I lived for a few months in rural India and went to a tailor for clothing. It was still much the same as you described. Pick out fabric, pick out style, get measured and then return for the final garmet. It was absolutely lovely. I have never felt as luxurious as when the tailor was *literally* throwing fabric across my lap in order for me to feel the quality.
Was it a man or a woman ? I would guess "tailor" would normally be assumed to be a man (and India was under British Rule for a long time, so would think some similarities). But, India has been independent long enough that the assumption could be wrong.
@@m.maclellan7147 does it matter the sex of the professional? Tailor is a unisex title. This title could also be a modiste or even a dressmaker. If you’re looking for a slightly different title and slightly different occupation, Seamstresses/seamsters comes to mind.
I would love to hear about working women fashions in 18th century! Did they wear entirely different types of garments or just more understated versions of genteel ladies clothing?
They would wear the same styles, just cheaper fabrics, as she says in the video (and also a lot more second hand - there was a thriving market for that). Additionally, as far as I know, accessories were really the place for showing off wealth - with styles changing super quickly as the century progressed. One always has to keep in mind that in a society with (at least theoretically) strict classes, appearance was much more important than today; a shop assistant may get into debt keeping up with current cap fashions in order to look more wealthy :)
I was totally excited when I saw the proper, wild 1820's/30's updos in the "present day" shots of Charlotte's daughters. My fingers are crossed that they keep those crazy fun updos for the next season of Bridgerton!
I always get so exited when I see that equestrian portrait of Wilhelmina of Prussia. Even though there are several portraits of noble woman riding astride in the 18th century. But considering that Guérinière revising the seat marks the beginning of the very height of the equestrian arts, it's no wonder that some woman got more ambitious or that the riding habit became a staple in fashion.
For breeches vs. trousers, and a modern day comparison - we have coveralls for manual work, tradespersons, construction. I see people wearing those in the grocery store and it's not a scandal, but I immediately think they are coming from/going to work, and wouldn't be wearing those just day to day.
I'm always amazed by the history told through fashion. The amount of layers is impressive, specially when I remember that the Brazilian aristocracy and common folk also use all that layers, cause here in Brazil ir hot year long, the average is 75 - 85 f, but the fashion of the time came from Europe with the royal family, and everybody wanted to imitate them, so layer upon layer in a 80 degrees day, I'm so happy i wasn't born back then.
It would've been a lot more comfortable than the same amount of layers of modern clothing. The fibers were all natural like silk, cotton and linen, which have properties that make them comfortable in hot weather. Maybe not Brazil hot, I would be interested to know...
From personal experience and historical accounts, this is not actually the case. As a personal example, I do wear my 18th century clothing for multiple days at a time at events during Summer here in Germany, and many people from other continents are often surprised about that, can get hellishly hot. And I can wear all these layers, especially if it´s a more summerly version, without much trouble in 95-104 f. While the woolen cloth can get quiet warm, even that is still wearable. I actually suffer a lot less than the people who wear much fewer clothing, because all the layers keep the direct sunlingt away from my skin, the next ones isolate aginst the heat coming of the upper layer getting warmed by the sun, and the linens under everything actively cool me. And with my "very hot summer" wear, made of linen cotton and linen/cotton mix, its all things considered pretty comfortable. Even if it´s very high humidity, the linen also keeps me better off by helping me to evaporate sweat, as linen really does not like to keep moist. And added benefit to all this is that I also don´t get sunburned. One event takes place on the top of a small flat top mountain (more like a very high hill) that creates weather conditions in which clouds pretty much always go around it. The sun has become somewhat of a meme there, and we always call it "laser sun" as it just scorches everything.
Abby Cox has a video about this, iirc Nicole is in the video too and they try both modern and various centuries clothing by wearing them out in the sun. I recommend watching that you might be surprised by the outcome
@@theexchipmunkI'm not sure about how much that would affect the heat, but another detail is that Brazilian fashion, at the time, DEMANDED many layers of black wools, capped by a heavy woolen overcoat and felt top hats (probably Wellingtons) for men, because the fashion they were following was English, created to spare the wearer from fog and drizzle, but usually outmoded British fashion, because it took YEARS for trends to cross the ocean to Brazil. There is a diary of a French painting coming to the court of the Brazilian emperor in coastal city of Rio de Janeiro during the 1880's wearing light colors with fewer layers of clothing and a straw hat (probably a boater), like he would at coastal city in Summer at the Mediterranean side of France. He had rocks, mud and feces thrown at him all the time by the local population, while they screamed homophobic slurs everywhere he went. He was beaten more than once until he realized it was due to the color of his clothing and the lack of layers, which was seen by the locals as unmanly (that remained in effect until about 1940, although my father told me about one of his friends getting beaten in the streets for wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt in the early 1960s - Being "macho" is a huge concern in the quite homophobic Brazilian society). The painter felt super annoyed and hated the local fashion, especially in a city that is full of hills to climb, usually had no windows in the bedrooms (they were called alcoves, and were hot and full of cocroaches), and which could kind of easily surpass 90⁰ Farenheit (31⁰ Celsius) in Summer - Rio de Janeiro has once registered 119⁰ Farenheit.
could you make another video on The Great's costumes? I feel like over the 3 seasons they have been evolving the fashion, the dresses had become way larger in the last season. It's also not a historically accurad show, but I think they take a lot of inspiration from history and also it is set on Russia, which is far from france, so is an intersting look in how the fashion would spread, like how the use of the paniers seem to have appeard for them just after Chaterine's mom came visiting from france
The piecing is always something I love about historical stuff. Especially as it makes my life easier. I do reproduction of 18th century men´s wear, but am a student. And some fabrics can be quiet expensive, as in 60-100 dollar a meter. So if I get expensive fabric? I plan out my pattern layout for cutting beforhand and do as much piecing as I can apropiately do. That way, depending on the clothing, I can easily shave off a lot of fabric. For breeches I make easily do with 3/4 meters, for a waistcoat even less can be enogh. With coats i can shave off 1-1 1/2 meters easily.
