Debunking Victorian Clothing Myths, Part 2 || One Woman is Twice Two Soldiers, Episode 4

Part 1, if you wish to watch it: • One Woman is Twice Two...
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[@RychaardRyder]

how fun! I hope you'll consider posting photos or videos of your extant collection examples with "unusual/sloppy" construction as I'm sure it would make many people, including myself haha, feel better about their first/beginner attempts at historical costume projects, showing that even the people then didn't always know what they were doing,

[@KatelynKearns]

Absolutely! I love sharing those.

[@AmericanBeautyCorset]

I love your videos and the myth busting..
I have a silk 1890s 2 pc dress. Skirt and Jacket.
The original was a 1880s riding habit. The skirt is huge. You can see the original seams on the inside of the skirt and see where it was sewn in the new style.
The jacket looks like it was altered several times. Possibly for weight fluctuations, pregnancy, or just passed down to different family members.
It has beautiful embroidery and beading throughout the jacket.
It's in a fragile state and I keep it in a special archival box.
But it's still pretty to look at.
😊

[@KatelynKearns]

I love seeing all the various mends and remakes in historic clothing. It gives a garment more life, I think.

[@pippaseaspirit4415]

I’ve never been bothered about being fashionable 🤣🤣 I just wear what I like, is comfortable, and suits me!

[@KatelynKearns]

I'm the same way in modern life!

[@OcarinaSapphr-]

I think fabric also probably held up better in the past, because a lot of dresses & sometimes even petticoats were lined- so it would make sense to 'turn' a dress, to double its' lifespan...

[@KatelynKearns]

I don't think I've seen any pre 1870s petticoats that were lined, and *most* pre 1860 skirts were not lined. I have seen some very thin silk skirts being lined so that it bulks up the silk.

[@AmericanBeautyCorset]

@OcarinaSapphr- Hi, I have a collection of antique petticoats, drawers, chemise, corset tops, and combinations. Most are single layer garments, with tucks, lace, and buttons. They are all small sizes and still in wearable shape.
Most under pinnings are not lined. If your garment wore out, it was reused for baby clothes.. and after that, it went to the Ragman.

[@Rozewolf]

This is a good description of how people reused fabric. Janet Arnold in her books Patterns of Fashion talked about how grave goods were one of the few items that didn't get reused down to rags that the ragmen would take. Sewists and/or tailors reworked garments all the time. Modern people are actually very wasteful when it comes to clothing, or fabric in general.

[@KatelynKearns]

Modern people are very wasteful in the ways they wear clothing, unfortunately! We could learn a lot on the subject from studying how people in the past made and maintained their wardrobes.

[@SandieMitchell]

Happily watching this video while knitting. Thanks, Katelyn!☺

[@KatelynKearns]

Thank you for watching!

[@archervine8064]

I think you might find some further primary sources by looking for the phrase ‘false economy’. I have seen Victorian household advice writers use it many times to try to warn young wives off buying low quality goods, including fabric.

[@KatelynKearns]

I've heard that phrase, too! I see so many people talking about how fabrics were better 'back then' and it's just one of those things that, they had cheap goods and expensive goods just like we have today.

[@archervine8064]

@@KatelynKearns yup, and Victorian advice writers being Victorian advice writers they often seem to assume only a lazy or wasteful housewife couldn’t manage to come up with the larger chunk of money needed.

[@tiredoftrolls2629]

Just to let you know. I skipped through an ad that they placed on your video as it was for something more than an hour long. I have noticed this trend with TH-cam. They are placing more ads and extremely long ads on videos.

[@KatelynKearns]

Interesting. What on earth could they be advertising for a whole HOUR? That's ridiculous. There's nothing I can do about ads unfortunately to fix it but I totally understand skipping through one. I would have done the same. Thank you for letting me know!

[@tiredoftrolls2629]

@@KatelynKearns I forgot. I try to wait through the commercials to give ad revenue to the creators, but so many of these are longer than the videos and then you have the second ad almost as long.

[@KatelynKearns]

@@tiredoftrolls2629 I appreciate it! I wouldn't have hung around for an hour long ad, either, so I totally get it.