Welcome to the Victorian Era!

Our wedding takes place in the 19th Century, travel back in time with us.

Many current wedding customs that we still use today, began with the Victorian era 

We are trying our best to get into the for fill the spirit of the Victorian Era

 

If you are looking to join the festivities dressed but looking for some easy tips:

 

A Brief History

Dressing the Spirit

Other fun accessories and customs

 

A brief History

The fun thing in planning our wedding is learning so much about a new era. I’ve always admired costuming form the bustle period in the Late Victorian era.  The time of this era spans from approximately 1870 to 1890. This era shouldn't be confused with the time of the hooped skirts and wide sleeves as seen in The King And I.  The era is more like the 2002 remake of The Time Machine or Kenneth Branagh's movie of Hamlet.  The Dicken's Fair is a bit to early in period but fortunately men's clothing doesn't change much, we attended this year's Dicken's Fair to pick up a few ideas and most of Ethan's Tuxedo.

 

 

Dressing in sprit

This past week we’ve looked into giving some pointers for dressing for our high tea reception. Here are some easy tips to get into the spirit.

     

Suggestions for Men

 

The Simplest of  ideas:

Dressing men is: dressing men is: dressing men. Things just don’t seem to change all that much for men.  This is when the Suit that we know of today pretty much began.  If you took a simple suit jacket and add a vest to it, you half way there.  Victorian men liked their suit jackets trailered to the waist was small and the chest was big.  Spats are good in this era as well.  Top Hats, bow ties and Cravats.

Vests
            The vest was an essential part of a gentleman's wardrobe in the 19th Century. It was only ever dispensed with by men doing hard manual labor--though they often sported one as well in order to look "Well To Do" There are a few points of difference between 20th Century vests and 19th Century vests. 19th Century vests usually (though not always) had lapels, either in a shawl or notched style. They also nearly always had a lower hem that was parallel to the ground, rather than the modern vest which tapers downward in front.

 

 

Dress shirt

The winged style shirt collar This style was frequently worn with frock suits, morning suits and evening wear (he seems to be wearing a morning suit). It was seldom worn with sack suits.

 

This is a windsor style tie that works well

Bow Tie or Cravat

How To Make a simple Cravat

Cravats are really the simplest of ties.  They're really quite easy to make.  First get a yard of cloth.  Preferably silk, the Victorians loved Asian Patterns, spacificly, Asian Silk.  If you go to your local fabric store and buy a yard of silk with some sort of Asian Dragon on it you have the perfect pattern.  If you find no Dragon pattern, don't worry about it, just find something that goes with the rest of your suit  Cut the silk into a 6 1/2 inch strip of cloth and a yard long (doesn't have to be exact).  Fold it in half with the good side in and the bad side out.  Sew the strip closed and turn the thing inside out.  And your done.  Don't worry about the ends, you can tuck them inside your vest.  If your so inclined you can sew them shut.

How To Tie a Cravat

I had to look long and hard for this, but it's really quite simple.  You know how to tie a tie?  Then you know how to tie a Cravat.  Simply tie a tie the way you normally would.
  Then, at the last stage, before tucking that last strip of cloth into the knot, just drape it over the knot.  Pull the not tight up to your neck and your done.  If you have a tie tack, stick it in just under the knot.  This should make lots of wrinkles under your chin which is what you want.

Grey Pants (for day wear)

and shiny shoes

 

 

Above is a splendid view of the classic Frock Suit from the 1870s.

Key elements to note:

• Small black bow tie. Colorful ties are seldom seen with frock suits after the 1860s.
• Black wool vest (it might well have been colorful silk in the 1860s) This one is double breasted, but it could just as easily have been single breasted.
• Watch chain. This one is made of braided hair.
• Shirt cuffs visible at the wrist.
• Winged shirt collar on a white shirt. Something similar can be purchased at any modern tux shop. Note that a colorful shirt is never worn with a frock suit. It is always white.

 

 

 

http://www.lahacal.org/gentleman/attire.html

            This gives a helpful hints on turn of the century dress customs. I highly recommend taking a peak. There are more links at the side. This has been the best description of men’s dress that we have found.

 

Working class men in informal attire.

 

Trousers did not have belt loops until the 20th Century. Suspenders were commonly worn.

 

Unbuttoned collars are rarely seen.

 

 

A summer sack suit, of white linen or lightweight wool, with a straw hat. Linen sack suits tended to be baggier than wool ones. (1880)

The most common colors were black or gray, and the pieces usually, but not always, matched. They could be almost any color though, and plaid was particularly popular.

The coat usually had four buttons, the top one of which was generally buttoned--the rest left undone.

The gentleman on the left is breaking the rule of matching trousers and upper garments, and is in fact wearing the striped gray trousers which one is supposed to wear with a morning or frock suit. Since he is also wearing a white tie, he may be a member of a wedding party, and this is his way of "dressing up" his ordinary sack suit, or maybe he is a just an American and doesn't worry too much about "the rules".

Note the splendid tall crowned bowler hat (typical of the late '70s and 1880s), the watch chain attached to one of the top vest buttons, the vest cut straight across the waist, and the bone, wood or gutta-percha (gavinized rubber) buttons. On frock or morning coats, the buttons were usually covered in silk or other fabric, while they were usually uncovered on sack suits.

"The morning dress for gentlemen is a black frock coat, or a black cut-away, white or black vest, according to the season, gray or colored pants, plaid or stripes according to the fashion, a high silk stove pipe hat, and a black scarf or necktie. A black frock coat with black pants is not considered a good combination.. The morning dress is suitable for garden parties, Sundays, social teas, informal calls, morning calls and receptions."

"Our Deportment" 1879

 

 A young man on his wedding day in a Morning Coat. The Morning Suit could be worn at weddings, funerals, calls of ceremony, teas and other daytime formal occasions. In the early 1880s, a compromise was made between the, by then, rigid formality of the Frock Suit and the laid back informality of the Sack Suit. The result was the Morning Suit.

This suit retained the gray, striped trousers and black vest and coat of the Frock Suit, but softened the lines a bit by rounding the bottom hem of the coat and shrinking the lapels.

Further, unlike the frock suit for which a top hat was essential (at least in town), the Morning Suit allowed a certain amount of latitude in headgear, with top hats for business and formal calls, and a tall crowned bowler for less dressy occasions. There was also more latitude with neck wear than with a Frock Suit, with Windsor ties more common than bow ties.

 

 

            Grooms attire, attendants attire

 

 

 

 

Other fun accessories and customs

 

For men:

pocket watches

spectacles (not the type you make of yourself)

Spats

Hats; Top Hats, Bowlers, Derbys

White gloves were an essential accessory, especially when dancing, as touching a lady with bare hands was not only a bit crude, but one's sweat could soil her gown.

 

And your done.  If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.

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