The QC costumes weren't as bad as I was expecting (maybe the bar is on the floor now 😂). Defs à la Bridgerton but the silhouettes and decoration were very reminiscent of the period and it was clear the designer knew and appreciated the source material. And I appreciated the breeches even though they're not as sexy as pantaloons/trousers imo 😂
Judging by a few very iconic styles, I think the original Dangerous Liaisons provided a large inspiration (and that movie is one of the more accurate ones!)
I am working on fantasy book with bunch of illustrations placed in this time and oh lord will I have to write down all the names of you amazing people to thank you for helping me understand big parts of this period
I always appreciate when an expert int their field engages with media this way. It doesn't matter if the series was not looking to be historically accurate and took a lot of liberties, as the added knowledge only enhances the viewing experience, imo.
My favourite place to visit when in London is the V&A (Victoria and Albert) museum. The Fashion collection is the largest and most comprehensive fashion collection covering couture, accessories, footwear and hats. There are lots of UA-cam videos. I found the video showing conserving of dress worn by the singer Sandy Shaw in 1967 really interesting.
Excellent overview! Thank you for taking the time to discuss both the accurate and inaccurate parts, with consideration of modern sensibilities and production.
So excited for more 18th century stuff from you! Thanks for all the information. My sister and I really enjoyed watching the show and as historic clothing enthusiasts we also felt it did quite a good job of evoking the look of the era. It's nice to hear the same from a professional. 😁 Also, besides the clothes, I really enjoyed the overall story of the show. It took me a minute to get into the fantasy history aspect, but once I was there, i fell in love with the characters.
Just a variety of specific animal hair/wool and some plants like hempen linen vas flax, etc. Most unusual plants are regional and wouldn’t be common in 18th c England.
21:40 That's not the only reason. Biblical dresscode actually requires a *married* woman to cover her hair, esp. during prayer. In German an idiom for "getting married" is equivalent to "wearing a bonnet" ("unter die Haube kommen").
If I could go back in time and change one name of something, I would get rid of the word "whalebone" because the mass misunderstanding of all structural undergarments from that word frustrates me.
@@johannageisel5390 Huh, I have no idea how, in the years of doing historical costuming, I have never before come across that name. But well, weirder things happen all the time, and I do most of my research in english or french. There is just not that much in German, or it’s really hard to find.
@@theexchipmunk Yes. The word isn't that much around anymore today, so you won't encounter it in your day to day life. I sometimes find myself saying "Walbein" when talking to somebody about costuming in German and then have to correct myself when I remember that the actual German word is even weirder. ^ ^
Have you seen The Slipper and the Rose? It’s a Cinderella adaptation and the era they set it in is the 1700’s. Even if you don’t do a video I know you’d like it and appreciate the costuming!
Thank you so much for another excellent video! I always enjoy your videos and learn a lot from them. One note if I may- I think that in a video that discusses the costumes of the show, you should mention the name of the designer and give her/him credit. If you did and I missed it- my apologies. ❤️
fun fact regarding the white undergarments and the picture of the white fabric being bleached - all over Eurpe there is still streets named "on the bleachers" or similar because the villages and cities had designated meadows where you would bring the whites to bleach in the sunlight, everyone knew these were "the bleachers". usually there was a creek nearby to re- wetten the fabric because the water from wet fabric and the oxygen from the grass (photosynthesis) made basically peroxide.
Do you have any resources or can you possibly do a video on all the styles and proportions of cocked hats? I'm having a hard time finding any details on the differences over the decades of the 18th century.
Not even that, it's completely black washing a real historic figure. Imagine literally any other ethnicity doing that. European Mulan, Asian rosa parks. It's disrespectful.
If done well (Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte, The Wheel of Time and others) fantasy+historical costuming is so much fun to watch. Actually I find myself drawn to 17th, 18th century mens' jackets and outerwear which I perversely try to duplicate in my RenFaire cosplay! Even several of my "reality" coats and jackets mimic (albeit not as well-tailored) elements from those designs. Looking forward to further episodes of Nicole's series on 18th century's fashion.
Yes!!! Thank you for this, Nicole. :) I thought that George's wedding suit looked pretty good, although like you said, not as fitted as it should have been. I loved Charlotte's gowns too and thought the silhouette was pretty perfect, even if some details were understandably off :)
I love your videos. So interesting. Please keep them coming. Also I found Brooklinen a few years ago while just looking around the internet. I love their sheets. What a great sponsor to have.
So excited for the upcoming episodes. My wife and I do 18th century living history with a group at our local state park. It’ll be great to see a deeper dive into the fashion and clothing of the era.
Yaaaaay! 18th Century!!!!! I can't WAIT to see your lovely, well-researched and thorough take on the garments! I wish you'd addressed that silly speech in the first episode (you did use a still from it when talking about redingotes) where Charlotte talks about how "whales died so their bones could be used in this dress, so I have to sit very carefully or the bones will break and my dress will stab me to death!!" It was funny, but totally inaccurate.
It’s less protocol and more a matter of what’s comfortable to you and the situation. The extra fabric can be a little inconvenient if you’re traveling, shopping, etc. But enter a big ball room and you want the impact!
From what I remember reading in a book by Anne Buck, the sack back was fashionable around mid-century but continued to be worn at court as "court uniform" for the women. the men's "uniform" was a dark blue coat with embroidery with an embroidered silk waistcoat. I saw a gown that was worn by an American ambassador to the Court of St James in the 1810s, it was silk, empire waist with puff sleeves and a sack back.
it's so interesting because I'm studying fashion in 1750-1800 in Chile, Latin America and the way of styling the clothes, the fashions and even the way of making the clothes it's so different from the Europe context. Here there were no mantua makers, just tailors and eventually in the most rich part of this subcontinent (such as Mexico or Peru) dressmakers and merchand des modes arrived from France. Here in Latin America, the dressmakers did not make the clothes itself, but rather ornate them and add all of the accesories.
the styles in south America really showed a different context, the skirts were almost knee lenght, the use of shawls and ponchos, a LOT of jewerley and a LOT of braiding in the hair. there's other particularities such as no boned corsets (stays) and a lot more accesories in the body.
