1900’s in fashion for women. Learn the history of the authentic Edwardian fashion look. The trends, dresses, corsets, makeup, hairstyles, and where to buy.
As the 20th century dawned and the Edwardian age began, fashion belonged only to the privileged few.
The Paris couturiers catered only for wealthy society ladies in their frills and corsets. It was La Belle Epoch, the beautiful age. It would see the advance of modernism, and the culmination during WW1 of the fight for women’s suffrage and emancipation.
This was echoed by the styles featured here in these historical posts.
Read the history of Edwardian style, featured in period films and television dramas such as A Room with a View, Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs. Get inspiration for your Edwardian costume, boots, tea dress.
Edwardian Lady’s Advice on Beauty and Hair Edwardian Makeup and Hair advice from 1905. Hiding freckles, applying rouge, bleaching skin, pompadour hairstyles and more. Complexion A beautiful complexion is the most desirable possession, a joy to every eye which sees it, and a suggestion of health as well as of fairness. Its value is so …
Pompadour with Psyche knot – in 8 Steps! – Do you have long hair? Fancy a Downton Abbey Look? Then you can quickly create a classic Edwardian hairstyle look from this rare little pictorial hairstyle guide for women found in Girls Own 1911. Note: The illustrations show the right side of this young woman’s hair …
Vintage Fashion Reviews – Edwardian Summer Gowns 1905. The 1905 issue of the Los Angeles Herald reviews the latest in evening gowns for those soft summer nights. Pointed, Square and Round decolletage. Elbow sleeves with ruffles are the latest decree in women’s 1905 summer fashions. There is always something most attractive about the fashions for …
Edwardian Beauty – 1908 Face Massager. The Edwardian fashion era saw the phenomenon of ‘beauty science’ taking hold, with patent after patent promising women eternal youth. This product – a face massager -courtesy of the Museum of London was invented by a Doctor John Wilson in 1908 or thereabouts. It promised to reduce wrinkles and …
The Finishing Touch. An Everyday tale of Edwardian Fashion and male patience. 1903 cartoon from The Times Dispatch in 1903 poked fun at that age old male issue of waiting for a woman to ‘get ready’ before going out. Image courtesy of The Library of Congress. Enjoy! Click to Enlarge:
The real women who served as muses to Charles Dana Gibson. The illustrator created the iconic Gibson Girl look of the 1900’s. See a 1904 film of real life Gibson girls brought to life with AI upscaling. The Real Gibson Girls Charles Dana’s Gibson’s pen and ink illustrations of what was to become known as …
In 1906 – Model Evelyn Nesbitt causes a stir at her husbands murder trial – with her outfit! Evelyn Nesbitt – one of the 20th Century’s first style icons was a young model /actress thrust into the limelight in New York when her name was involved in the infamous murder of Stanford White, a respected …
These poignant photos by Edward Linley Sambourne of Edwardian women, taken in London and Paris in 1906, captures the Edwardian street style of a forgotten age. A wonderful set of fashion images found via Retronaut from The Library Time Machine, the Kensington Library blog curated by Dave Walker. A leading Punch cartoonist at the time …
The Gibson Girl. The idealized Edwardian pin up illustrations of Charles Dana Gibson cemented the Edwardian style myth of nipped waists American women, including working class. The Gibson Girl Look – Edwardian Style Gibson Girls became the first 20th century standard of female beauty and style. Named after Charles Dana Gibson, a Life Magazine illustrator. …
Margaret and Francis Macdonald – Photo of Margaret and Francis taken by Charles Mackintosh 1894 These two remarkable sisters were highly regarded artists of their day and were the bright young things of their time ! Margaret was married to the famous Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a member of the Glasgow ‘ Immortals’ in the late …