing that is 'made' just for you. It's cheaper than hand sewn, can be cheaper than handmade, but it is your decisions made real.
Do not, please, try to get a tailor (usually someone attached to dry cleaner, these days) to make you a custom garment, if you haven't seen their work in such a way. People get comfortable with certain types/styles of sewing. A person who usually hems skirts and pants, and can do minor repairs on a made garment may not feel comfortable making something from scratch. A person who normally works with bridal satins and taffetas may not be good at wool plaids or doing something with a sheer cotton gauze. It's all in what they do most, what they enjoy making, and what they are willing to do for a paying client.
Piece goods, fabric and trim, can run the list of quality as well. Quality fabric from good quality fiber, is the most expensive part (for me at least) of any sewing project. Next would be the fastenings and supports (boning and buttons and trims). When you look at Etsy shops, don't be afraid to take close looks at the hems and/or trims/buttons/laces you see.
Be aware, also, that Etsy is starting to lose cachet thanks to some of their newer policies. You may have good luck checking through different online small shops (if I knew any names I would share. Right now, people are either working through Facebook or some other mass media type, while they look for other outlets). DOing a general search might turn up something/someone close to you.
Be safe, have fun, and just enjoy that you have options. You don't have to buy cheap stretchy denim while dreaming of a lovely wool skirt. You can save up a bit and have a lovely wool skirt. If I can do it, you can do it.
Honestly, on the area of clothing, we were going backwards. Take for instance a few of the Hallstatt area: they were able to spin wool so much finer. We have not mastered that skill again. And that was the continental iron age!
And it is weird. For a long time, I had trouble wearing no bra during my historical events (again, iron age). Now, it comes natural.
We nowdays are weird people.
I personally really want to begin spinning fibers because I'm afraid that it's a dying knowledge. I'm scared if I wait too long I'll lose the opportunity.
For instance, the netted lace gloves of the early Victorian era are a dead art. I've scowered resources and I can't find any specific instructions on how they were made and it makes me sad :(
backwards or forwards does not exist in history. Humans always adapt to their needs and circumstances. Our society doesn´t need finde wool (as well as other things like high quality throwing spears for example). It needs fast fashion - so that´s what has been invented.
Exactly as she says in the beginning: We have sunscreen and central heating - it´s not necessary anymore to dress so intelligent.
@@isabellaw.6330 But do we need fast fashion or are we just easily-bored and greedy? Also, fast fashion fules itself because when clothes are made low-quality, they don't last as long as they could, which pushes the need for more cheap, fast, lower-quality clothes.
@@lucasmcinnis5045 both. it´s cheaper to buy new clothes than make ones that last. it´s in the sense of our actual economy. This times society also requires all your time for work, so throwing jeans ans a shirt on works fa better than pinning clothing pieces together and handsew your own clothes. If you make that the major hobby of yours it will work but not for the majority of working people. I don´t say it´s good. But it mirrors the way our society and economy works. Just as the clothing did back then.
When I was in high school in the nineties I was a goth, and I was telling my older cousin who was a professor, that part of what I liked about gothic fashion was the callbacks to Victorian clothing. I told her I adored the gowns are would wear THEM if I could. She said, "Why can't you?" That stuck with me. (Although the answer was, I can't because it's Tampa Bay and it's 110 degrees here on the reg.) But the moral remains.
It's helpful to remember that Victorian women wore their dresses throughout the British Empire - including the tropics. It's doable with the right fabrics and construction!
I want to join your historical dress movement.
Count me in
I'm totally in
I'm in
Same
Me too!
as a woman who wears a full veil, I can say in the summer when you wear loose flowing clothing, specifically in light colors you won't be hot at all. When the sun directly hits your body you become hotter, wearing tight clothing traps your body causing you to sweat and overheat more as well. the trick is to wear loose and breathable clothes because when there's wind even the lightest of wind it will flow between your legs cooling you off from underneath.
Yes, I have always heard that the loose, thin, long robes worn by people in desert climates made a lot of sense, protective and kept the air flowing. Not so sure about how they'd be in a climate with a lot of humidity though.
Wait, really? I always heard that looser clothing made you hotter because of the airflow heated by your body. Maybe I should wear looser clothes this summer instead!
YoRHA No.2 Type B i’ve been wearing looser and more modest clothes all my life due to religious reasons but there was one point in life that I was giving up on myself and started dressing like a ‘normal American’ and I was sufferingggg in the heat lool. It makes sense that less clothing would make you cooler but for some reason it did the complete opposite.
@@user-hy5ee2xt6z that's because most of our "normal american" clothes are made out of polyester mixes, so they're like wearing a plastic bag! When you wear those instead of natural fibers, your body gets hot soooo fast
I don't wear a veil. But I mostly wear loose linnen clothing in light colour when it's hot. Palazzo pants, light skirts, blouses, linnen blazers, kaftan dresses etc with sandals or leather shoes.
It's so comfortable! Especially when I add a wide brimmed hat. (which is also really good to avoid photo damage due to UV exposure, btw!)
What I'm trying to say: I absolutely agree with you!!
2 things: 1 - can we get rid of fast fashion???
2 - can we get rid of plastic clothes???
Is that actually the same request???
