Because Mary Poppins is actually an immortal, she has probably had that dress for awhile. She got that waist piece when it was a new fashion and just loves it. Therefore, she is going to wear it! She is Mary Poppins. She does as she will. :)
@@loreaimee I've also seen people put her in Time Lord territory, along with Miss Frizzle from the Magic School bus. Both make sense to me, just two ladies with a particular fondness for children experiencing what the universe has to offer with a very odd handbag/umbrella or lizard/school bus at their sides.
@@jepleure This. I don't think some realize how amazing it is that this dress is still here and could easily (albeit carefully) be worn. Kudos to the whoever did it.
I was impressed she was gonna imitate Karolina Zebrowska’s chaotic one-day-dresses! But this makes so much more sense. I could breathe a little easier for her.
As a working woman who "aint got no time for that", those running stitches really make me and my "but it's still good enough" running stitches feel validated.
Does anyone else look at these extant garments and wonder what their stories are? Or make up grand stories about the dresses and what they've been through? "This dress was worn at a high tea and then there was a total Real Housewives of the Edwardian Era moment and that's how this stain occurred because Mary threw tea at Abigail (the dress wearer). Then Mary grabbed Abigail's lace, a fight ensued and that tore the insertion lace...Andy Cohen will tell us more at the reunion show!"
I can't be the only person absolutely RELIEVED to learn that real people did not actually even try to follow Ms. Bertha Banner to the letter!! I guess the modern equivalent would be keeping your house as pristine as Martha Stewart. As someone who has perfectionist tendencies, I've had to learn not to let perfect get in the way of good enough, and I'm glad historical ladies didn't either. Also super interesting to see white floofy summer dresses in yet another configuration! I'd love a series on light summer dress trends through the centuries. Never would have thought to compare this with a chemise a la Reine but the similarities are striking! What other floaty summer dress trends have existed?!
I’m watching this video and crying. I realized my high school graduation dress (1983) made by my mother is a lingerie dress. People are amazed when I show them the dress and have to say, she made all those pin tucks....she inserted all that lace. This makes me want to put the dress on display. My mother passed almost 6 years ago. The wonderful memories are flooding my eyes and running down my cheeks. It’s a good thing and I thank you!
I really appreciate that you have black people in your period references. Its hard to see black people in history without seeing carnage, that moments like seeing them in history enjoying themselves and being part of society is the best we can do for inclusivity. Love your channel girl.
I think it's important to remember the awful things that have happened in order to be better people and keep from repeating those things. That said,, people of color are most definitely not just "victims" they are people, glorious whole people who have given so much in the world that is often erased. The sheer influence they have had on society is so vastly underappreciated. I love Bernadette for including ALL of them, as people, as culture, as history. That is the respect I love to see in the world.
@4Freedom4All I will say that I agree that films that are meant to truly represent historical fact should be accurate to the racial makeup of the era and location, but movies and shows that are more whimsical, such as Bridgerton (which presents itself as alternate history) or Enola Holmes (completely fictional characters so why not) shouldn’t be too scrutinized for casting POC in roles that would be abnormal from the time period. I think as long as we recognize that Black people were not treated well in, say, regency England, we might as well have fun with it now. Though I would love to see more POC-centered historical media that portrays their lives as they truly were, for better and worse. Example: Hamilton using hip hop and POC actors to portray and cleanse the images of white, slave-owning colonizers is a lot more Problematic than, say, The Great, a historically inaccurate comedy being race-blind (especially given that there were hardly any Black Russians until quite recently), if that makes sense?
@4Freedom4All I understand what you are saying, but "The Great" was very much meant to not match history. As Gemma Moon said, I think it's alright to cast POC in historical films that are alternate history, very much fictional, etc. Films that adress the horrible treatment of POC in the past are also important as well and it's just a good idea to have both. Bridgerton may not have done the best job potraying itself as alternate history, it is not intended to be viewed as historically accurate and I don't think anyone thinks that it is. Erasing the struggles of POC in the past and trying to paint over history is awful, but Bridgerton, Enola Holmes, the Great, and etc. are not meant to be educational about history.