I’m another one interested in working women’s clothes from the time. I have traced a few of my family lines back to this period and as there are no pictures of them it’s a way of visualising what they could have looked like.
When learning about vintage patterns, I was often told they weren't very detailled because people "knew the basics of how to sew back then" sonI find it interesting that it wasn't always the case. Is there a point where that changed or is it (at least partly) a misconception of the past? Now I'm curious ☺️
Basics of sewing is different from knowing how to pattern from scratch or fit complex garments! So they would usually know how to sew a seam, darn a hole, etc, but not how to take fabric and make a suit with no help. More useful for repairs than anything.
Nicole, have you ever seen the 1985 film REVOLUTION? It has Al Pacino and Donald Sutherland in it. I was wondering how accurate the films costumes were.
Question: why do they refer to dressmakers in the show as the modiste when every historical costumer refers to them as mantua makers, dress makers, etc?
Modiste is the French term! It sounds more familiar to our modern ears, so I’m sure that’s why they use that even if it’s not what would have been used historically.
At 19:00 you show a yellow dress with a bustled up skirt and I looked it up in the MET gallery where they call it a Robe à la Polonaise. But is that really a Polonaise? Is it not maybe an English or Italian gown but bustled up? Can you please help me out here, because I still struggle differentiating the different construction styles from each other? Thanks you in advance.
Polonaise is what the rucked-up style is! It was named 'Polish' not because it really was so common in Poland, but because of the idea of Polish milkmaids pulling their skirts and aprons up for work. (Yes, really.)
@@jasminv8653 As far as I know, there is a difference between an actual Polonaise and the bustled up style. It has to do with the way the bodice is attached to the skirt. You can bustle up any gown, but it does not become a Polonaise by that.
@@jasminv8653no it isn’t! It got called that in the 19th century, but the term referred to a different kind of open gown in the 18th. The “rucking up” wasn’t a dress style, just a method of wearing it en forreau.
The was a lot of Zone front Gowns, from the 1770s/80s, I noticed, particularly on young Violet! Fichus were popular in this era, tho possibly not for royals?
I think it's astonishing how long stomachers stuck around in women's high fashion. The end of the medieval period until the regency. That's a long time.
Well, broadly it would have been. But comparing a decent quality of a middle priced good to a shitty quality of an expensive good, the shitty version of the expensive being cheaper isn’t too surprising. A cheaper wool would be massively less expensive than the cheapest of silks though.
The Bridgerton series is super fun, but so far I liked Queen Charlotte the best. I prefer the Georgian style to the Regency styles, but what hooked me the most was George’s struggle with mental illness. I frequently cried during this series, it moved me so much, and Charlotte really learned how to stand up for herself and be an advocate for a George in this interpretation. Great video! Thanks for the deeper dive into the fashions of the series!
I would like to know why some gentlemen have their hair with one, two or three boucles down each side of the head. Natural hair or wigs. Is it to do with class or just personal choice. Xx
Has anyone in the comments seen any good patterns for vests and cropped jackets like we wore during the emo days? they're so reminiscent of regency men's military fashion.
The whale bone comment made me sad😢when I heard it came from their mouth! You give us so much wonderful information with plenty of visuals ( yum Gainsborough paintings which I will be looking again closer at King G lll as now I know how he manipulated the backgrounds to convey messages) Whales, save the whales ❤ only several hundred left out west in Canada 🍁 🙏. ..back to video 😊
I think once you accept the fact that they aren't going for historical accuracy, there are some beautiful costumes. I was disappointed with Queen Charlottes costumes though, a lot of them were so plain and her skirts very narrow compared to some of the other characters and even extras. It just doesn't sell the fact that she is the queen, especially when her costumes in Bridgerton are so over the top
Charlottes first monologue about the “stays” she says corsets instead was highly misleading and kinda made me mad. She literally said her stays were made of bone from whales
And you know damn well the writers etc saw all the videos from everyone about corsets hence the beginning disclaimer about it not being a history lesson. I hate this show lol.
@@justinwilliams7290 literallyyyy everyone is so informed! Also it’s always Charlotte who has like weird modern silhouettes while everyone else always looks perfect. Her coronation dress had cups idk its lily they could’ve done it correctly yet decided to play into the stereotype. I recently made a corset for my sister from 1880s and she was tight laced and could still breath and do cartwheels lol hehehhe. I hate the whole CANT breath narrative
The complete lack of attention for the mens hair in this was quite jarring. It was odd that old KIng George did have the styled white hair wig look but for young George they decided to just go with a modern short hair cut? It just looked so out of place.
I don’t know when boar bristle brushes and the 100 strokes came in, but those 100 strokes were one way of cleaning the hair and woman could go months without washing their hair. Try it. It will surprise the hec out of you.
And using cologne while brushing. My great-grandmother had her hair brushed through with cologne regularily and never washed it. My poor gran had to do that for her and absolutly hated doing it.
My knowledge is basically what I've been learning on yt channels, like you, Abby, or Bernadette. But everytime I see the king in scene, I get bothered about his hair style! It looks like they didn't even tried to make it historical! What about wigs?
What?!? Air drying is not practical depending on time of year? I have not used a hair dryer in years, live in Vermont, USA, and keep a cold house because I heat by wood. Sleep by the fire and yer fine!