With you to a point - as a dancer I really love my Lycra/spandex. I've worn dancewear without it before and ugh is it ever hot, scratchy, and misshapen. And for some people, "fast fashion" is all they can afford.
But I would suggest on a consumer level that we utilize our local thrift stores!
Sarah K I think I keep our local thrift shop in business lmao. I used to teach ballet. Lycra and spandex are forms of latex. I know because I’m very allergic to latex. It can easily be sourced naturally. Banana and Kiwi are two fruits with the highest level of natural latex. It’s actually plastics which are hot, don’t breathe well, and are scratchy. Poor quality wool is often a skin irritant and just as I am allergic to latex, I know many people are allergic to other natural fibers. I agree there’s definitely a place for man made fibers. Hospitals couldn’t function without them. The bacteria level would be insane. There MUST be disposable and hypoallergenic materials. I’m not anti-progress in any way. I do believe a bigger return to natural fibers and avoiding fast fashion disposable items would help lower the cost of better clothing as there would be more of it. Even peasants could afford casual linens and farmers traded for wool.
I only wear vintage clothes from 2000 on and I prefer cotton, wool, silk and linen to artificial fabrics. I also exchange clothes with other women and use my sewing machine to better fit them to my body.
Old clothes are well tailored and the circular economy is a way to stop consuming. We can use and reuse clothes indefinitely.
Vintage isn’t 2000 on! Vintage is 80’s at the latest and really before.
@@PowerToolsnPearls I said dancewear /without/ Lycra or Spandex usually feels hot and scratchy, mainly because they make it out of synthetic fabric instead of natural fibers plus stretchy stuff.
I know disposable medical stuff is important (and I have issues with wool, too), but I would love it if I could get more 100% cotton (or linen or silk or bamboo) items, especially sweaters.
So out ancestors were like "well we can't change what we got to work with, let's just add things and tweak this and that to get what we want."
I was reading a kind of uninformed article about 1840s clothes and they talked about how the all-around brims on bonnets were a "moral check".... and I was like.... "It's not that deep. It keeps the sun out of your eyes."
Common sense goes a long way. Too bad some people don't have it!
I love hats for precisely this reason. Can't remember the last time I carried an umbrella, and I don't need sunglasses if I'm wearing one.
Haha too funny, although at that point many people were still being forced to follow the old testament with women having to wear head coverings. So glad we've moved on
🤣
And off of your decolletage to stop the skin aging!
Thinkin about how really baggy clothes like what Billie Eilish wears is the same but opposite
I thought about that too..
Lots of non american people wear clothes according to the season since we prefer walking to use car for everything, and we don’t use heaters and airconditioning as much.
That's normal in more temperate areas, but we have extreme temperates (-20-115F easily, some places maybe even worse) in a lot of places and there's not as much population density so walking to places isn't always feasible.
@@southerngothic4619 haha you're so funny. I've had -25°C at my grandma's (-13°F) and still walked my dog for hours without even needing gloves, because I actually own a decent jacket and some cotton tights that fit under my jeans. In summer, it goes up to over 100°F in Vienna, and since my apartment is right under a flat roof in the middle of the city and has a massive roof deck facing south right in front of it, you shouldn't expect it to be any cooler in there. Of course, heating to some extent is important, but I definitely don't need malls to be 25°C in winter (it's way too annoying to get in and out of your coat all the time) and believe it or not, but humans can very well make it without air conditioning.
Air conditioning is a must in Florida. I lived in a house with broken ac. It was fine during the cooler time but when summer came around it was horrible. I was also pregnant and I fainted from the heat. I had to go live with my friend until my uncle came and fixed it. When I went to England for 5 months to be with my husband and his family so they can meet our son. they don’t have AC. I was fine because it doesn’t get ridiculously hot there. And walking everywhere was fine because I wasn’t hot and sweaty.
Silvia Manrique • my family is from the Caribbean and most people just use fans at their homes.
@@silviamanrique2864 England is the exact opposite from ridiculously hot. Compared to other European countries it's freezing in summer. So that's not really what we all are talking about.
The point you made about being comfortable knowing that no one knows what your body really looks like was so interesting! You are so right about that avoiding the crazy (and always changing!) standards we have today. Such an interesting thought.
Abby: Shorts are made by satan, satan invented shorts, and I will stand by that
Me: you know, she has a good point
From a female perspective, having something covering your crotch is a good idea sometimes. I won't go into details, but they're there more to protect the rest of you from your crotch, rather than the other way around.
😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
@Elizabeth Day I'm a woman who likes to wear men's boxer shorts. When I was younger, I work them under both jeans and dresses. Loved it. I don't wear them now because I can't find them in 100% cotton. Getting ready to make historical undies for modern wear.
I wear bike shorts under every single skirt I have (modern skirt) because my thigh chaffing...it just BAD...
TehMomo I wear leggings for the same reason (but also for modesty’s sake)
I love what you said about the “mental comfort.” I just started dressing vintage, I tend to gravitate more towards 1930s-40s
For me the mental comfort comes from feeling fashionable yet people not be able to see every curve or outline of my body. When I dressed modern I constantly would avoid groups of guys or would feel myself kind of shrinking into myself when I was in line somewhere or walked by a guy and could just feel their eyes on your body. I also grew up in the ghetto side of LA so the catcalls and unwanted attention (from grown ass men might I add) started almost as soon as you hit puberty.
