| Ball
fringe decorating a spenser, c. 1810 from Regency
Cousins |
 |
Ball
fringe
Ball fringe consists of a row of small pom-poms hanging from short
strings. Ball fringe can lend a garment a jaunty bit of movement
and must of been very difficult to make back when you couldn't buy
it by the yard.
|
| Evening
gown with balloon sleeves, 1895, from a personal Christmas card (Are
you on my list?) |
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Balloon sleeves
After achieving great success in the 1930s, hugely wide sleeves made
a brief reappearance in the mid-1890s, reaching their most exaggerated
point around 1895, and took what was (so far) their swansong for a
short period in the 1980s as a nod to Princess Diana's wedding dress.
|
| Balmoral
boots, 1864) from Camille of the
Civil War |
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Balmoral
Boots
Balmoral boots (sometimes shortened to "Bal") were any
that fastened in the front. These from the American Civil War period
also have elastic insets on the sides.
|
| Bandeau
style corset, c. 1810 from Regency Cousins |
 |
Bandeau
1. Snug band of fabric used as a headdress.
2. Snug band used to confine the breasts. This kind is the earliest
I've seen unless you starting looking at truly ancient clothing.
|
| Evening
gown with basque, 1941,from Betty
of the Gallant Forties. |
 |
Basque
It appears to me that a lot of confusion surrounds this term, probably
because its meaning has shifted from period to period. It can refer
to any fitted bodice, or specifically to a bodice with a tiny skirt-like
attachment.(see peplum), or to the peplum itself, or to a bodice
that comes to a V at front of the waist. That's plenty of confusion
to go around. |
| Bateau
neckline on a casual shirt from The Way
We Wore 1969. |
 |
Bateau neckline
Also called a "boat neck," the bateau neckline is high -
almost exactly in line with the shoulder seams - and straight across
both the back and front. The neck opening is shaped like a small boat. |
| Flannel
paletot with turkish trousers and oil-silk hat for sea bathing, 1864,
from Kitty of the Civil War Years.
|
 |
Bathing
Dress
It's hard to believe that women actually swam in these outfits. In
fact, I don't believe it - much. It's more likely that they splashed
around in bathing machines that carried them out into the water (but
not very far) where they could get something of the sensation of the
ocean (or other body of water) without the risks and exertions of
swimming. From this very covered up point, bathing costumes slowly
peeled off to the barely-there versions seen today. By the late 1920s
swimwear that we might consider being caught dead in
(as opposed to this get-up) started to be worn. |
| Laced
bathing slippers, early 1920s, from The Roaring Twenties
(not currently available) |
 |
Bathing
Slippers
Heaven forbid that a lady might actually get her feet dirty or - much
worse - seen! Bathing slippers were pretty well always worn until
sometime in the late 1920s when they began to wane. |
| Beach
Pajamas, c. 1945, from Betty of
the Gallant Forties. |
 |
Beach Pajamas
By the late 1920s real swimsuits started showing up at beaches, and
at the same time the more casual beach pajamas replaced the formal,
multi-layered seaside promenade costumes. The beach pajamas were perfect
for the less formal occasions of resort living when women wanted to
lounge or socialize at the beach but not go into the water. Most beach
pajamas had loose tops and wide-legged trousers, usually long but
occasionally shorter as seen here. They were always ostensibly casual,
but sometimes in actuality quite elegant. |
|
Feathered
beanie, late 1930s, from The Glamorous
Thirties
(not currently available)
|
 |
Beanie
Small cap that follows the shape of the skull - and not
just for rotten little kids! This very fashionable beanie seems a
little on the full side to me, but the 1940s catalog it came from
called it a beanie, so who am I to argue? |
| Beret
from The Way We Wore 1969 |
 |
Beret
A beret is a soft, flat cap often worn at a jaunty angle. This
shape appears with fairly minor variations off and on from at least
the 1400s and perhaps earlier. It's very similar to a tam. |
| Tea
gown with lace bertha, 1922, from Jazz
Age Sisters |
 |
Bertha
Why is this kind of cape-like collar called a bertha? Who was Bertha?
