Technically, the Edwardian Era covers the roughly nine years of King Edward’s rule, but historians often extend this time period to include the begging of WWI. This means that the Edwardian Era can be viewed as the period between 1901 to about 1912. In this period, women shed the very full skirts of the Victorian period, but their skirts and dresses remained ankle-length. Additionally, women still wore corsets to emphasize their female figures, with some women buying into a “tight corseting” phase that led to health issues.
The early 1900’s represented a drastic change in fashion. Prior to the 20th century, dresses had been the dominating style for women. During this time, separate pieces gained a great deal of popularity, and subsequently waistlines became higher and sleeker. Separates appealed to women off all statuses, and could be made out of expensive, high-quality material or affordable material. Himelhoch’s clothing store, a popular retailer which was established in Detroit in 1907, carried moderately priced items which ranged in quality.
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- Black top and Skirt with Tag from Himelhoch’s, 1912
The early 1900’s represented a drastic change in fashion in just a few short years. Prior to the early 20th century, dresses had been the dominating style for women. Though jackets could be worn which added an additional layer, multiple pieces to an outfit were not especially common. During this time of the Edwardian period however, separate pieces gained a great deal of popularity. Subsequently waistlines became higher and sleeker, but maintained the length. Outfits consisting of separates appealed to women off all statuses, and could be made out of expensive, high-quality material or affordable material. Outfits during this time were considered quite fashionable when paired with a large hat. Himelhoch’s clothing store, a popular retailer which was established in Detroit in 1907, carried a wide variety of moderately priced items which ranged in the quality. The approximate date of this garment, 1912, was ascertained by a newspaper article from the Dry Goods Reporter, which announced a change of location for this store to the address on the label.
- Edwardian Glass Plate Negative, c. 1901-1912
Prior to the use of modern film, photographers utilized the glass plate negative in order to capture an image.
- Lace Blouse, c. 1910
The trend of dressing modestly carried on into the Edwardian Period. This blouse, which was hand-made, would likely have been paired with a corset and shift in order to ensure that a woman’s skin was not visible underneath the lace. This outfit was considered completed with the pairing of a long skirt, as the end of the Edwardian period saw an increase in the popularity of separate pieces rather than dresses. Blouses during this time period were characterized by dainty design and intricate detail, which epitomized the ideal picture of womanhood.
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