This comment hits home in mammoth proportions. I just bought my first home. You mean I can paint the walls, change the light fixtures, remodeled the deteriorating kitchen, and buy furniture unencumbered by the whim of others? Oh dear god, what do I do?
When I am stick in those situations I quote Micarah Tewers: 'I don't know what to do, I don't have instructions, I am supposed to be the instructions but I don't know what to do!'
Ahhh! It’s so nice to see Black women in your reference images! It’s so rare to see women who look like me in the historical fashion corner of RU-vid which can be disheartening , so thank you
If you have any period or vintage photos, upload them onto PInterest, Insta, etc. Sometimes the lack of illustrative or representative images is due to a lack of resources, not a lack of intention. Full marks to Bernadette.
Women of color in historical clothing is so lovely. I’m Native, and I love seeing native ladies and girls in all sorts of clothing and not just stereotypical “clothing”. It’s nice to see white people werent the only ones enjoying stylish clothing from other places.
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but those thread-wrapped buttons are called Dorset buttons. They were a cottage industry in Dorset starting in the 17th century, which faded out in the 20th. They are surprisingly simple to make, and you can use colour thread.
I love lingerie dresses and often use lace on my every day dresses as a way to pay tribute to my great grandmother who made these dresses and many other designs for her clients using amazing fabrics. I'm excited to see the next episode 😁 Dorset buttons were something I enjoyed learning when I did my certificate of fine embroidery. I make them a lot for linen and cotton garments for my daughter and I as a change from mother of pearl (shell). You can use colour and different sized threads and rings for more delicate or chunkier buttons. Hubby tells me I should sell them to order. Thoughts anyone??? 😀 It would be a fun way to bring back something from the past and highlight the joy of slow stitching
Her friends: "Nobody's gonna know." Lady sewing the hems on the dress: "They're gonna know." Her friends: "How would they know? ... How would they know?" Bernadette, 100 years later, looks at these seams that weren't meant to be seen and shows them to her RU-vid channel.
My great grandmother when teaching her daughter and granddaughter to embroider would always start turning their work over to look if it was as neetly done on the back as on the front
I love little things like that, with what gets lost to history these little things that survive and humanise the people of the time 😘👌 I love it! It can be easy to see people from the past as profoundly different to us, but I can absolutely relate to cutting little corners that “nobody will notice” around 100 years later.
"They won't see this hem anyway." "I somehow miscalculated how much fabric i need for this dress. Oh look, this scrap piece has the right size! Good enough, i guess." "I have literally three days to finish this dress, or i will have to go in just my undergarments. No way i am going to handsew this! Lets get some work done." "Taking out the gathering stitches? Finishing the edges? Who has time for this? I'll do that later.. Maybe." The people back than really were just that. People. They had the same struggles that we have today. The same lack of motivation to put in more effort than absolutely necessary. Lack of materials, money (Just use whatever you have left!) and probably lack of time too. It makes me appreciate all of their work even more and also helps me to accept my own 'mistakes' and imperfections. It might not be perfect, but we are all doing our best with what we have. And thats awesome!
Don't forget we also get to see a lot of clothes that were quickly rehemmed and otherwise altered to fit people other than the ones they were first made for. Because, like Bernadette mentioned, clothes were expensive. I wonder how many of the weird things we see were alterations done later with people doing the best they could to make something fit and look okay.
@@Awulle good point! I also believe these clothes were altered at home, and not by professionals. So they really just tried to make it work to the best of their abilities.
Bernadette, I'm so happy that you included photos of women of color during this period. It's so nice to see representation in other countries and outside of just "being slaves". Slavery was/is a huge deal, but it's great to see that there were black women that were living better lives and were successful in a way that is not often shown!
