Mourning. (Magnificently.)

Disappointing though it will be, this post is not about my house. I’m so, so sorry about that. I TRULY am – you have no IDEA how badly I want to be restoring a bathroom right now.

But alas, this post is about a dress. I HAVE to show you, so I hope you’ll pretend to be interested with me.

Halloween, as you know, is a BIG DEAL on our street. 1,000+ kids, the street is closed down, and every house has something done to it.

We went with skeletons.

Since we’ve owned the house, people have asked, “What costume will you wear?” Which is a TOTALLY valid question. And we’ve never dressed up. Because I didn’t want to be cheesy, or cheap. I wanted to MATCH the house. And I wanted a costume that didn’t feel like a costume – something that would be sturdy enough to last for years, and be able to be worn in hot, or cold (both of which happen in Indiana Octobers).

About two years ago, my friend Sky and I started talking about this. Sky makes wedding dresses (and other dresses). They are stunning…..amazing – I mean….

You can find Sky on her Facebook Page. I can’t sing her praises enough….. And I am forever grateful that the world of college bands caused our paths to collide decades ago.

Summary : She’s incredible. So we got serious about this idea of creating a “Forever Costume.” I didn’t want to be a witch. I didn’t want to be cheesy. I just wanted to match our house.

We sent lots and LOTS of pictures back and forth with inspiration, and decided to make a Victorian Mourning Gown. Let’s learn about them!

Queen Victoria had a huge influence on the fashions of the mid to late 1800’s. After the death of her husband, Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria wore black clothing until her own death in 1901.

During Victorian times, the type of mourning dress and the length of time one wore it was circumscribed by etiquette instead of sumtuary laws. A widow wore mourning dress for 2 1/2 years.

Full mourning lasted a full year and consisted of clothing made of dull black fabrics without embellishment or jewelry. A women in full mourning wore a veil to cover her face when she left the house. She avoided balls and frivolous events during that time.

After a year had passed, the widow added small trimmings and simple jewelry. Later, that second year, the widow, now in 1/2 mourning, added some color. Gray, mauve, and duller shades of purple and violet were suitable at that time.

The increased manufacturing technology of the Victorian age created a vast market for mourning dress. Dresses made of crepe came in many styles for the different mourning periods. Advertisements hawked mourning bodices, skirts, capes, veils, black bonnets, black indoor caps, gloves, fans, and black edged handkerchiefs.

Women’s magazines offered advise on mourning etiquette for all types of bereavement. In 1881, Sylvia’s Home Journal suggested that mothers wear black crepe for 6 weeks following the death of the mother-in-law or father-in-law of her married children.

Special trimmings and time periods were suggested for cousins, aunts, uncles, and other relatives.

The practice of mourning dress bled down to the lower middle class who could afford second hand or simple, inexpensive black clothing. People without a lot of money often had regular clothing dyed black in order to save money. (Taken from Bellatory.com)