Victorian Christmas Stroll

It may not seem apparent, at first, but understanding vintage clothing styles can offer insights into an earlier time.

JoAnn (Jo) Hopper and Lana McLaurin share a passion for vintage clothing, and have devoted decades to collecting, studying, displaying and teaching about historical clothing.

The pair of dear friends met in 1979, and the Pasco County duo have dressed the mannequins and crafted the vintage clothing displays that contribute to the ongoing displays at the Henry B. Plant Museum, including the museum’s annual Victorian Christmas Stroll, now in its 36th year.

The two women share a belief that when one dons Victorian attire, there is a sense of living history that evokes appreciation of the time, and the personality of the owner and surroundings—which causes one to straighten her posture, square-up shoulders, and stroll out gracefully with a countenance of demure confidence.

They agree with William Shakespeare’s assessment that “apparel oft proclaims the man” and Mark Twain’s observation that “clothes make the man.”

Jo and Lana spent a recent afternoon positioning their elegant vintage garments and accessories in a museum display.

As they worked, it became evident that apparel indeed reveals clues about the people who wore them, and the culture of their time.

From fabric, cut and adornment, the two women garner information about the original owner’s status, work, age, and even beliefs, etiquette and self-assurance.

They concentrate on antique clothing from the late Victorian and Edwardian periods through World War I.

Lana explained that although British Queen Victoria lived from 1837 to 1901, she and Jo are most interested in the later years of the queen’s life.

The Edwardian period covers the reign of King Edward VII, from 1901 to 1910.

In Victorian times, rules governed dress and the slightest nuances spoke volumes about social standing. For women, reception gowns, not intended for street wear, but grand enough for greeting guest in one’s own home, differed slightly from the visiting dress which would be worn, never without hat and gloves, when making calls on ladies “at home” during socially prescribed hours. In addition, wardrobes included dinner dresses, evening gowns, operetta toilettes and, the grandest of all, ball gowns.

Jo’s foray into the field of antique clothing, which she now describes as a fun obsession, began with an interest in the Civil War and antebellum times.

Clothing styles reveal history
The hoop skirt for instance, Jo said, was in vogue in the 1860s, but as the country moved toward the 20th century, skirt styling transformed from the lavish hoops to the bustle and eventually to a silhouette.

The style changes reflect changing economic times, she said. Less fabric was needed for the fitted style and, thus it was more affordable in the late 1800s.

Jo’s first vintage collector piece was a brown taffeta servant’s dress — one of the pieces included in the current Victorian Stroll display.

Lana’s zeal for collecting vintage clothing began with her interest in antiques.

She purchased a passementrie-bedecked cape from an antique dealer in Winter Park, and one piece led to another.

A seamstress herself, she said part of the fascination stems from the way the garments are constructed. She finds many of the pieces as interesting on the interior as they are on the exterior.

European Royalty, particularly British monarchs, were highly influential in the world of fashion during the 1800s, both in Europe and in the United States.

The Victorian age, which refers to the reign of Queen Victoria, was swayed by the queen’s personal style, behavior and modesty.

Queen Victoria wore black for 40 years after her husband’s death, and subsequently her subjects and admirers frequently wore black, as well.

However, Lana noted that black also was used as we use it today, and that our ‘little black dress’ had its equivalent in Victorian times.

Queen Victoria set norms, even in the United States.

The most widely circulated magazine in the United States after the Civil War, Godey’s Magazine, included regular articles about Queen Victoria, and incorporated fashion illustrations and a monthly pattern.

An effect like Princess Diana
Victoria’s daughter-in-law, Princess Alexandra, wife of Edward VII, also influenced fashion. She created a whirlwind quite similar to that of Princess Diana.

Princess Alexandra was a beautiful, tall, 18-year-old when she was married at Windsor Castle in 1863. She had a long neck that was said to bare an unsightly scar from a childhood surgery. Alexandra wore high lace collars and multiple layers of pearls in a collier de chein “collar” necklace. The masses revered and copied Alexandra’s elegant style.

It was also an era of modesty, Jo said. Gloves of net or leather were worn in public by women and men.

“Flesh on flesh” was frowned upon, Lana said.

Gloves also protected the precious fabrics from perspiration stains from dancing.

Fabrics often were wools, brocades, damasks, silks, rayon and velvets. Diaphanous, sheer, overlay fabrics were abundant.

All manner of maids and butlers possessed keen knowledge of the care of the fabrics — which involved brushing and cleaning combinations.

Heavier cotton fabrics were used for the servant and worker clothing. Meanwhile, affluent people wore soft white cottons during warmer seasons.

Jo and Lana also have observed that a piece of clothing was often altered or changed several times to reflect changing styles.

Utilitarian components such as the balayeuse, a removable ruffle on the underside of a trained skirt or petticoat to protect the fabric, could be replaced if the hem was soiled from brushing the floor.

Some dresses were intended to flatter, with ingenuous, embedded corset-boning and corsets that accentuated figures. Garments also were handmade or made-to-order for the client.

Heather Brown, curator of education at the Plant Museum, described the Victorian Christmas Stroll and the unique theme for each room of the museum.

In one collection, Jo and Lana depicted the illusion of Thomas Edison with his wife and two children as holiday carolers. (Edison and family lodged at the hotel in 1900.) The tailor’s form (Edison image) depicts a long, sleek, black coat of weighted silk in perfect condition. At his side is a petite female partner in a vibrant red, light wool military style jacket over a slim black silk skirt. Lana pointed out the golf-themed gold buttons on the jacket that reveal the Mrs. Edison character had just returned from a round of golf.

The second display depicts a nanny and two children on a breathtaking staircase that hints at the magnificent architecture of the hotel. Jo explained they had previously created a wedding scene in 2015 and a christening display in the same area in 2016—a sequential progression of the family’s development. The nanny is clothed in the brown, taffeta dress, her “going out’ dress. A governess or nanny would have worn two uniforms during the day in the Victorian era.

Throughout the remainder of the museum, the exquisite vintage clothing displays of the duo enhance the stunning museum.

For readers who would like to learn more about Victorian attire and behavior, Jo and Lana suggest the book, “Women’s Clothing in the Nineteenth Century” by C. Willett Cunnington.

What: 36th annual Christmas Victorian Stroll
Where: Henry B. Plant Museum, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa
When: Dec. 1 to Dec. 23, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with live music from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Cost: $15 for adults; $13 for seniors; and $9 for youths, ages 4 to 18.
Details: The Henry B. Plant Museum, which is part of the former Tampa Bay Hotel, is dressed up in holiday style. The University of Tampa occupies the rest of the structure, which was built in 1891 by railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant. The building is a National Historic Landmark.

By Madonna Jervis-Wise

Published December 6, 2017