*Dress must-haves for the modern person* Gloriously puffy sleeves Pockets (giant pockets specifically which will easily accommodate fabric sheers or sum such useful tools) Lace. lace lace lace. Tiny buttons. maybe a treat pocket for your furry companion.
The belly pooch is also great for disguising a larger belly, for anyone trying to keep a pregnancy quiet or dealing with PCOS/endo bloat. People assume it's just fabric!
i disagree, belly pooches hang much lower than the pooches shown here, between the natural waist and the hip line. the pigeon breasted look shown here go down from the bust to a very tucked in waist, and the pooch overhang only comes down to a few cms below the natural waistline. ive been designing my own edwardian lingerie dress inspired thing and decided to keep the tucked in waist section between the underbust and the natural waist line sort of like a regency silhouette because for people who have large bellies with overhang the only place you can create a nipped in area is the underbust.
Maybe it's a British thing, but a pooch was always a DOG... seeing these comments gives me pictures of ladies sauntering along with dogs fastened on their stomachs. Not practical, not comfortable, for dog or owner. Yikes! Is it a result of the earlier French influence in the States? Similar to the pronunciation of Erbs, those aromatic green cooking ingredients? (Hhherbs over here, unless you're a cockney) La pouche, non? Or poach, in Canadian. I am also now picturing a t-shirt with a dog breaking out of the fabric just at belly level, like those very lifelike cat designs being advertised all over the Internet at the mo. HEEEEELP!!
One of my favourite quotes, from the author Stephanie Pearl-McFee, is "it's okay if a human activity looks like a human did it." (or something to that effect)
I appreciate that you're doing your own take on this dress in a way that you'll rewear it in the future, and not just as a one-off piece for the RU-vid. We love an environmentally-conscious queen!
This is just a comment to show appreciation for also including non-white people as historical reference and for how you cite the sources. Thank you so much!!
So I’m a theatrical design student and it makes me so happy to see that you sketch using a mechanical pencil. I’ve always had to stretch my budget to get the nice supplies and never felt like they were worth it. It’s really nice to see an artist I respect using materials I feel like I could afford.
I love seeing the imperfect sewing on the antique dresses. It makes me realize that my frequent, "Eh, good enough," attitude is shared by many of my sewing sisters throughout history. :)
@@hannahcollins1816 I'm so glad I'm not the only one! In order to not contradict our beloved Bernadette I have decided that in my mind they're scarlet, so a red that veers toward orange and is therefore...both?
Such a brillant project! I’ve been obsessed with lingerie dresses for a while now and enjoyed the close ups immensely, thank you :) Can’t wait to see your dress coming into existence, the design looks gorgeous!
I got really excited about the hand made buttons on one of the extant dresses. Those are Dorset buttons! They were hand manufactured in my home county of Dorset, but sadly started to die out after 1850 as machine made buttons got cheaper. I have never seen them on an actual garment!
Look up antique smocks. I have a Pinterest page of them and am just about to start making my first. Nervous to cut into the fabric though and still collecting the embroidery thread at great postal expense because of a shortage due to Covid.
I have an antique Edwardian shirtwaist with the tiniest Dorset buttons down the back! I wonder if they were difficult to maneuver through the buttonholes. I daren't try it myself because the fabric and buttons seem so fragile!
Just want to say that Bernadette's community is a wealth of knowledge and the comment sections are always a pleasure to read. So many of you know so much about history and I've sat here for a good almost hour just reading and learning. Thank you!
Right? People like to think that it just happens magically, but the truth is Bernadette created this space and cultivated this beautiful community and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have found it.🤍
Me as an Edwardian: Shoves fabric aggressively under machine, "Ain't no one got time for this sh*t". Also me: Spends way too much time blankly staring at the ceiling wondering if crickets jump competitively.