Dressing vintage gave me the confidence to walk into a room or by a group of ppl and not feel like a shrinking violet.
Now if they stare it’s most likely because they aren’t used to seeing ppl dressed like me instead of staring at you for how you look physically.
1930s is my jam! Silk, florals, bias cut. It just skims the body and is so comfortable!
When you dress vintage you show off your clothing and when you dress modern you show off your body.
❤❤❤❤❤❤
I’m a late 30’s early 40’s girl too. And I feel a zillion times more put together, more presentable than I ever do in my modern clothes. I put on jeans for the first time in 6 years... Eww.. They force fabric to go places is was NEVER meant to go. Low rise jeans need to all go away as do skinny jeans. BLECH
I wear 1930s style and a lot of it knitted. People recognise the elegance but it doesn't look 1930s until the hat and gloves go on. Modern "fashion" just looks cheap.
Wow, I always felt the same about the “mental comfort”. It’s the same with Indigenous and African tribes who wore less but just a different reason. In the west they had the comfort from creating a new silhouette and covering their bodies, while in the other cultures the had the comfort because no one was saying that the bodies were gross and the concept of fashion was totally different to what it is today.
Really well done video, i’m a little late to the party. 💕
When I was younger, I used to wear a long skirt with a genuine Edwardian petticoat (plus modern tights in winter), and I was sooo comfortable whatever the weather! Makes me want to go back to that way of dressing 😀
I love this! I’m recovering from an eating disorder and have been listening to Christy Harrison’s book, Anti Diet. She talks about the way clothes used to be made to fit individual bodies, instead of bodies fit in the clothes.
I really struggle to find clothes - it’s not about the size, but the shape of the clothes and how they fit on me. I would love to find clothes that were both fashionable AND flattering.
I love that podcast! It's so helpful! Maybe you can learn to sew? There are a lot of people doing historybounding of reenactment.
You're probably going to have to make them. Or have them made. There are still some tailors around.
Or you can give up the idea of "fashionable" and go for timeless and classic instead. Have you looked into the idea of a capsule wardrobe? Where you only have a very limited number of classic, versatile, high quality pieces, but you customize mostly with accessories etc.
@@pienkunicorn yep. My mother is a tailor (with some additional degrees in pattern making and fashion history). One problem is (according to her) that many modern tailors don't learn how to create their own patterns and designs due to an increased focus on industrial production and primarily rely on adjusting already existing patterns. That's fine for most demands but if you want something truly unique and or unusual...🤷♀️
Hey! I always watch Annika Victoria (on TH-cam) . She makes beautiful things and is body positive. Even if you don't make your own clothes, her videos will make you feel very good about yourself. And very inspiring :)
Watching this just made my longing for wearing this clothing SO MUCH WORSE
Its kinda sad how we can't dress like this without being getting stares or looked at.
@@jeezursilly5252 maybe all of us who secretly want tp dress as this (like me for example) should start to wear it all together so that it will become fashion again
@@l2516 IM SO IN
@@l2516 I have always wanted too! I think I will start! Who cares what everyone else thinks!
@@jacquelynkingery7419 honestly I think in a few years I will too.. We will make it fashionable together:D I just need to start building my wardobe
The part about realising how valuable your clothes are when hand made : I’m currently in the process of making a long plaid skirt using a combination of historical sewing tips (thanks Bernadette Banner!) and my dad’s extensive knowledge of 30 years doing upholstery. I 10/10 do not recommend learning to sew on an industrial machine unless you already have a dad who knows how to upholster 😅
Anyway, I’m making this skirt with my dad’s help and it’s so tedious, and frustrating and rewarding, and there’s something so wonderful about being able to think : oh that looks bad or that doesn’t fit right, let’s take out those stitches or add something else here. It’s also nice knowing that this skirt is exactly fit to me! I’m 5 feet tall exactly, and we made sure that it hit at the right place below my knee, and the waist is just my size. I don’t think I’ve ever had an article of clothes before that has fit so well! and this is just an amateur made simple circle skirt!
I reallly hope to have this skirt for a long long time! And it of course has lovely memories now too, of my dad teaching me to sew ^^
I do after all come from a family where most of the women made their livings as seamstresses, both grandmothers were seamstresses and sewing teachers. Sadly though, I had a few aunts who worked in clothes and car factories making all sorts of things (including car seat covers and such). So I have some insights from both the side of handmade clothes and what it’s like to work in a factory as a seamstress today (at least in the US). Definitely runs in our family!
Sewing skipped a generation or two in my family. I loved being in theater (something covid has taken from me for now) and did end up becoming friends with the costumer's daughter so it was not unheard of for me to go over and be the tiniest bit involved in making the costumes or picking things out for people from their massive storage of clothes. Community theater costuming isn't the best fit and there's a lot of elastic to make it workable for pretty much everyone, but the costumer made cosplay for my friends and i (including her daughter) for years as long as we paid for materials and some of her time), so i got to see some of that.
Unfortunately, it's only been within the last year or two that i've wanted to pick up sewing for myself and only more recently that i've had the money in order to buy fabric and the tools i needed.
