I love fashion. I drool over Louboutins and Manalos, even though I’m sure no woman (including me) can really walk in them. I read up on the benefits of beauty products, even when I’m not sure exactly what they do. And I love fashionable clothes even though I work at home and almost never get to wear them.
There are many differences between my life and that of the historical romance heroines I write about, but a love of fashion is something we have in common. The same way I pour over each month’s issue of In Style or Glamour, one of my heroines from a hundred years ago would be doing the same with Women’s Weekly or The Lady. The difference, of course, is that I don’t get to live the life that goes with the clothes. My heroines do. They gad about garden parties and go to balls dressed in silks and lace. They go to dressmakers and have clothes made just to suit them. In my latest book, Trouble at the Wedding, my heroine gets to buy two—not one, but two—couture wedding gowns (yeah, she has two weddings—it’s a long story). Every time I write a book or watch an episode of Downton Abbey, I envy the women in those gorgeous Edwardian outfits…at least, until I really start thinking about what wearing that sort of get-up entails.
Corsets? Ouch. Hats attached with hatpins? Ouch. Multiple layers of fabric, even in the summer? Ugh. Nipple rings…wait a second. Nipple rings? Yes, according to Juliet Nicholson’s book, The Perfect Summer, fashionable women of 1911 clamped rings to their nipples “providing a sort of ledge on which the evening gown rested precariously.” I think I’ll pass on those, too, and on face powder made with lead. As for the clothes, I’m not sure I could really love fashion if I had to change outfits four times a day and needed a maid every time I did it. A velvet morning gown for breakfast, followed by tweeds for standing behind the guns, then a tea gown, then an evening gown...it sounds exhausting. In fact, it sounds like the life of today’s fashion model, who spends her days changing her clothes and teetering around on platform Louboutins getting photographed. No, in real life, I’ll keep my yoga pants and cotton tees, and the occasional LBD by Badgley Mischka, and get my fashion vicariously through In Style. That way, the heaviest corset I’ll ever have to wear is a pair of Spanx.
What do you think? Are there any fashions then or now that you think are just ridiculous? Any trends you wish would just die already? Any clothes of the past you think are so beautiful, you wish you could wear them now, even if it means putting on a corset and changing four times a day? Share your fashion opinions and you could win the first two books in my Abandoned at the Altar series, Wedding of the Season and Scandal of the Year.
59 comments:
Oh I think to wear some of those beautiful dresses I would suffer the corset! =) I love the clothing from days gone by, togas would have been great, ball gowns would be a dream, or even some flapper wear if given the right accessories.
As a child of the 80's I have a hard time wearing things that look like they belong back in the 80's. Some things are really only good the first time around.
Honestly, I don't like a lot of the fashions of today. I love the period movies and historical romances however, and I do own several corsets (I actually wore a corset under my wedding dress), and to be honest, I love corsets. Yes, they restrict air, but, being a fuller-figured gal, I love the shape that a corset gives me! As for the changing four times a day? Ick. Twice is enough for me. :P
ladyd2206(at)yahoo(dot)com
^^ I hope this is an international giveaway if yes please enter me.
Some dress are somptuous but i don't think i could endure the corset ^^;; and i'm not into fashion so... i prefer what is confortable
all the best
isabelle(dot)frisch(at)gmail(dot)com
Morning, everyone!
Lexi, I so agree with you about the 80's. I mean, high side pony tails? Shoulder pads? Leg warmers? What were we thinking? But I do miss some of the music.
Lady D., I'm with you on the shaping value of a corset, but still...all day, every day? Not sure I could do it. Although it's supposed to be great for your posture.
Uggs. Those boots. I assume they're comfortable, but WHY?
I put on my corset on Saturday to do a Steampunk theme with my friends at a con. I had to tap out after about an hour. They're gorgeous, but no.
I also have a bodice that only covers the upper portion of my torso, that I use with my Renn Faire gypsy costume. Most comfortable thing ever. It comes with flowing pants and It's just like wandering around in pajamas. But! I'm in costume. Quite possibly the best thing ever.
very interesting. I love the look of corsets, but just the thought of how tight they have to be bound to get the look.
didi@guiltypleasuresbookreviews.com
I love historical fashion. Yes I would suffer through wearing a corset, to be able to wear the empire styles of the Regency period or the lovely gowns of the antibelleum south. I'even suffer hoops if it meant wearing a ballgown. The only thing I'd have to pass on would be those ridiculous very pointed toe slippers.