There are no documented cases of the 'rona amongst any of the Folk. Apparently their adherence to the CDC standards are a kind gesture of solidarity with us Big 'Uns.
Me too! Bernadette was my first contact with this world and got me back at sewing! (Hand sewing that is because I’m still trying to understand machines Kk) Working my way trough my first biggish project, a regency ensemble ☺️
@@juliaardions2884 You need a whip and a small chair. That is the aggressive approach. The other is to make a quilted cover for it, wave a bottle of sewing machine oil over it while chanting. Burning incense is optional! And as a last resort you can read the manual and practice on muslin or a sheet!
@@maryblaylock6545 Thank you so much! I will definitely try them! I think the second option will work perfectly in my case, but i promise to let you know which one worked best!
I found out at Christmas in 2019 that my sister and I both watch you. We don't get along and don't have a lot in common but crafting and sewing is one of those things and it was nice to hear we had a connection.
Thank you for including photos of POC. I can't tell you how much it means to see. I got choked up, so thank you Bernadette for being aware of this and proving that POC did infact exist in fashionable trends.
I love that you pointed out how not absolutely perfect the stitches are whether they were machine or hand stitched. Those aren't new garments which also proves that it's more the material they were made of than having super strength double stitching to survive until now. It helps to remind me that even my stitches don't have to be absolute ruler lines
Is it weird that rather than spend a tons of money on a wedding dress I only ever wear once I want to commission an Edwarian lingerie gown made for a summer wedding? This way I could wear it tons of times and I'd get a floofy white dress on my wedding day that's not formal, I hate dresses you can not LIVE in.
I'm all about dresses that you can live in! That's what makes me sad about my own wedding dress. When would I ever wear it again?? It's too formal and there really isn't another good time to wear it but the one day.
Originally, women (and men) got married in their 'Sunday Best' - there was none of this buying a white dress at great expense that was only ever going to be worn once (or at most, half a dozen times if it actually fit subsequent generations). So, if you want to commission a dress that you can wear for your wedding and at other occasions throughout the year - then you're the one who's doing what's 'traditional'. Go for it.
I'm eagerly awaiting footage of you strolling in Hyde Park in this creation. And footage of you inserting all this lace. Okay fine, I'm excited about this whole thing!!!!!
Marijean Rue and all of the ladies look so elegant, though I am sure the mother of the cute little girl was most likely thinking "don't you dare get that dress messy until we are done at the photographers!"
How fantastic to think about a lady, quietly, studiously and finely making this at home and now it is being studied, discussed and seen as inspiration.
Those double-edged/ruffled sleeves are really cute! Might have to incorporate that in a future project... Those two rows of hooks and eyes though. That seems a recipe for... shall we say frustration. Both in attaching and every time you wish to put said dress on. I have to say, it feels so long since we got to see your watercolor work, and that was an absolute treat.
@@bernadettebanner But did you notice the sewing on of same were not perfect? Not that I'm denigrating all the work that went into the dress, but it does give you permission to be slightly less than perfect when you sew yours on.
I have actually handled the Jolly Holiday dress while perusing the Disney Vault in CA. It's definitely not a period piece, but then they didn't intend for it to be. That's because it's in a fantasy world within a fantasy world. Julie was tiny at the time she did the film and there isn't really much to this dress or any of the other garments she wore. I think it's awesome that you are doing this project. I am increasingly interested in the Edwardian era and all it's wonderful and practical garments. Thank you!
@@Frankenzebra Julie didn't gain all that much weight with Emma. Also, those scenes were filmed late in the production. She had plenty of time to rest after giving birth.
Bernadette: I found evidence of scalloped insertion lace along the hem. Me (having flashbacks of Bernadette's combinations): This seems like a recipe for suffering.
Reading Anne of Green Gables in my formative years has instilled a life long yearning for puffed sleeves. Looking forward to seeing the results of your floofy adventures.