I have a problem with thinking my finished products are good enough, though. Made a skirt for my sister and have doubted it every step of the way and am still doubting it even though i already gave it to her
If you have any advice PLEASE message me, I'm starting to try and sew my own skirts and dresses so I can throw out jeans because UGH pants end up being so mentally taxing and always make me a bag of sweat
@@MsTrumpetChick1
My best advice is to watch a variety of people using what you plan to use, whether it's handstitching or a machine. Also, start off with very simple geometric designs (think medieval) to start. This gives you basic movements and experience without the daunting number of pieces more shaped clothing has.
Over time, you'll start to see things you wish you could improve and notice how others have a trick to do it. For me, that was a huge help since it was things like not sewing or cutting straight. Sewing, i can chalk a line to follow. Cutting, i've seen and started using the pulling out of a guide thread in the material to show a visible line. I've found that smocks/shifts are a good starting point, or drawstring skirts, since there is more room for error in these.
Another thing i suggest is, once you get more comfortable, check out the books recommended or used by your favored youtubers. They are incredibly helpful and should be available even if not through your library specifically.
Bernadette Banner is a life saver, I basically started getting into this whole historical clothing/sewing thing because of her. And since I don't have a sewing machine, I do everything by hand lol, which watching her helped a lot with. I'm definitely glad I did take my time watching lots of videos where people (Bernadette, Morgan Donner, Rachel Maksy, recently Elin Abrahamsson and Abby too) sew things and explain it, helped me avoid a lot of mistakes - things I'd never think of like how important straight grain and not sewing bias with bias (it's gonna stretch) is. Mostly learned all that from Bernadette though, she's good at explaining such basics. 11 out of 10 recommend her.
Also I do agree on the "clothes you sew on your owm are so much valuable and you appreciate them much more" part. I'm planning on shifting my wardrobe to mostly hand sewn (by me of course) clothes, just because I ended up not liking and not wearing most clothes I do own. And sewing your own clothes is such an amazing and rewarding experience: you get to choose your fabric type, color and pattern, then the pattern for the garment, you get to fit it exactly to your body, you have full control over and commission to every single detail. At the end of the day you end up with a new, unique piece of clothing - there's literally no other piece in the world, not owned by any other from over 7 billion people, quite like yours.
I'm a professional (freelance) seamstress and I am terrified of industrial machines, fair play!
This was SO EYE opening as someone who struggles with body image and is also passionate about fabric and clothing. The fashion industry has SO MUCH to improve on.
The bit about how we've "evolved" by not hiding our bodies, but what we do now instead (starting at the 7:00 mark) is mind-blowingly astute. Thank you for pointing that out!!
I'm impressed by your comments on comfort and body image. I would be interested in learning about how to modify modern fashion patterns to incorporate these silhouette adjustments.
I realize that even as late as the 1970/80s fashions were designed to wear with a girdle. We've forgotten that we didn't have to have a perfectly smooth contour, because your girdle, panty hose and torpedo bra sorted all that out.
Yup, and now we have pushups and spanx. Shapewear is still very much a thing today. But in the era of the influencer somehow those are no longer acceptable so people are modifying their bodies to get that same look and it is scary AF. Then again, in the era of the nude dress (Marlene Dietrich did nude illusion, nowadays it's mostly just nude), shapewear would be too visible. Personally, I'm all for empowering women to show skin, but if you say showing skin is good and then shun those who show the 'wrong' type of skin...?
Rebeca Stanca I agree, it’s a slippery slope. I grew up in California in the 70s and 80s, and I was in despair because even underweight, my hips were still too big and stuck out in shorts. I remember trying to buy jeans in high school, when GAP first started doing jeans for hips, but you had to have a tummy as well. So I looked crap no matter what I wore. And who can miss the blatant hypocrisy of the cult of tanning? It’s desirable to be the colour of mahogany, oh, maybe not for everyone 😢 A rebound would do us some good.
And it freaks me out to see people turning to the knife and drugs to change their appearance. I don't want everyone to look the same, and I don't want to look like everyone else.
Plus shape wear is like 100% polyester so if you want to die of heat stroke (or move to Canada I guess?) you can have the fashionable silhouette... Sort-of..
Having seen some poorly modeled dresses in magazines, I still stand by the fact some dresses today are STILL designed to be worn with a girdle or corset. Spanx just doesn't have the right form for some dresses.
Loved your explanation. I'm a Hijabi Muslim and I totally get what you mean by mental comfort in wearing certain clothes. I'm blessed I don't have to wear tight clothes. But a lot of people just don't get it and love to belittle how we dress. And I agree that it's the over exposure, internal modifications and procedures that are actually the difficulty. x
Nobody "has to" wear tight clothes...
@@kayrakaya4719 eh sometimes uniforms disagree 😔
Nobody really likes tight clothing plus no one is forced to wear it either
This was FANTASTIC Abby, thank you for answering questions I've had for ages! I'm going to go a step further and ask this... do you think that if we had clothes that we valued, we would value ourselves more? Do you remember feeling a difference in your self-worth when you dressed this way?
Excellent point.
