Secrets of an Edwardian closet Check out a complete bridal trousseau from 1901-1908
What's in a woman's wardrobe in the early 1900's?
This is just one source, and it’s not meant to be taken as the end all be all of what was in a woman’s closet, this is just an example of the kinds of things a middle class woman would own. Most women would have owned far less, and some women would have owned much more.
It was a really fun experiment to put this all together and see what it would have looked like! I struggled the most with the afternoon gowns and ultimately leaned on how the article described them and what I already had in my closet. Unfortunately, I do not own a complete set of garments from just one year, so these are all from a small time range of about 1901 (the walking suits)- 1908 (the afternoon gowns and wedding dress) with a few things in the middle like the reception gown which is listed as being from 1904. If this were a real bridal trousseau, the bride would have done her best to make sure all of the garments were up-to-date and stylish.
I hope you enjoyed, and be sure to tell me which garment you liked best!
Sources are also included below.
Link to the Trousseau Article: https://archive.org/details/sim_harpe...
Wrappers & When to Wear them C. The Art of Dressing Well 1870
https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services...
First Wrapper: https://bid.augusta-auction.com/onlin...
Second (Red) Wrapper)
https://simplicity.com/mccalls/m8304
Reception Gown Original, by M&A Shogren, currently housed at FIT Museum
https://fashionmuseum.fitnyc.edu/obje...
Information on M&A Shogren including the cost:
https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/ar...
Reception gowns, and when they were worn:
https://ia802301.us.archive.org/BookR...
Hillwood Museum Info on Afternoon Dresses:
https://hillwoodmuseum.org/collection...
Music:
Plucky Daisy by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song... License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Music: Barroom Ballet by Kevin MacLeod
Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/3418-barroo...
Licensed under CC BY 4.0: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license