Hello Hemv2003~
Dresses are, indeed, a huge subject. Entire encyclopedias could be
written about this topic! :) Howeverm, here are some websites that
will help you get you started.
To really understand dresses, you need to know the history of the
dress. With that in mind, here are sites that will trace the history
of the dress from it’s inception to today:
The first dresses were tunics, worn by both men and women. Such
dresses didn’t appear until ancient times. The following website gives
a wonderful pictorial overview of clothing during the time of the
ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, etc.:
http://www.siue.edu/COSTUMES/COSTUME1_INDEX.HTML (site #1)
This web page reproduces the standard costume reference “The History
of Costume,” written by Braun & Schneider, c.1861-1880. It is a
classic reference tool for costume historians.
During the Medieval period, dresses were still worn by both sexes.
Check out “The History of Fashion and Dress:”
http://www.costumes.org/classes/fashiondress/byzantium.htm (site #2)
This site is hosted by Costumes.org, one of the most respected fashion
history sites on the web.
The shift to dresses as almost strictly female attire took place by
the Renaissance (although some men still wore dresses: for example,
clerics). For more information on dresses of this period, see the
Medieval section of “The History of Fashion And Dress:”
http://www.costumes.org/classes/fashiondress/byzantium.htm
For a visual history of women’s dresses in the 17th century, see “17th
Century Women’s Fashion Plates:”
http://www.costumes.org/classes/fashiondress/byzantium.htm
This is a page by Costmes.org; again, one of the most respected
fashion history sites on the Internet.
For a great look at women’s dresses in the 18th century, check out
“Woman’s Dress:”
http://www.geocities.com/ancasta1/woman.htm (site #3)
As a noted costume historian, I can vouch for the accuracy of
information provided on this website.
Women’s dresses changed considerably in the early 19th century
(Regency era). For an excellent site on clothing of this period, see
“The Regency Page:”
http://locutus.ucr.edu/~cathy/reg3.html (site #4)
This is considered one of the very best and most reliable sites on
Regency costume history on the Internet.
Then we have the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Dresses changed a lot
in this period, but for a good general overview, see “Victorian &
Edwardian Photographs of Ladies:”
http://www.cartes.fsnet.co.uk/date/main.htm (site #5)
This site uses period photographs to tell fashion history—the most
reliable source there is.
Women’s dresses altered dramatically in the 1920s. For a good overview
of the look, check out “Flapper Fashion:”
http://www.rambova.com/fashion/fash4.html (site #6)
Again, as a noted costume historian, I can tell you the information
provided here is accurate.
In the 1930s, women were still mostly wearing dresses. For information
on this era of the dress, see “Stylish Thirties:”
http://www.fashion-era.com/stylish_thirties.htm (site #7)
I can again vouch for the information provided here.
In the 1940s, women were beginning to wear pants more and more often.
However, the dress still prevailed. See “Women’s Fashions: 1940s:”
http://www.costumegallery.com/1940.htm (site #8)
This site is sponsored by The Costume Society of America—THE scholarly
organization for the study of fashion history. The same site offers
great info on 1950s dresses: http://www.costumegallery.com/1950.htm
For a look at 1960s dresses (and how they were being overcome by
pants), see “Dress, part one:”
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/4473/dress.html (site #9)
Although this site has no credentials, it is illustrated with period
fashion photographs, which are an excellent source of information. The
text provided is also accurate.
In addition, I think you’ll find this article on paper dresses
interesting:
http://www.geocities.com/vintageconnectionarchives/VintageConnectionArchives--PaperDresses.html
This article comes from The Vintage Connection, which is edited by
costume expert Kristina Harris.