"Imperfection is a part of history" it's so important to keep that in mind, because we developed this strange need for perfection and it isn't natural or healthy. And I got some meters of a good quality cotton that is over 40 years old. The original intention was to use for mock-ups, but it's vintage high quality cotton, it needs to be used for a more purposeful garment 😂
The garments remind me of my grandmother's (born 1902) style of sewing, and the lace my great-grandmother (born 1880) used to make on her lace-making bolt (I still have it, with the wooden weights for the threads!) where she would push pins into a paper pattern as she twirled threads weighted down with wooden spools!
Maybe the little orange ribbons were added for “the big stage.” I feel pretty smart after having taken one class in costume construction. Small, intimate stage needs fussy little details , completed hems, small buttons. The big stage needs big buttons, big bows or sleeves, collars, etc. It can allow unfinished hems, pins closures, quick fixes, patches. 🤣🤣 I am laughing, and I hope you will laugh too.
I read that in a theater design textbook that my dad kept from when he was in college. I have to wonder though, what about the front row seats in the big theater?
Wow. I always thought they were red. I came to see if anyone else saw them similarly, but just this. After all these years, my color vision isn’t as good as I thought.
Ribbons were also used on one of empress Sisi's gowns. The ribbons were on the uppper part of her dress. It's easy to find a photo of said dress on the net.
I cannot get over how talented you are. I'm imagining children's stories illustrated by your hand, room decorating, wall paper, curtains - everything so very feminine! Love watching your videos.
Super interesting! And what's really cool and exciting for me as more of a historybounding type of sewer, if you look at prairie dresses from Gunnesax or similar retailers in the 70s or early 80s (which are super popular among cottagecore types) you see a lot of these same elements: insertion lace and lace cuff details, waist gathering, high necklines. Prairie dresses seem to be kind of a mash up of Victorian workdresses and Edwardian lingerie gowns, with some hippie 70s floral patterns mixed in.
I just love the thought of an Edwardian lady, haunting and watching someone talk about her home made dress a century later, and while the stitching isn't perfect by today's standards it most likely made her extremely proud to own it.
This is making me want to go down the rabbit hole of edwardian style clothing. I might have to buy some patterns from Truly Victorian to help me, since patterning scares decades out of my existence. I think I have more then enough fabric to make a few day outfits....hmmmm.
@@CucumberpatchAddict, I knew she was moving because she does some packing in a previous video. I didn’t know she had completed the move or to where. This looked like a lot of it was originally filmed in her NYC apartment, though the corner where she was sitting for the intro I don’t think I’ve seen before.
I’ve always felt that the sequence of them at the outdoor cafe was more New Orleans or French inspired. If you look up early 1900’s French fashion you can find the wide waist band, even some that are pointed at the top and bottom. As a kid this made since to me that in the fantasy realm, they could go wherever they wanted. A mish mash, if you will, of locations and fun.
When Bernadette is critiquing probably a 140-150 year old woman’s sewing technique, I’m just imagining that young Edwardian woman taking notes even though she’s prob dead lol.
Okay, story idea. Bernadette critiques an Edwardian woman's sewing techniques. The ghost of the woman shows up with her ghost sewing machine. Bernadette and ghost lady become friends.
Now I have so many questions about historical productions of lace that I didn’t have before ...! Will cesario get a matching striped Bert jacket to accompany any chalk drawing jaunts?
Those thread wrapped ring buttons are called Dorset Buttons. They can be created with several variations of pattern in weaving the threads to create the buttons. Soft buttons would be used on garments where they would not hinder comfort or be more subtle to the eye and initially blend in with the garment.
Another reason why both Dorset buttons and soft thread buttons were favoured for undergarments is that they can withstand harsh laundry much better than the more brittle wood, shell or bone buttons.
Proper Edwardian dresses meet Mary Poppins and I am SO here for it!! I wonder if the fantastic umbrella/parasol shop/maker near the British Museum has a red parasol that will match the outfit 🤔
@@caithemburrow5569 I believe that as long as someone is acknowledging a lack of knowledge/understanding and trying to learn about it, they are not ignorant.