The introduction about 18th century wear was very good, but it felt rushed and "out of breath". However the "analyzing" the costumes of the show was definitely NOT delivered. It would need the video to be another half as long to do that. Just a few general thoughts is not "analyzing". We need the historical stuff and then examples from the show, analyzing where it is faithful and where it fails (Bernardette did this quite well for "Emma", just to quote an example) Very interesting video, but not what the title leads us to expect. Maybe for reasons we don't understand you wanted to keep the video to a certain length. I can understand that, but in that case, split it into two parts and do it properly!
Well, there still is no actual patterns in that. Just examples of how a draft should look to get a certain style of clothing. The "patterns" Diderot shows off really wouldn´t fit anyone well if just taken straight from the book. By the way, of at least the tailoring part from his encyclopedia translations do exist. I actually managed to get my hands on a scan of one from 1989 distributed during USITT Costume Composium as a companion piece to the lecture of a R. W. Trump. But I will agree that it´s ridiculus how hard something like that is to come by. It was hell hunting that thing down, also am not going to host it anywhere, even if I would like to, but lecturers and institutions are notorious for sueing anyone who spreads their material, and I have no idea about the legalitys of spreading this, even if it would be extreamly helpful to a lot of people. (although, if one writes me I am happy to let people "look" at it, if you know what I mean, obviously not making probably illegal copys of it despite it not being available to anyone by normal means from what I can tell.) Which is also in part why stuff like that gets lost despite us now having the internet. Instead of helping the whole comunity knowledge is horded or just not shared, and a decade later we start over from zero. Its so annoying.
Love the Georgian era - its the era i love the most and your mens wear examples are fabulous. BUT!! Cant stand Bridgerton, and IMHO this was just as painful to watch. Cannot fathom why its popular.
Queen Charlotte was my ancestor and she was Portuguese and she wore white skin, because she was white. She is one of the few historical characters in this shit show and they lied about her heritage. The actress who played her says British royals are too British and too white. Anyone else said that about any other people. There would be mass boycotts.
On the other hand, the first season of Bridgerton made me ask questions about Charlotte's heritage that I never would have thought to ask. She did have a black African ancestor from several generations previous. Not that it would have affected her skin tone over much, but it may have contributed to the earthiness of her features. I found it fascinating. No I'm not all for the arbitrary washing of any character's skin tone in one direction or another, but this one I didn't mind as much quite simply because it made me ask questions. And then there is the sort of fantasy/alternate history that Bridgerton seems to be leaning into (esp. with the costumes etc) that just lends itself to being a bit more forgiving of the race-swapping and other artistic licensing that the writers and producers have adopted for the show. All-in-all, I don't mind because it's at the very least consistent.
I'm white and it's fine, calm your tits. I love seeing darker skin tones in historical costume like this, because dark skin looks amazing next to the white shirts and louder colors of the era. And what's a costume drama for if you can't ogle the costumes?
@HelMaschine the portrait artist painted the way the person paying WANTED it to look. In the days before air brushing photos, painters were making a weak chin stronger, a smile more becoming, etc., etc. If you wanted to get hired by rich people, you better make them look better !
I lived for a few months in rural India and went to a tailor for clothing. It was still much the same as you described. Pick out fabric, pick out style, get measured and then return for the final garmet. It was absolutely lovely. I have never felt as luxurious as when the tailor was *literally* throwing fabric across my lap in order for me to feel the quality.
Was it a man or a woman ? I would guess "tailor" would normally be assumed to be a man (and India was under British Rule for a long time, so would think some similarities).
But, India has been independent long enough that the assumption could be wrong.
@@m.maclellan7147 does it matter the sex of the professional? Tailor is a unisex title. This title could also be a modiste or even a dressmaker. If you’re looking for a slightly different title and slightly different occupation, Seamstresses/seamsters comes to mind.
Thank you for covering all the menswear! The gowns are gorgeous but the suits are definitely my thing. Appreciate you.
The men's fits were so fire! I definitely wanted to wear all of George's coats myself 😍
I would love to hear about working women fashions in 18th century! Did they wear entirely different types of garments or just more understated versions of genteel ladies clothing?
They would wear the same styles, just cheaper fabrics, as she says in the video (and also a lot more second hand - there was a thriving market for that). Additionally, as far as I know, accessories were really the place for showing off wealth - with styles changing super quickly as the century progressed. One always has to keep in mind that in a society with (at least theoretically) strict classes, appearance was much more important than today; a shop assistant may get into debt keeping up with current cap fashions in order to look more wealthy :)
Karolina and priorattire might have something about it
I was totally excited when I saw the proper, wild 1820's/30's updos in the "present day" shots of Charlotte's daughters. My fingers are crossed that they keep those crazy fun updos for the next season of Bridgerton!
The 1830s is my favorite. I loathe the show but if it goes late 20s and 30s, I'll watch
I always get so exited when I see that equestrian portrait of Wilhelmina of Prussia. Even though there are several portraits of noble woman riding astride in the 18th century. But considering that Guérinière revising the seat marks the beginning of the very height of the equestrian arts, it's no wonder that some woman got more ambitious or that the riding habit became a staple in fashion.
I love the 18th century Riding habits from all of Europe, they were so practical yet managed to be incredibly elegant at the same time.
For breeches vs. trousers, and a modern day comparison - we have coveralls for manual work, tradespersons, construction. I see people wearing those in the grocery store and it's not a scandal, but I immediately think they are coming from/going to work, and wouldn't be wearing those just day to day.
And then there are fashionable whippersnappers who wear coveralls to do no work at all! Just like trousers
I say it's just a. Having no other clean clothes and b. Not really giving a hoot what you wear as long as it's clean and covering everything
I'm always amazed by the history told through fashion. The amount of layers is impressive, specially when I remember that the Brazilian aristocracy and common folk also use all that layers, cause here in Brazil ir hot year long, the average is 75 - 85 f, but the fashion of the time came from Europe with the royal family, and everybody wanted to imitate them, so layer upon layer in a 80 degrees day, I'm so happy i wasn't born back then.