I find that, even in modern clothing, I feel greater self worth when I dress nicely. I do my hair and co-ordinate my earrings with my outfit, and I feel better about myself. When I just ignore my hair or toss it in a messy bun, or putter around the house in my pajamas, I find I'm less productive, less cheerful, and generally feel less valuable. If, as my parents always posit, love is an action not a feeling, then getting dressed with care could be seen as showing yourself through your own actions that you're worth taking care of.
Oh absolutely! I think the devaluation of our clothing has also resulted in an unintentional de-valuation of ourselves. I talked a lot about this when I worked at CW, how (at least in parts of the USA) that society has begun taking an odd sort of pride in NOT putting value in clothing and shaming people who do put value into their clothing. It's a long discussion type answer, but the quick version is, yes I think there is something to this.
@@bluenuttefly8813 Your ideas are valid: it does benefit the powers-that-be for the majority of people feel cheap and lack autonomy. But I don't know if it's a conscious conspiracy. I don't think any elite people ever sat down and said "Let's chip away at people's self esteem by gradually devaluing their clothing." More likely it's a subconscious expression of value on many levels: the purchasers demanding high variety and low cost, the purveyors looking to make the greatest profit by underpaying the makers, and the makers thinking "let's just throw it together as fast as possible, since we're underpaid anyway." In other words, in modern fast fashion, disrespect and devaluing runs in all directions. Learning how to sew is a time consuming yet ultimately powerful way to opt out of the system. I love making my own clothes! Good luck to you.
Maybe if we valued ourselves, we would value our clothes and everything about and around us more.
You explained how I feel when wearing the hijab better I can as a hijab-wearing Muslim woman. There is a great deal of mental comfort in privatizing my body when practicing the hijab.
Do you wear makeup?
Don't need to wear a hijab to privatize your body.
khadijo Abdi Yes I can totally feel You on that, I,m not Muslim and I am conscious about "western fashion" trying to empower woman only as long as it involves nudity. Even now wearing the covid mask feels kind of relieve. Freedom is choosing if You want to cover or not. Bless You all sisters, bikini or Burkini it,s ok as long as it,s You who decides on it that same day.
khadijo Abdi, that was exactly my thought when she talked about the mental comfort of hiding her true body shape underneath the layers of clothing; that that must be how a Muslim woman wearing a niqab/abaya or burka must feel.
Same. I follow a "prudent" Christian (think Mennonite ) dress code and it is rather freeing actually. I go MONTHS without shaving because no one's ever going to see my legs and dresses are WAY more comfy than pants. Ha
Shoes first corset second. I learnt that from my cybergoth days..
Yup yup -- stockings before stays!
I want to dress vintage and I’m looking for exactly those things! Can you explain why shoes first?
@@hbanana7 you can't *really* bend that well with your corset on, so always shoes first.
Ps: that also apply to petticoats.
@@hbanana7 yep, as Deborah said, you can't really bend all that well in corsets, certainly nowhere near as well as what you can in modern clothing. This is because of the boning and other structural support elements in corsets. While it makes them great for posture support and enhancement, which can help with back pain and similar and can be why some people choose to wear them, it can come at the cost of waist flexibility. While you should be able to still bend at the hips (which is what you should be doing anyway) the removal of that waist flexibility can have an impact. So, anything that you would typically use lots of waist bending (or twisting) for can become more difficult.
Are there any corsets available that have less of an impact on it? Maybe, I don't know. I don't *yet* have a full-on actual corset, just a couple of long-line bras that I occasionally wear. But, even with them, even though they end at the bottom of my ribcage, I can tell you that even *they* have an impact on ease and comfort of back-bending. Although some of that could well be because curving the back while bending can bunch the abdomen up, which can result in it pushing against the edge of a long-line bra
@@willowtabby4926 Thank you for all the replies! As I live in an Asian household, putting shoes on before the outfit will be a challenge. Also I misunderstood the first statement. I thought it meant you start with shoes first when starting your journey of wearing period clothes. ^_^;;;;
Back in 2016, my friends and I took a roadtrip down to Colonial Williamsburg-we stopped in at the milliner's, and you were extremely helpful answering our questions about the physical details of colonial clothing! Two of my favorite facts you shared with us: stays creak in warm weather, and an untucked kerchief ("getting a draft") is a pain in the ass. I just stumbled across your channel seven years later, and knew I recognized you from somewhere!
This is the best argument for historical clothing I've heard on YT. And it's one that I've tried to articulate myself. I often feel like there's a great deal of effort put into "dispelling the myths of corsetry" or whatever without actually trying to explain why. It just lacks nuance and comes off a bit contrarian to me. My biggest beef with any of this is due to societal (and let's be honest, in recent times, market) pressures, of all time periods, forcing women (and to a lesser extent, men) into wearing this, that, or the other thing lest they be deemed "not respectable".
I can completely identify with the notion of the costume becoming your clothing, as I have personally worked laced up and can attest to that form of comfort you speak of. That said, it was absolutely amazing when, at the end of the day, you got to take that shit off and be free. Also, modern underwear is uncomfortable trash!
This is literally what drag queens are doing now now that I think about it lol. Pad, shape, create silhouettes, make their own clothing accustomed to their body
I hope that at some point people will just wear whatever they want everywhere. Like a wedding dress at school. People would walk around in clothes from different time periods and discover what they actually want to wear.
That would mean their clothes are probably not mass produced. Just observing.