Trackfan(at)aol(dot)com
I burn anything acid washed. I grew up in the early 80's and yuck, just yuck.
I love corsets, too. I am full figured, too and I get a really nice shape.
Marika Weber
maw1725@gmail.com
I don't see how women like Scarlett O'Hara didn't have a deformed waist or breathing problems with those tight corsets. No wonder she was so skinny with those corsets she couldn't eat:)
Plus, I wouldn't mind changing clothes that often. :)
I agree four times a day a bit much. I love looking at period pieces and seeing dresses all flowing and beautiful. Yet the big hats always make me smile. I saw someone the other day at the supermarket with those big hats that flap all around your head. It made me smile, but a definite what were they thinking then & now moment. Two weddings, so excited to read it! Thanks for the blog.
Oh lord the fashion of the '80s was sooo bad...and even worse, I've seen items in the stores recently that resembles it. I shudder with horror...
Great post! :)
Hmm, corsets and hat pins sound bad enough--but nipple rings?! Oh wow. The things we do for looks, right?
I'm not one for fashion. I can take it or leave it, really. If it's comfortable on me and it looks half way decent, great. Otherwise--eh. And most of the things I see in the magazines are just...not my style, I guess. Besides being outrageously priced, of course.
I'd love to wear a nice ballgown type of dress from the earlier times--just once. I'd probably regret it after that, what with all the fabric and whatnot, but I've always wanted to wear a beautiful dress, one that sweeps and you could twirl in without falling over. :) I'm not a dress girl (never have worn them beyond my elementary days) but this would be one exception...
Enjoy!
TBQ
The_Book_Queen(at)yahoo(dot)com
I think I would be willing to wear a light weight corset for the clothes and a maid too...lol....I absolutely hate high heels and I think they are ridiculous. They are not good for your feet and not good for your back. Anything over 1 inch is pretty much bad overall in my opinion. I also don't like clothes with feathers - ick ...but otherwise I'm pretty much good with whatever people want to wear as long as it is clean and is not overly revealing (no see through clothes please!)
I love the slim silhouettes of the late sixties for women when we first "got" to wear pantsuits (see: Kate Hepburn) but am a sucker for a beautiful, classic gown as well. Tried a corset once. never again, thanks!
Liz
Once a year I'd be willing to don a corset (at most) for those dresses described in historical romances--well, at least the ones depicted on the cover art for those of us who need a visual aid.
Zuba pants (I'm probably wrong on spelling and pronunciation) --those zebra striped bright colored pj pants that are somehow acceptable in public as they are not, in fact, supposed to be pj pants??? Yeah, they can die...*she mutters in front of her brother in law* ktlee11.07@ live dot com
I could never wear a corset or a long straight skirt! I have to be able to walk and breathe! I think my least favorite fashion from recent memory was stirrup pants from the 80s/90s. Sooo not comfortable. Of course, I really hate stilletos, too!
rwschwarz11ATgmailDOTcom
I never wear a corset or a long straight skirt! But I love the period movies and historical romances, just for watching, to wear... i don't think so, because i prefer what is confortable.
filiafantasy at gmail dot com
Some of my favorite fashions are 60's, so I find myself drooling over the clothes on Mad Men. Isn't that show supposed to be back on air pretty soon?
Thanks for the fantastic post and giveaway!
I'd have to say that I'm very glad that women today don't have to go through all the riggamaroo of times past. Having to wear a corset, with petticoats, with a brocade dress over.... *shudder*.
But... I'm glad that some of today's fashion fades... stirrup pants, tye dye, off the shoulder torn t-shirts :)
I am not big on fashion, but I do love to look at the dresses from historical looks, wishing and dreaming that I was wearing one, but lets just admit, the corset will never happen.
thevirtualbookcase@gmail.com
I love wearing dresses. When i was a little girl i loved playing dress up and changing clothes at least 5 times. I think i could do the corsets and the hats. Its fun to see how much all the decades of fashion has changed and some come back full circle.