For a visual look at 1970s dresses, I recommend Costume.org’s page:
http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/timelinepages/1970s1.htm
Finally, for a look at 1980s dresses forward, see the Costume
Gallery’s site:
http://www.costumegallery.com/1980.htm
Now, what most women REALLY want to know about dresses is: What’s
going to look best on me? With that in mind, this site, “Flattering
Wedding Dress Styles,” will be useful:
http://www.affordableweddinginvitations.net/wedding_dresses/flattering_wedding_dress_styles.htm
(site #10)
Although the focus here is on wedding dresses, the same principals
apply to all dresses. The information provided here is common
dress-industry thought.
And while we’re talking about wedding dresses, the history of the
white wedding gown is pertinent. For a great article on this topic,
see “The History of the White Wedding Dress:”
http://www.fromtimespast.com/wedding.htm
From Times provides reliable information here. Combine it with
“History of Today’s Wedding Gown:”
http://www.weddings.co.nz/features/gowns-history.htm which may also
be trusted. (site #11)
Today, if someone wants to make their own dress (or have someone make
one for them, fairly inexpensively), they turn to one of the many
pattern companies in business today. There are several “major” pattern
lines available:
* Butterick (http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/butterick/shop.cgi?s.list.10002.x=1&UK=31130444
) (site #12)
* McCall’s (http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/mccallspatterns/shop.cgi?s.list.40003.x=1&UK=31130451
)
* Vogue (http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/voguepatterns/shop.cgi?s.list.20003.x=1&UK=31130461
; http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/voguepatterns/shop.cgi?s.list.20004.x=1&UK=31130461
; http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/voguepatterns/shop.cgi?s.list.20009.x=1&UK=31130461
) (Vogue, Butterick, and McCall’s are owned by the same company)
* Simplicity (Apparently, this site won’t allow me to give you a
direct link to dresses; go here: http://www.simplicity.com/s2b.htm
and click on DRESSES in the left-hand side menu) (site #13)
* New Look (Ditto the above: http://www.simplicity.com/s2c.htm)
(Simplicity and New Look are owned by the same company)
For keeping up on the latest fashions, an excellent website is
Style.com (site #14). Unfortunately, they don’t allow searches, so
you’ll have to browse the latest articles to find the newest trends in
dresses. Style.com is considered one of THE places to discover the
latest fashions online.
To find great designer dresses online, try:
http://www.ladies-clothing.dci.me.uk/clothes/shop.asp (#15)
This English site is an excellent resource for finding modern designer
dresses online.
These days, one of the big questions women ask themselves is what sort
of dress is appropriate for the workplace. For a good answer, see
“Dresses:”
http://www.bluesuitmom.com/career/powerimage/dresses.html (site #16)
This article is provided by Blue Suit Mom, a respected online women’s
magazine.
For a look at the study of sexuality and women’s dresses, check out
“Women’s Dress Fashions As a Function of Reproductive Strategy:”
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m2294/5-6_40/55082332/p1/article.jhtml?term=Victorian+fashion
(site #17)
This theory is commonly held among most costume historians.
Other than pattern, the main ingredient for any dress is fabric. With
that in mind, here is an excellent fabric dictionary:
http://www.all-about-fabrics.com/index.htm?http://www.all-about-fabrics.com/us/dictionary.htm
(site #18)
Several times through history, dresses have been thought so
restrictive that organized efforts to reform it have been established.
On such era was the 1910s-20s. For a look at this topic, check out
“Towards Dress Reform:”
http://www.fashion-era.com/1914_1920_towards_dress_reform2.htm (site
#19)
This information is considered accurate by most fashion historians. A
much larger effort was made in the 19th century for dress reform. See
“The Dress Reform Movement:”
http://womhist.binghamton.edu/dress/doclist.htm (site #20)
This scholarly site offers evidence from literature of the time
period, and is therefore, an excellent resource. In particular, check
out this article, specifically on women’s Victorian dresses:
http://womhist.binghamton.edu/dress/doc4.htm
There's a lot of ground to cover, but these great sites will get you
started!
Good luck!
Kriswrite
Research Strategy:
Researcher's personal knowledge about costume history, and websites
related to it |