I have no idea. It seems to have been introduced under that name around
1830 and is still seen today, especially for evening and children's
wear. |
| Soft
betsie with spenser, c. 1820, from Regency
Cousins |
 |
Betsie
A small ruff called a Betsie was part of the gothic movement in dress
in the early 1800s. The Betsie harkened back to the ruffs worn in
the court of Queen Elizabeth I and were named for that monarch. |
| Girls'
bloomers worn as part of a skirted gymnastic suit, c. 1920 from May
Alice, Child of the 1920s. |
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Bloomers
The original bloomers were part of a reform dress ensemble created
by Amelia Bloomer in the 1850s. The outfit consisted of a not quite
ankle-length dress worn over loose trousers gathered at the ankles.
Later the term came to refer to any loose pant worn under a skirt
and meant to be seen. Colloquially it can also refer to panties
or drawers.
|
| Ermine
boa, 1802, from The Empire (not currently available). |
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Boa
These long, thin, fluffy scarves made of fur, feathers, ruffles
or fringe were popular in the early part of the 1800s and again
in the early part of the 1900s. And they seem to be making a comeback
now. Do we see a pattern here? This one is ermine and worn over
an 1802 round gown with colored gloves.
|
| Modified
boater, 1933, from The Glamorous Thirties (not currently
available). |
 |
Boater
This boater with its tilted brim is somewhat modified from the norm.
Most of these hats have an evenly turned-up brim to go with the shallow,
rounded crown and ribbon trim seen here. |
| 1920s
bobbed hair style from The Roaring Twenties (not
currently available) |
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Bobbed
Hair
The 1920s was not the first time short hair was fashionable (don't
forget the Empire period), but it was the time it really stuck. Even
women with long hair were likely to loop it up to simulate shorter
styles. Actress Louise Brooks made the style to the left all the rage. |
| Bolero
worn over a vest and pleated waist, 1864, from Kitty
of the Civil War Years. |
 |
Bolero
A bolero is a Spanish-influenced jacket or vest, very short and collarless
worn open. It have continued to be seen from the Civil War era forward.
Today they sometimes retain the same name and are sometimes called
by the more generic, "cropped jacket."
|
|
Box
pleated golfing skirt, 1928,from The Roaring Twenties
(not
currently available)
|
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Box
Pleats
Box pleats take in garment fullness in a series of folds that face
one another to create a squared-off effect. I'm not sure when they
first appeared, but they've been prevalent at least since sometime
in the 19th century. This box pleated skirt is part of a 1920s golfing
outfit. |
| Bretelles
shown under a jacket from Heritage Children, coming
soon |
 |
Bretelles
Bretelles are suspenders linked by one or two mathcing horizontal
bands. Bretelles are mainly decorative but often have some particle
importance. The ones on the left are part of a boy's Bavarian costume.
|
|
Contemporary
Native American buckskin dress from Heritage
Brides
|
 |
Buckskin
When I taught in Tulsa, I learned from Native American students
that many families save for years to buy or make these dresses and
often pass them down from mother to daughter. Originally the dresses
were decorated with natural ornaments, but for over 100 years, Native
American tribes who favor these dresses have used commercial beads
instead. Some individual craftspeople work hard to preserve traditional
motifs; others, recognizing that their culture is a living one, continue
to innovate new designs. The Gilcrease
Museum in Tulsa is a wonderful place to see magnificent antique
buckskin costumes as well as other Western art. |
| Bustled
overskirt, c. 1870s, from a private round robin. (Not publicly
available) |
 |
Bustle
What can anyone say about the bustle? It came and, thankfully, it
went. Actually, I think clothes from this period look intriguing,
and I like to draw them because they are complex and challenging.
But I would never, ever want to wear them. The steel and buckram and
padding that went under these dresses must of been heavy and uncomfortable.
And movement must have been a trick, especially in a strong crosswind
- I can imagine a woman wanting go straight when her bustle wanted
to turn right or left in the wind. Not a pretty picture. But fun for
us. |
Pleated
butterfly sleeves, 1933, from The Glamorous Thirties
(Not currently available.) |
 |
Butterfly
Sleeves
Butterfly sleeves are little wing-like projections that decorate the
armhole - not true sleeves at all. They can be ruffled or pleated
and be used alone or with an undersleeve. Today we see them most often
on children's wear. |
