Women's Clothing

majority of the women who get involved in 18th Century Living History do so because their husbands or boyfriends are involved. They are not really as interested in being period-correct as they are in being attractive and comfortable. This often leads them to make poor choices and costly mistakes.

lthough women often wore many layers of clothing in the 18th Century, a woman can get by with wearing as few as 4 items and be totally correct.

1. A shift/chemise

2. A petticoat

3. A jacket

4. A cap

he shift/chemise is always a must, no matter how wealthy or poor the woman is. It is usually made of a lightweight white or off-white fabric with a wide neckline which can be gathered or not. It would always have 3/4 length sleeves, though the sleeve edges varied, whether it had a gathering drawstring, a fitted band, a ruffle,etc.. The bottom would reach down below the knees, but not much further. This was the standard undergarment for women and was used as a slip and nightgown - NOT as a blouse.The neckline was not pulled up close to the neck and the sleeves did not reach down to the wrists. It simply lined the outer clothing, letting only the white edge peak out slightly at the neckline and cuff.

he petticoat, or what we would identify as a long "skirt" today, was worn with a jacket or under an open-front gown. Often times it was worn in several layers, although only one is really necessary for starting out. It can be made with either a fitted waistband with ties or with a drawstring waistband. Women's garments did not usually have buttons. The petticoat would have slits on either side. Since a woman's pockets were actually a separate garment worn under the petticoat, these slits allowed access to the pockets. The length of the petticoat varies. They all fell below the knees, but the French wore them shorter, perhaps mid-calf length. The English wore them just about at the ankles.

everal different styles of women's jackets were worn in the 18th Century. Most common women wore either a bedjacket or perhaps a shortgown. Both were a very simple design and loose-fitting, so they did not necessarily require a pair of stays (an 18th Century corsette) underneath. It is for this reason that I recommend you start with a jacket rather than a gown, since 18th Century gowns DID require a pair of stays, which can be difficult to make and difficult to get use to wearing. NOTE: Sorry, ladies, but modern bras are not acceptable under 18th century clothing. It's much better to go without (that's right, without!) than to wear a modern bra.

ll grown women (16 years of age or older) wore caps. This was partly for religious reasons, since it was believed that women should cover their heads in reverance to God. But when studying drawings and paintings of the time you will see that the common-class woman usually wore a cap that covered her hair entirely, while a wealthy woman would wear a smaller, more delicate cap that did not. When considering that people did not bathe regularly as they do today, it is easy to understand that wealthy women had servants to care for and "dress" their hair to make it more presentable. Plus, since they didn't have to work, they didn't have as much need to protect their hair from dirt and smoke.

And that is all you REALLY, REALLY, REEEEeeeally need.

hat about shoes and socks? If you are following the advice of this site, you are starting out poor. And it was not at all uncommon for a poor woman to be barefoot in fair weather. Just be careful near campfires. Burning embers are not fun to step on!

But, eventually, even the most poor of poor women want more. And there are definately more items that will add a nice touch to your ensemble:

An apron

A kerchief/scarf/fischu

Stockings

Shoes

and, eventually a stays.