It would've been a lot more comfortable than the same amount of layers of modern clothing. The fibers were all natural like silk, cotton and linen, which have properties that make them comfortable in hot weather. Maybe not Brazil hot, I would be interested to know...
From personal experience and historical accounts, this is not actually the case. As a personal example, I do wear my 18th century clothing for multiple days at a time at events during Summer here in Germany, and many people from other continents are often surprised about that, can get hellishly hot. And I can wear all these layers, especially if it´s a more summerly version, without much trouble in 95-104 f. While the woolen cloth can get quiet warm, even that is still wearable. I actually suffer a lot less than the people who wear much fewer clothing, because all the layers keep the direct sunlingt away from my skin, the next ones isolate aginst the heat coming of the upper layer getting warmed by the sun, and the linens under everything actively cool me. And with my "very hot summer" wear, made of linen cotton and linen/cotton mix, its all things considered pretty comfortable. Even if it´s very high humidity, the linen also keeps me better off by helping me to evaporate sweat, as linen really does not like to keep moist.
And added benefit to all this is that I also don´t get sunburned. One event takes place on the top of a small flat top mountain (more like a very high hill) that creates weather conditions in which clouds pretty much always go around it. The sun has become somewhat of a meme there, and we always call it "laser sun" as it just scorches everything.
Abby Cox has a video about this, iirc Nicole is in the video too and they try both modern and various centuries clothing by wearing them out in the sun. I recommend watching that you might be surprised by the outcome
@@theexchipmunkI'm not sure about how much that would affect the heat, but another detail is that Brazilian fashion, at the time, DEMANDED many layers of black wools, capped by a heavy woolen overcoat and felt top hats (probably Wellingtons) for men, because the fashion they were following was English, created to spare the wearer from fog and drizzle, but usually outmoded British fashion, because it took YEARS for trends to cross the ocean to Brazil.
There is a diary of a French painting coming to the court of the Brazilian emperor in coastal city of Rio de Janeiro during the 1880's wearing light colors with fewer layers of clothing and a straw hat (probably a boater), like he would at coastal city in Summer at the Mediterranean side of France.
He had rocks, mud and feces thrown at him all the time by the local population, while they screamed homophobic slurs everywhere he went. He was beaten more than once until he realized it was due to the color of his clothing and the lack of layers, which was seen by the locals as unmanly (that remained in effect until about 1940, although my father told me about one of his friends getting beaten in the streets for wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt in the early 1960s - Being "macho" is a huge concern in the quite homophobic Brazilian society).
The painter felt super annoyed and hated the local fashion, especially in a city that is full of hills to climb, usually had no windows in the bedrooms (they were called alcoves, and were hot and full of cocroaches), and which could kind of easily surpass 90⁰ Farenheit (31⁰ Celsius) in Summer - Rio de Janeiro has once registered 119⁰ Farenheit.
A lot depends on the humidity of said place. When the humidity is high, nothing is entirely comfortable.
could you make another video on The Great's costumes? I feel like over the 3 seasons they have been evolving the fashion, the dresses had become way larger in the last season. It's also not a historically accurad show, but I think they take a lot of inspiration from history and also it is set on Russia, which is far from france, so is an intersting look in how the fashion would spread, like how the use of the paniers seem to have appeard for them just after Chaterine's mom came visiting from france
@Chez Third!
Fourth!!
Fifth ✋
Seventh ❤❤
4:42 I am impressed at the different fabrics pieced to form the interlining.
The piecing is always something I love about historical stuff. Especially as it makes my life easier. I do reproduction of 18th century men´s wear, but am a student. And some fabrics can be quiet expensive, as in 60-100 dollar a meter. So if I get expensive fabric? I plan out my pattern layout for cutting beforhand and do as much piecing as I can apropiately do. That way, depending on the clothing, I can easily shave off a lot of fabric. For breeches I make easily do with 3/4 meters, for a waistcoat even less can be enogh. With coats i can shave off 1-1 1/2 meters easily.
Love that detail about the mother’s clothing choice and how it informs her character in the scenes. ❤
The QC costumes weren't as bad as I was expecting (maybe the bar is on the floor now 😂). Defs à la Bridgerton but the silhouettes and decoration were very reminiscent of the period and it was clear the designer knew and appreciated the source material. And I appreciated the breeches even though they're not as sexy as pantaloons/trousers imo 😂
Judging by a few very iconic styles, I think the original Dangerous Liaisons provided a large inspiration (and that movie is one of the more accurate ones!)
@@NicoleRudolph good point!
What a delicious way to wake up! A new Nicole video!
I am working on fantasy book with bunch of illustrations placed in this time and oh lord will I have to write down all the names of you amazing people to thank you for helping me understand big parts of this period
Good luck with your project!
@@sisuguillam5109 thank you I appreciate it
@@harpeowl 🙂
I always appreciate when an expert int their field engages with media this way. It doesn't matter if the series was not looking to be historically accurate and took a lot of liberties, as the added knowledge only enhances the viewing experience, imo.
Love that yellow dress, love your puffy shirt, love your vest, and I love this topic!
My favourite place to visit when in London is the V&A (Victoria and Albert) museum. The Fashion collection is the largest and most comprehensive fashion collection covering couture, accessories, footwear and hats. There are lots of UA-cam videos. I found the video showing conserving of dress worn by the singer Sandy Shaw in 1967 really interesting.
Excellent overview! Thank you for taking the time to discuss both the accurate and inaccurate parts, with consideration of modern sensibilities and production.
So excited for more 18th century stuff from you! Thanks for all the information. My sister and I really enjoyed watching the show and as historic clothing enthusiasts we also felt it did quite a good job of evoking the look of the era. It's nice to hear the same from a professional. 😁 Also, besides the clothes, I really enjoyed the overall story of the show. It took me a minute to get into the fantasy history aspect, but once I was there, i fell in love with the characters.
i would like to hear more about the few odd fabric choices we're "not gonna worry about today"
I'm guessing horsehair? Maybe canvas?