I would love this & I think we are moving towards this thanks to TH-cam & Social media - I can't wait to see how much society shifts over the next few years in regards to dressing for one's self!
Just go, no-one is telling you no! (Except if there are some stupid ”rules”...)
That sounds like it would be fun and interesting!
When I was in second grade there was a morning where I was too lazy to put on clothes. My dad was very strict on sending me to school and I was so happy for my new night gown. So I went to school wearing that 😂 only 1 girl commented on it and bullied me lol. So in my defense I was telling her it wasnt a night gown, but at the same time I was like... does it have to keep this specific title to it, because it looks like any other T-shirt dress.
I really like the practicality of historical cloths. They are adaptable in size and you can add layers for added warmth. Breathing fibers, thoughtful cuts . . . I realy like that
I ride horses and always wear a corset when on a long ride. It supports my back and (in draughty weather) keeps the muscles warm. I can ride for miles. Nothing restrictive about it at all.
Interesting video! Love how you do you. Modern clothes can still be about optical illusion though. No need to wear a T-shirt and leggings. Eg. wear a structured, knee-length A-line skirt and your butt, hips, thighs will remain more or less a mystery to everyone around you. You can de-emphasize body parts you don't like and emphasize those you do with modern fashion. Even more so than in the old days, I'd say. But what was so enlightening about this video is that you're saying this wasn't even necessary back then because fashion was flattering to all body shapes regardless.
It's also that most modern people are not educated on dressing for their body type / complexion, the focus is on trends, sizing is awful and rigid, and quality of high street clothes is generally bad. So yeah, this video was inspiring. I love the idea of a curated wardrobe with timeless pieces that make your body type and complexion shine, and that you can love and truly care for because they were made with love and attention.
And yes to corsets! So far, I've worn corsets only as part of costumes, but they always raised my confidence. Not because of my body shape at all, but because the feeling of the corset made me feel grounded, like I knew where I began and ended. My mind wouldn't whirl out of my body, I stayed rooted in one place. Does that sound weird?
Anyway, longest TH-cam comment I ever wrote. Sorry for the word vomit. I had a glass of wine, it makes me talkative.
"modern people are not educated on dressing for their body type / complexion" I actually think that's part of the problem too - focusing too much on your body type or skin undertone or whatever, making women feel like there's some colors or shapes of clothing that they aren't "allowed" to use because god forbid a "pear-shaped" woman wears skinny jeans or whatever. For me, part of the appeal in Abby's video is exactly that in old times that wouldn't have mattered as much. And of course this is just a personal opinion, but those "dress for your body shape / skin undertone / whatever", for me, are crap, as they try to narrow all the complexities of what might look good on a single individual person to one single, abstract aspect / theory. Just as a personal example about "complexion", my skin undertone is decidedly warm, and every article on the subject insists that I *must* wear warm tones, but I just look awful in them, they make me look almost jaundice-like. The moment I ditched them for cool tones was the moment I started receiving compliments about my clothes and makeup (I love classic makeup but it never looked good on me, until I finally had an epiphany and ditched the classic red lipstick and started using berry tones instead). I'm also heavily pear-shaped, and I only found my style, that makes me feel wholly like myself, when I started to buy clothes focused on what I love and not on what would hide / balance my hips. Realizing that it's not about dressing for my body type or complexion, but about dressing for me as an individual made ALL the difference.
Hello Abby. I started dressing modestly in September of 2019. I have never felt more comfortable physically or in my mind. I wear either dresses, long skirts or skirts below my knees. I have loathed tight clothing my whole life, even when i weighed 129lbs. I assure i weigh nowhere near that now lol and still feel comfortable. I wear a cotton coulatte (think light white airy thin shorts as my "slip" which keeps my legs from rubbing and keeps me cooler. I love it. While I did it more for faith reasons, I never dreamed it would be the most comfortable weigh I've dressed. Thanks for sharing
I also started dressing like this for religious reasons and I would never go back. Skirts are super comfortable and I like not having to worry to much about how I look when my clothing mostly hides my body. It also helped me learn to care less about looking and dressing differently than everyone around me and what they thought.
You mean comfortable way not comfortable weigh
I started to wear 40s and 50s style clothing last year, and havent looked back, the closest thing I have right now to being modern is a moto jacket and I am getting a black high wasted skinny jeans, however it fits what I like. I am sooo so much more comfortable in vintage clothing than I was in just Jean's and a tshirt.
I have wearing a lot more dresses too. Many of them are more modern, but loose and flowing. I like the 16th century, but I haven't found the courage to wear them every single day after work.
May I ask where you get your coulatte? I’m moving in that direction too, totally done with modern undies. Thanks!
"Throw down at the Indian buffet" is a mood.
so jarring to hear someone dressed in 1700s clothes saying "spill the tea!" but i'm so here for it lolll
But they did spill the tea back then.... into the Boston Harbor.
😂
Alex J. Reil very true 😂 i was just talking about it as a colloquial expression tho lol
Not to mention the tattoo!
Also one thing I've noticed, if you put a stay on before eating it would probably make you eat just the right amount, you know what I mean? You eat until you're full, but not to the point of bloating because then it gets uncomfortable
Definitely! I would always put my stays on before eating because the other way is just uncomfortable.