Crinolines like these: http://www.museum.hu/photo/budapest/kereskedelmi/images/0052_t9279_maxi.jpg ! They look so uncomfortable.
I just wish not everyone would wear skinny jeans, it's not a look that suits everyone...
Empire gowns are quite practical and advantageous, I love how women dressed in the 50s and 60s: femininely not afraid to highlight their curves :-)
Thank you for the lovely post Laura, I love time period fashion :-D
stella.exlibris (at) gmail (dot) com
Hmm... Wish would die? The stupid thing of idiot boys wearing they pants hanging off their bums.
As to the 4 times a day, now you know why women didn't, as often, have careers... it would have eaten up their clothes changing times, lol.
Great GP
I think once in a while is okay... I ove pretty dresses... But daily is a bit much much!
maybe31 at yahoo.com
I love the gowns, but I use a wheelchair, so I don't think I could wear them.
Cindy H.
cholub1968@aol.com
Hi, Stella! (waving)
Anya, I totally agree with you about boys wearing pants that look ready to fall off. What is WITH that? And why do teenagers never wear coats, even in the middle of winter? There's nothing more pathetic than a teen standing on a street corner in the snow shivering in a hoodie and saggy pants.
I love all fashions. I think some are silly, but they fit with the time period (like the dreaded shoulder pads of womens liberation or the ribcrushing corsets of the times of oppression)
I wish moon boots and crocodile shoes would die. Whomever came up with them shouldve been shot on the spot and had their crockery confiscated for the good of humanity.
I'd wear the twenties flapper dresses, and I love the lingeries of the gilded era, I find it to be beautiful and feminine. But a corset four times a day would kill me, especially since I bloat immediately after eating
Thanks for the giveaway ^_^
faefever25 at hotmail dot com
I think I am more in love with the idea of wearing long gowns. I don't think I would like to wear them all of the time. All those under garments would drive me nuts. Especially in the summer. Those women had to have been miserable.
As far as today's fashions go, I hate the one shoulder bare and the other in long sleeves. It looks wrong and very few women can carry the look off anyway. The other is jeggings with flats..ugh. Awful LOL
I would doffs fly have to say that i would die if I had to ever had to war a corset. I honestly don't know have women back then could actually wear them in a daily baisis.
Megblod(at)yahoo(dot)com
I wish that leggings as pants would no longer exist. I wish I had more reasons to wear lush beautiful dresses though.
nayjf at yahoo dot com
80's fashion is the worst---
I would love to wear a ballgown at least once--
corsets---- I would love to have one pretty one
audie@wickerness.com
I think the stiletto heels of today are ridiculous, who can walk in those suckers, and why would they want to? As for the past, corsets must have been a torture device invented by men, I can't believe women were dumb enough to wear those things. I love the empire gowns in rich fabrics but if I had to wear a corset, I don't think I'd want to give them a try.
Barbed1951 at aol dot com
I love the clothes! However, as I have gotten older, I refuse to wear anything that is not comfortable. But I dream and enjoy dreaming about the clothes and enjoy thinking they were comfortable.
Nipple rings?? Yikes!! No way would I want to wear all those layers of clothes! I'm a jeans and tshirt kind of girl. I look at some of the fashions from the 70's & 80's, and hope most of them never come back. Remember stack shoes (for guys?) Bell-bottom pants, checked material, leisure suits. What were people thinking????
gfc follower
mlawson17 at hotmail dot com
I think I would love to wear the beautiful gowns with the petticoats and the big hoop skirts. lisagk(at)yahoo(dot)com
Great post! I really love all of the beautiful dresses that are described in the historical romances I've read. I absolutely hate the bohemian trend that creeps up every now and then.
yadkny@hotmail.com
thank you for the great post and the awesome giveaway.
i sometimes think i was born at the wrong time because i can never find anything that i fit into.
almost all clothing is made for,what i call, stick people. no hips,no chest, long legs and a snotty attitude.
if you are like me and have an hourglass shape(big hips/small waist/big chest and very short) there is Nothing that fits. LOL!
i actually find alot of my clothes at the second hand store because the styles are older and more forgiving.
tammy ramey
trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
Interesting post I really enjoyed reading it!!!!
taccb_1981@yahoo.com
Couldn't do corsets. I like being able to breath better than being fashionable. Enjoyed the interview.