Just a variety of specific animal hair/wool and some plants like hempen linen vas flax, etc. Most unusual plants are regional and wouldn’t be common in 18th c England.
21:40 That's not the only reason. Biblical dresscode actually requires a *married* woman to cover her hair, esp. during prayer. In German an idiom for "getting married" is equivalent to "wearing a bonnet" ("unter die Haube kommen").
This is definitely my favorite era in fashion history 😍
If I could go back in time and change one name of something, I would get rid of the word "whalebone" because the mass misunderstanding of all structural undergarments from that word frustrates me.
In German it's even worse, because it's called "fishbone" (Fischbein).
@@johannageisel5390 That one might be more local. I have never heared it being called that.
@@theexchipmunk It has a Wikipedia entry. AFAIK "Fischbein" is the historic term for baleen used as boning.
@@johannageisel5390 Huh, I have no idea how, in the years of doing historical costuming, I have never before come across that name. But well, weirder things happen all the time, and I do most of my research in english or french. There is just not that much in German, or it’s really hard to find.
@@theexchipmunk Yes. The word isn't that much around anymore today, so you won't encounter it in your day to day life.
I sometimes find myself saying "Walbein" when talking to somebody about costuming in German and then have to correct myself when I remember that the actual German word is even weirder. ^ ^
The show was so good. And while obviously not perfect the outfits were so lovely!!
Thanks for taking time to share your knowledge and perspective.
As a person that embroiders small things, i really admire the embroidery on these clothes.
Have you seen The Slipper and the Rose? It’s a Cinderella adaptation and the era they set it in is the 1700’s. Even if you don’t do a video I know you’d like it and appreciate the costuming!
Thank you so much for another excellent video! I always enjoy your videos and learn a lot from them. One note if I may- I think that in a video that discusses the costumes of the show, you should mention the name of the designer and give her/him credit. If you did and I missed it- my apologies. ❤️
For anyone in the London area, the Queen’s Gallery has an excellent exhibit of Georgian fashion on right now.
fun fact regarding the white undergarments and the picture of the white fabric being bleached - all over Eurpe there is still streets named "on the bleachers" or similar because the villages and cities had designated meadows where you would bring the whites to bleach in the sunlight, everyone knew these were "the bleachers". usually there was a creek nearby to re- wetten the fabric because the water from wet fabric and the oxygen from the grass (photosynthesis) made basically peroxide.
Do you have any resources or can you possibly do a video on all the styles and proportions of cocked hats? I'm having a hard time finding any details on the differences over the decades of the 18th century.
And "DO" explain the name origin !? Lol ! Something to do with a rooster 🐓🤔
Great info! I have no interest in watching completely historically inaccurate shows/movies, but I do like looking at and learning about the costumes.
Not even that, it's completely black washing a real historic figure. Imagine literally any other ethnicity doing that. European Mulan, Asian rosa parks. It's disrespectful.
This is fascinating, I’m so glad you finally got to talk about your era as it were :))
Darn apparently I need to get out more. I had no idea this series was a thing. Thank you for letting me know and the historical overview!
I'm so excited for this series❤
If done well (Bridgerton, Queen Charlotte, The Wheel of Time and others) fantasy+historical costuming is so much fun to watch. Actually I find myself drawn to 17th, 18th century mens' jackets and outerwear which I perversely try to duplicate in my RenFaire cosplay! Even several of my "reality" coats and jackets mimic (albeit not as well-tailored) elements from those designs. Looking forward to further episodes of Nicole's series on 18th century's fashion.
Yes!!! Thank you for this, Nicole. :) I thought that George's wedding suit looked pretty good, although like you said, not as fitted as it should have been. I loved Charlotte's gowns too and thought the silhouette was pretty perfect, even if some details were understandably off :)
I love your videos. So interesting. Please keep them coming. Also I found Brooklinen a few years ago while just looking around the internet. I love their sheets. What a great sponsor to have.
So excited for the upcoming episodes. My wife and I do 18th century living history with a group at our local state park. It’ll be great to see a deeper dive into the fashion and clothing of the era.
Another fantastic vdieo, really enjoyed it. Can't wait to see what you have in store for us the rest of the year!
You chose the most wonderful pictures to illustrate this informative talk! Thank you.
I am so excited to see a full series of 18th century fashion videos.
Yaaaaay! 18th Century!!!!! I can't WAIT to see your lovely, well-researched and thorough take on the garments!
I wish you'd addressed that silly speech in the first episode (you did use a still from it when talking about redingotes) where Charlotte talks about how "whales died so their bones could be used in this dress, so I have to sit very carefully or the bones will break and my dress will stab me to death!!" It was funny, but totally inaccurate.
yay! one of my favorite eras in fashion!
I love these types of videos from you. I was looking for a Costuber to have lunch with and There you were 😊
OMG OMG I’m soooo excited you made a video in thisssss
Thank you for this facinating and informitive video! Ps your hair color and makeup in this video are perfection!
where i live "un pet" also colloquially means butt, so i guess pet-en-l'air could also mean "butt in mid-air"
I've been waiting for the costume peeps' review/info.
What was the protocol for wearing sac backs ? Like was it appropriate for certain occasions or could they be worn at any time?
It’s less protocol and more a matter of what’s comfortable to you and the situation. The extra fabric can be a little inconvenient if you’re traveling, shopping, etc. But enter a big ball room and you want the impact!
From what I remember reading in a book by Anne Buck, the sack back was fashionable around mid-century but continued to be worn at court as "court uniform" for the women. the men's "uniform" was a dark blue coat with embroidery with an embroidered silk waistcoat. I saw a gown that was worn by an American ambassador to the Court of St James in the 1810s, it was silk, empire waist with puff sleeves and a sack back.