6:35 - One of the most brilliant things I've ever heard from a young person on TH-cam!
My mum was alive in the 1950s, when the term for what you're describing was *"leaving something to the imagination."*
Not only does historic clothing make my body fit whatever shape I want it to without fail, it makes my own “ideal shape” completely customizable to what I want to look like and that is so low key powerful it’s crazy.
I think these dresses are so feminine and pretty. I would love to dress like that.....
Right, they're beautiful
Yes, imagine how confident you must feel in such pretty dress! Like a human, not like a popper
Right?!? Let's do it! For real after binging several similar channels, I AM FOR IT! I'm going to start making my own clothes and dressing like this (and some other eras ☺️). I've always wanted to so I don't know why I have caved this long. I am SO ready for this change. And I'm super excited!! 🖤✌🏼
I want to sew a 1860‘s dress, but I Don’t like sewing and I believe it’s very expensive. (fabrics, undergarments, corset etc..) 😭
Haha this is gonna become a guilty pleasure of mine now- making myself an 18th century dress to wear when no one is looking 😆
My daughter suggested I watch this since I wear mid 19th Century clothing a lot. My shirt is cotton but has linen sleeves and my coat is wool which keeps you warm even when wet, which cotton will not. Thanks for making this video.
Dave
I had a dress history professor who made the argument that a lot of our "corsets are cages for women that deforms their organs!" myths stem from the dress reformers of the late Victorian period, who themselves were reacting against industrial corsets with rigid steel boning and off the rack sizes that could become quite uncomfortable (Imagine a poorly fitted steel bone digging into your hip....yikes). Of course poorly made industrial corsets were the perfect icon for a group looking to separate themselves from industrialization, and so much of which was centered around a "truth to material," and the overall late 19th century fixation with health. I think I remember from one of the sources (I'll have to remember who said it) that exactly what many of these reformers were against *was* the fact that bodies were molded into shape, and that it was representative of a dishonesty towards nature. They thought that the only way to achieve this authenticity of form was by putting attention towards the body itself. It's amusing that they didn't have the foresight (considering, all of fashion history) that when you make the authentic forms of the body itself into the decorated object, then the forms of the body also becomes the object of fashion's changing attitudes.
I find it funny how many people involved in historical dress and their (completely accurate) cases against fast (read: industrialized) fashion. Meanwhile, the experience with dress is so positive because it's custom made clothing constructed entirely to fit your body. It's the same argument those reformers were making, but the forms are switched around. Anyway, I love that people are talking about this!
Oxford Comma I have no idea what Amelia Bloomer’s reaction to the Brazilian butt lift or liposuction would be
This definitely isn’t what she would have wanted
That actually makes a lot of sense, thank you for pointing this out! I remember reading somewhere that the whole phenomenon of tightlacing (and the myths connected to it) also originates from the spread of ready-made corsets. Their steel bones and metallic eyelets combined with criss-cross lacing allowed to clinch the woman's waist ridiculously tight, which just wouldn't be possible with baleen/reed boning and hand-stitched eyelets.
I have a Midwest 1890's dress that my cousin made for me. It is my favorite outfit and the most comfortable thing I own. I noticed many of the same things you talked about when I dressed for Silver Dollar City. The protection offered by those fashions is unparalleled! Here, in Missouri, we've got ticks and prickle patches that catch on jeans but not those dresses with the ruffled hems. Sheer brilliance!
Honestly the whole reason I got interested in historical fashion was because I noticed the further back in time you went the more practical clothes became
"today you can wear jeans and a t shirt regardless of what time of year it is, but in the 18th century you had to dress for the climate"
*laughs in scottish*
Snorts in South Texan
Ikr it's so cold especially in January
@@thebookwyrmslair6757 Snickers in the Boston area...we get both really cold AND really hot weather here!
Des rires en Quebecois... (extremes of -40 in winter, 40 in summer. And yes, that's in C ;) )
*laughs in canadian*
The comfort you feel while wearing your clothing is exactly how I felt while pregnant. I never felt more comfortable in my life. My round belly was my round belly and that was that lol I loved it!
Me too and I just realized it reading this
Same here! As someone who always wished I had a flatter stomach and hated that I had a “pooch” all the time, I felt total fashion freedom with both of my pregnancies, and wore form fitting things that I would have never worn otherwise!
So true!!!
This blew my mind. I'd never thought about old-fashioned clothes that deeply, but I can see they're more practical in a lot of ways. I've been trying to get hold of wool and cotton jumpers for years now, the winter is cold: acrylic is everywhere! And I do feel exposed in skinny jeans. Finally someone said it! Thanks for this.
Hi Abby, I wanted to share with you some interesting things I’ve noticed from my own experience of choosing to dress in an “uncommon” and modest sort of way.
Three years ago, I converted to Islam. When I converted, I decided to cover my body, and while that evolved, it was essentially the same concept across the board. Everything but my face, hands and feet were covered. Some of my clothes are expensive, but I wear them differently than I use to. I buy long gowns that last a long time and these gowns I handle lovingly. I’ve had to change materials of my clothing to suit the weather. In the summer, loose, cotton materials protect my skin and skirts allow air flow.