I go for comfort every time. I may admire the gorgeous clothing & figures of days gone by but it's SO not for me.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
oh oh.. i dont like wearing corset and never wear it
i'm not a fashionable person and i dont have special dress to wear.
eli_y83@yahoo.com
It would be fun to get all dressed up, even with a corset. But I'm sure it would also be a relief to get out of the corset at the end of the day. I'm much more the casual & comfortable type.
sallans d at yahoo dot com
I like the fashions of the past. I think they are very pretty. However, all those layers even in summer would be uncomfortable. I have an ideal of what I'd like to be wearing but always wind up buying wearing what I feel most comfortable in knit tops and jeans.
Shoulder pads....ridonkulous!
amandakgc(at)hotmail(dot)com
I love the Edwardian fashions and I think I'd put up with wearing them maybe once for about 30 minutes max-that's probably my tolerance. I'm more of a comfort over style gal and a great vintage tee that's whisper soft and a favorite pair of jeans worn in are my preferred clothing.
mljfoland AT hotmail DOT com
I love the idea of wearing a corset, so I bought one and wore it under a gown I wore at my daughter's wedding. It looked awesome but at the end of the night I was so ready to take it off. The one I wore to the wedding was white and despite the fact that after a while it got uncomfortable I still went and bought another in black that I haven't worn yet.
I did not know about the nipple ring thing. Interesting... O_O
I don't think I could hang with changing clothes 4 times a day or constantly wearing a corset, but I think I could suffer for a day or two. I love the corsets and have a secret love for some of the larger brim hats of later years.
catherine.n.morgan(at)gmail(dot)com
I am probably going to be tarred and feathered for saying this but I have absolutely NO interest in fashion. Not that I don't on occasion wear clothes that ARE fashionable, but I don't actually go out of my way to buy clothes that fit with modern trends or fads. I buy clothes that are comfortable, not fashionable. If that means that I have 4 pairs of sweats and long sleeved tees in assorted colors then so be it lol. I wear clothes to be comfortable, not to make a fashion statement :-D greeneyesredhair@gmail.com
Oh, and one trend that I am grateful that has died are leisure suits, bell bottoms and butterfly collars! If they were widely available today and fashionable, I think I would have to live in just my sweats!
I don't pay much attention to fashion trends and oft for being comfortable in well-fitting clothes that suit my body type. Dressing up can be fun so long as I'm not a slave to it. Though I like being comfrotable, I've never been fond of the pajamas in public look. I love the historical gowns and attire in historical romance. So romantic!
Cambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
those kind of clothings are the one that i love to look at, but NOT wear. it was plain painful, especially the corset
No corsets or girdles. My Mom made me wear a girdle when I weighed 96 lbs and I hated it. I also had to walk with shoulders back, fanny tucked under and stomach held in and with a book on my head. Also had to put one foot in front of other and walk straight and no jiggley fanny. lol Back in 60's.
I loved the soft, free flowing dresses made of silk or chiffon that make me look very feminine. Though this was many yrs ago I still love these dresses. Of course big hats like Julia Roberts wore to the race track in Pretty Woman and lacy shawls.
Have books on my wish list and can't wait to read. Thanks for the opportunity to enter giveaway.
misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com
I really do like the styles of clothes in Downton Abbey and spend more time looking at the women's clothes than anything else. The most ridiculous fashion trend, to me, has always been bell bottoms. I just don't think they flatter anyone.
mce1011 AT aol DOT com
Well, even though I love the over the top splendor of the clothes from the medieval/romantic era...I would never be able to deal with corsets. Nope! LOL
velvetsun(at)live(dot)com
Loved the interview and love fashion. It seems that we women have always wanted to look fashionable even if it hurt to do so. would love to win the books!! rings@wwt.net
I love the silhouette desses of the 1920's. They were not form flattering but they look comfortable as hell!!
Corsets are rather unhealthy. They bind a woman so tightly that she has trouble breathing.
Whenever I read a historical romance novel, I always picture the pretty ball gowns in my head, and it makes me wish I could wear them. And looking at pictures of fashion from that time makes me like them even more. They're so beautiful, I'd suffer through corsets to wear one. I also love dresses with full skirts, like fashion from the 50s. :]
neferteenie[at]gmail[dot]com
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