The side hook closure on one of the dress I theorize might have been for a nursing mama. Also Bernadette I would love to see you sell your water color painting as a print! I bet people would love to have one!
These dresses are so ethereal! I am excited about this project! Also excited that Bernadette is making a summer dress that will be ready for summer, not making it when summer has just been and gone :P
@@janeodee1677 It is, I used the vogue 8930 pattern and thick fleece. Except I waited for a sale and the only color they had 4 yards of was cream. I look like a fat tauntaun when I drop my kids off at school. I have no regrets.
Okay. I admit it. Without a stitched velvet and embroidered cushion, on blended knee, I profess a grandfather’s undying love! What a treat your presentations are, and how I rue that I am of an age where sewing like this (I have in mind exquisite vests and robes for elderly sages) is no longer possible. Space is the biggest factor, and the declining energies and et ceteras contribute to this disinclination. But, how wonderful your surrender to historical processes with such care and ruthless attention! And how you Grace the eye, it must be said! Brava! You are a Verdi opera of stitchery delight! 💐
I can't decide what I like more: the chemise a la Reine, or these Edwardian lingerie dresses. They're both so beautiful and feminine and delicate! I want one so bad!
Wow, inspiration hit fast and hard as soon as the extant garments entered the “stage”. I’ve been designing knitted garments inspired by and almost “translated” from historic fashion pieces, and I’m not even half way through the video and already have a pattern and detailed construction in my head 😅 Brb as I write it down😃 I foresee a lot of prancing around in a knitted lingerie dress this summer🤩
Seeing wonky stitching on these beautiful, historical garments makes me feel so much better about my own inability to stitch anything in a straight line 😌
As someone who sews my own clothing and has a 1 year old. I feel the first machine stitched dress in my heart. Get it stitched, get it done, get it on.
i could watch bernadette talk about existing garments forever, but i was totally knocked out by her preliminary sketches even those are so gorgeous...!
just today said to my husband 'wonder whether Bernadette is alright, she hasn't uploaded in a while?!', since the plague is still devouring the states... can't wait to see the dress come together!! :) it looks gorgeous on paper!
I love your mention of 'period imperfection'. This is something I've been aware of, and have been unsurprised to see in the 1950s (often home-sewn) vintage that is more my own go-to era, but have never actively named or deliberately thought about it. I've also somehow never really considered it when working on my own pieces sewn or knitted from vintage patterns. I will keep this in mind from now on. Also thank you - I am SO excited for this project!
My family has one of these. It was my great great grandmother’s graduation gown. (First women in her family to go to college) it’s really cool to learn more about the history of this dress and learn how it was made
There’s a lot of talk about how long it would take someone to make a dress and it would be a dress maker or someone in the home, but what other info is out there? How busy were dress makers? Where did they source the material? Did they have dress making schools or is it a self-taught profession? Where did the current fashion and fads begin?
I don't know about the general path, but the one great-great aunt in my family who was a seamstress and milliner was largely home/self taught so far as I know. She was *very* busy, and made a lot of beautiful hats and dresses in the late 1890's - early 1900's for the well-to-do. We have a few family photos of her and her sisters in outfits she had made. I wish we had some of the clothing items themselves.
Both of my grandmothers were self taught. One always used patterns and the other just started cutting the fabric. Both made beautiful clothes for themselves and their families.
I know from some of my research that a large percentage of girls were expected to learn sewing. Less wealthy girls were held to the highest standard, since it was they who might end up as a hired dressmaker. Many girls practiced sewing by making clothes for dolls.
Watching her examine the dresses in person is magical as you can tell how much she enjoys it and it would be like if I were able to examine a van gogh painting in person. ( I am a major van gogh nerd don't get me started my walls are covered in posters and I read his letters to his brother)