Because my skin was covered, it is soft and lovely. Because my body is covered, people can’t make judgements about my actual body. They do make judgements about my religion and other such things, but not MY BODY. No one knows what it looks like. I have to choose to let someone see it. Sometimes this makes people really angry. They get really angry that I won’t let them sexualize my body as though I OWE it to them. People treat me differently, sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad, but almost always, they are addressing ME, not my breasts or my rear. Anyways, just wanted to share.
This is such an interesting insight. Thank you 💖
💚💚💚
Alhamdulilah. modesty is what is lacking in the fast fashion era. We love it that women are not sexualised and women are regarded as what they are inside not how they look.
I love this comment💕
Lovely lovely oppression.
I am a lifelong sewer, because if I hadn't learned to sew in my early 20s, I wouldn't have had clothes. The modern way of clothing manufacture is targeted towards averages, and if you are at an extreme, the clothes off the rack will never fit. I agree, modern clothing is functionally thoughtless, lazy, ineffectual and as far as wearing goes, mostly a matter of monkey see monkey do.
I'm 6'1" and have a 58" bust. I'm tall and proportional, but I must sew. I agree we could gain much by re-acquiring benefits of historical clothing. I put gussets, pockets and liners in my modern master patterns, and have made a single set of well fitting garments every year for over forty years.
Keep up the good work...
You looked lovely and comfy in this video! 🙋♀️
any tips on how to learn more sewing skills? (resources to go to, etc.) Mainly for sustainability reasons I would LOVE to start making more of my own clothes (&clothes for others if I can :)
@@karenschneiderdavis3658 Hi Karen, just start in. To save you from pattern madness, make your patterns from clothes that already fit. When they wear out, cut them up and make patterns of cloth. Overlock the edges so they'll last. You can buy 50/50 cotton poly blends for pattern making at any fabric store.
Make a set of master patterns... one for a basic shirt, trousers, skirt, dress, to start with. Make a set for knit fabric and one for wovens. Add coats and more difficult items later. Mark each piece: Name & number of pattern, part of article (front, back, sleeve), and notes about it with Sharpie markers.
Put your master patterns in file folders and keep them organized.
Try commercial patterns after you've cut a few fitting garments apart, and understand how they were put together. Experiment with cheaper fabrics. Fit a garment in cheap fabric before making it with more expensive stuff.
A machine with overlock stitch will save you thousands of hours of work. I've had a Bernina Record Electronic 830 since 1981, and it has paid for itself many times over.
Get advice at fabric stores too... most of the clerks are good sewers or craftspeople, and very friendly.
Don't be too concerned about mistakes, we all make them and they're all educational. Start in! You'll find your own preferred ways.
Well that's my fountain of wisdom for this morning. The sewing room awaits and I must get busy.
PS must mention...Fit for Art Patterns has the most reliable and easy system of ready made patterns. Their sleeves are especially easy. Rae makes and posts a lovely gallery of finished garments.... luscious.
@@jeanettecook1088 Thank you for such a thorough and well-presented answer. Do you make your master patterns out of a particular material/paper? This was very informative.
@Jeanette Cook Pardon me, but may I add to your extensive advice? when I was a young mother of two, I had "no fear", and I could make clothing...today?...not so much! if you have a need or passion, just go for it, at least it will be your creation, your style, your chosen fabrics, and colors! go for it @Karen Schneider Davis, I still enjoy looking at old pictures wherein my kids or I wore my 'hand-made' creations and wonder, " how did I do that?"... "no fear!" :)
@Karen Schneider Davis During quarantine, you could find a lot of classes/ advice online and in books. Craftsy is a resource I like to use, and Pattern Review, but they have a monetary expense. There are probably FB groups that would be helpful, just as the TH-cam video you have found is. You're on the right track!
I don't know where y'all live, but I personally do dress according to the weather (this includes different fabrics whether it is warm or cold) and the temperature of my house do change according to the season as well...
Yep, I was wondering about her statement about that. I'm pretty sure everyone had to dress for the weather unless they live somewhere that has perpetual air temperature control indoors, and only ever hop from the house to the car and don't go for any walks! 😂
i get what she means, we have temperature control on our homes and vehicles where as back then, there wasn't. obviously, in winter we wear different stuff than in summer but it was worse back then coz we don't have to wear our winter coats indoors.
I get it, we have central heating and everything, but I personally live in Europe, so we don't have air conditioning in our house and we try to not overheat in winter time, so we definitely have to wear warm jumpers inside, otherwise I'd personally freeze to death haha
I live in the Midwest US and honestly it's A Thing that people will be like, "Oh I don't need a coat, I'm just going from the car to the building." Meanwhile I'm over here with several layers, a puffer coat, hat/gloves, and waterproof insulated boots like 😳 I think modernity has separated us from the practical consequences of exposure to extreme weather in all but the most extreme climates. If you don't insulate your body when you go out in the winter you're one mistake away from an ER visit or death. It doesn't happen *often* but I'd rather buy a good coat and pair of boots (honestly a 5-year purchase unless you're more outdoorsy) than risk an exposure incident 🤷🏻♀️
I think she is referring to the United States. It depends on personal preference obviously but most middle class people who have their own car do not "have" to be exposed to the outside weather for more than a few seconds. You can turn your car on and adjust the temperature before you walk outside.