I’m really looking forward to seeing your upcoming projects 🙂 This was a very interesting video; thanks for sharing.
Sounds like you have an exciting summer planned. I can't wait to see it!
it's so interesting because I'm studying fashion in 1750-1800 in Chile, Latin America and the way of styling the clothes, the fashions and even the way of making the clothes it's so different from the Europe context. Here there were no mantua makers, just tailors and eventually in the most rich part of this subcontinent (such as Mexico or Peru) dressmakers and merchand des modes arrived from France. Here in Latin America, the dressmakers did not make the clothes itself, but rather ornate them and add all of the accesories.
the styles in south America really showed a different context, the skirts were almost knee lenght, the use of shawls and ponchos, a LOT of jewerley and a LOT of braiding in the hair. there's other particularities such as no boned corsets (stays) and a lot more accesories in the body.
A great overview and wonderful illustrations! Thank you.
such a lovely vid
Amazing video once again 🤩 I would love a video on the evolution of the woman fashion decade per decade for the 18th century :)
Your videos just keep getting better holy shit!! :)
Thanks. In your future robe a la francaise episode, will Bailey be cast as Queen Charlotte's Pom aka 'deformed bunny' to quote the Queen.
I really want to make a men's suit at some point - so some videos on it sounds great! 🙂
I’m another one interested in working women’s clothes from the time. I have traced a few of my family lines back to this period and as there are no pictures of them it’s a way of visualising what they could have looked like.
When learning about vintage patterns, I was often told they weren't very detailled because people "knew the basics of how to sew back then" sonI find it interesting that it wasn't always the case. Is there a point where that changed or is it (at least partly) a misconception of the past? Now I'm curious ☺️
Basics of sewing is different from knowing how to pattern from scratch or fit complex garments! So they would usually know how to sew a seam, darn a hole, etc, but not how to take fabric and make a suit with no help. More useful for repairs than anything.
@@NicoleRudolph Thanks for the answer, that makes sense !
Nicole, have you ever seen the 1985 film REVOLUTION? It has Al Pacino and Donald Sutherland in it. I was wondering how accurate the films costumes were.
I actually have a friend working on embellishing for Bridgerton!
Question: why do they refer to dressmakers in the show as the modiste when every historical costumer refers to them as mantua makers, dress makers, etc?
Modiste is the French term! It sounds more familiar to our modern ears, so I’m sure that’s why they use that even if it’s not what would have been used historically.
At 19:00 you show a yellow dress with a bustled up skirt and I looked it up in the MET gallery where they call it a Robe à la Polonaise. But is that really a Polonaise? Is it not maybe an English or Italian gown but bustled up? Can you please help me out here, because I still struggle differentiating the different construction styles from each other?
Thanks you in advance.
Polonaise is what the rucked-up style is! It was named 'Polish' not because it really was so common in Poland, but because of the idea of Polish milkmaids pulling their skirts and aprons up for work. (Yes, really.)
@@jasminv8653 As far as I know, there is a difference between an actual Polonaise and the bustled up style.
It has to do with the way the bodice is attached to the skirt.
You can bustle up any gown, but it does not become a Polonaise by that.
@@jasminv8653no it isn’t! It got called that in the 19th century, but the term referred to a different kind of open gown in the 18th. The “rucking up” wasn’t a dress style, just a method of wearing it en forreau.
The was a lot of Zone front Gowns, from the 1770s/80s, I noticed, particularly on young Violet! Fichus were popular in this era, tho possibly not for royals?
I think it's astonishing how long stomachers stuck around in women's high fashion. The end of the medieval period until the regency. That's a long time.
Why does the dude in blue 11:03 have a button undone/missing? Being painted like that is definitely a choice.
Every time I see historical clothing that only fastens with buttons I just imagine needing to pee badly and struggling with all those buttons.
My husband, who wears 18th Century clothing every day for his job, has A LOT to say about button closures😊. Not much of it positive 😊.
5:02 did you say that cheap silk was far LESS expensive than a middling sort of wool? I would expect silk to cost more than wool!!!
Well, broadly it would have been. But comparing a decent quality of a middle priced good to a shitty quality of an expensive good, the shitty version of the expensive being cheaper isn’t too surprising. A cheaper wool would be massively less expensive than the cheapest of silks though.
The Bridgerton series is super fun, but so far I liked Queen Charlotte the best. I prefer the Georgian style to the Regency styles, but what hooked me the most was George’s struggle with mental illness. I frequently cried during this series, it moved me so much, and Charlotte really learned how to stand up for herself and be an advocate for a George in this interpretation. Great video! Thanks for the deeper dive into the fashions of the series!
I would like to know why some gentlemen have their hair with one, two or three boucles down each side of the head. Natural hair or wigs. Is it to do with class or just personal choice. Xx
Snappy Dragon has a lot of good hair care videos. She’s a trained hair dresser, but most of her hair stuff is medieval.
Has anyone in the comments seen any good patterns for vests and cropped jackets like we wore during the emo days? they're so reminiscent of regency men's military fashion.
7:59 this is also because as the new Queen of the British Empire, she has to be seen as supporting the new subects by dressing as they do.
Interestingly this is something that still happens today with Kate Middleton wearing British designers.
I’ve seen pictures of men from this time period a billion times but I never realized they were always wearing capri pants, 😂. That’s so weird.
I would like you to make a video about fashion in Witcher 3
The whale bone comment made me sad😢when I heard it came from their mouth! You give us so much wonderful information with plenty of visuals ( yum Gainsborough paintings which I will be looking again closer at King G lll as now I know how he manipulated the backgrounds to convey messages) Whales, save the whales ❤ only several hundred left out west in Canada 🍁 🙏. ..back to video 😊
You mentioned Abby's videos but didn't link to them :(
I think once you accept the fact that they aren't going for historical accuracy, there are some beautiful costumes. I was disappointed with Queen Charlottes costumes though, a lot of them were so plain and her skirts very narrow compared to some of the other characters and even extras. It just doesn't sell the fact that she is the queen, especially when her costumes in Bridgerton are so over the top
Charlottes first monologue about the “stays” she says corsets instead was highly misleading and kinda made me mad. She literally said her stays were made of bone from whales
And you know damn well the writers etc saw all the videos from everyone about corsets hence the beginning disclaimer about it not being a history lesson. I hate this show lol.
@@justinwilliams7290 literallyyyy everyone is so informed! Also it’s always Charlotte who has like weird modern silhouettes while everyone else always looks perfect. Her coronation dress had cups idk its lily they could’ve done it correctly yet decided to play into the stereotype. I recently made a corset for my sister from 1880s and she was tight laced and could still breath and do cartwheels lol hehehhe. I hate the whole CANT breath narrative
The complete lack of attention for the mens hair in this was quite jarring. It was odd that old KIng George did have the styled white hair wig look but for young George they decided to just go with a modern short hair cut? It just looked so out of place.
Thank you for showing pictures of fashionable men with big bellies, like me. 😊
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I don’t know when boar bristle brushes and the 100 strokes came in, but those 100 strokes were one way of cleaning the hair and woman could go months without washing their hair. Try it. It will surprise the hec out of you.
And using cologne while brushing. My great-grandmother had her hair brushed through with cologne regularily and never washed it. My poor gran had to do that for her and absolutly hated doing it.
My knowledge is basically what I've been learning on yt channels, like you, Abby, or Bernadette.
But everytime I see the king in scene, I get bothered about his hair style! It looks like they didn't even tried to make it historical! What about wigs?
Loved the show and George and Charlotte's love story but his hair just kept taking me out of the fantasy
An 18th century man dressed with short, unpowdered hair looks pretty much naked to me.
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I just want my men's regency period jacket.
What?!? Air drying is not practical depending on time of year? I have not used a hair dryer in years, live in Vermont, USA, and keep a cold house because I heat by wood. Sleep by the fire and yer fine!
The introduction about 18th century wear was very good, but it felt rushed and "out of breath". However the "analyzing" the costumes of the show was definitely NOT delivered. It would need the video to be another half as long to do that. Just a few general thoughts is not "analyzing". We need the historical stuff and then examples from the show, analyzing where it is faithful and where it fails (Bernardette did this quite well for "Emma", just to quote an example)
Very interesting video, but not what the title leads us to expect.
Maybe for reasons we don't understand you wanted to keep the video to a certain length. I can understand that, but in that case, split it into two parts and do it properly!
"There's is no book, no sewing patterns" unless you can read French. XD
Well, there still is no actual patterns in that. Just examples of how a draft should look to get a certain style of clothing. The "patterns" Diderot shows off really wouldn´t fit anyone well if just taken straight from the book. By the way, of at least the tailoring part from his encyclopedia translations do exist. I actually managed to get my hands on a scan of one from 1989 distributed during USITT Costume Composium as a companion piece to the lecture of a R. W. Trump. But I will agree that it´s ridiculus how hard something like that is to come by. It was hell hunting that thing down, also am not going to host it anywhere, even if I would like to, but lecturers and institutions are notorious for sueing anyone who spreads their material, and I have no idea about the legalitys of spreading this, even if it would be extreamly helpful to a lot of people. (although, if one writes me I am happy to let people "look" at it, if you know what I mean, obviously not making probably illegal copys of it despite it not being available to anyone by normal means from what I can tell.) Which is also in part why stuff like that gets lost despite us now having the internet. Instead of helping the whole comunity knowledge is horded or just not shared, and a decade later we start over from zero. Its so annoying.
"Cheaply made but fashionable" ...so. Shien.
I still can't get past "fart in the air"
I can't watch this show. I tried. Everything looks cheap. I think I prefer the way Harlots took on the 18th century. Both in. Costume and set design.
Love the Georgian era - its the era i love the most and your mens wear examples are fabulous. BUT!! Cant stand Bridgerton, and IMHO this was just as painful to watch. Cannot fathom why its popular.
Massive Afros definitely weren’t a thing
it is historically accurate
and to think that charlotte could have been sliced open by the whalebones in her corset…. ts, ts, ts….
Queen Charlotte was my ancestor and she was Portuguese and she wore white skin, because she was white. She is one of the few historical characters in this shit show and they lied about her heritage. The actress who played her says British royals are too British and too white. Anyone else said that about any other people. There would be mass boycotts.
On the other hand, the first season of Bridgerton made me ask questions about Charlotte's heritage that I never would have thought to ask. She did have a black African ancestor from several generations previous. Not that it would have affected her skin tone over much, but it may have contributed to the earthiness of her features. I found it fascinating. No I'm not all for the arbitrary washing of any character's skin tone in one direction or another, but this one I didn't mind as much quite simply because it made me ask questions. And then there is the sort of fantasy/alternate history that Bridgerton seems to be leaning into (esp. with the costumes etc) that just lends itself to being a bit more forgiving of the race-swapping and other artistic licensing that the writers and producers have adopted for the show. All-in-all, I don't mind because it's at the very least consistent.
I'm white and it's fine, calm your tits.
I love seeing darker skin tones in historical costume like this, because dark skin looks amazing next to the white shirts and louder colors of the era.
And what's a costume drama for if you can't ogle the costumes?
@@screetchycello YOU'RE all ridiculous excusing a dark skinned black woman playing a woman that WE HAVE PORTRAITS OF
@HelMaschine the portrait artist painted the way the person paying WANTED it to look. In the days before air brushing photos, painters were making a weak chin stronger, a smile more becoming, etc., etc.
If you wanted to get hired by rich people, you better make them look better !
@@helmaschine1885 I wonder if that's why they had a scene with the portrait artist where the mother pointedly told him to paint Charlotte whiter?