Fashions of the Gilded Age

Рет қаралды 82,117

4 жыл бұрын

Women’s fashions in the late 1800s fully lived up to Mark Twain’s moniker for the era, the Gilded Age. Elaborate construction, rich colors, lavish fabrics and trim, and general love of excess typified high styles of the 1870s through 1890s. In this, they mirrored design in architecture, decorative arts, and interior design, as seen in our current exhibit, “Illuminating Design: The Decoration and Technology of E.F. Caldwell and Co., 1895-1959.” But change was in the air, and a new archetype, the New Woman, was about to transform women’s clothing along with her role in society.
Join us for this discussion to revel in the gorgeous, and supremely impractical, fashions of the Gilded Age and peek at the new modes of the Progressive Era which followed.
We are happy to still be able to offer our regular lecture series... even though the museum staff is all working from home at this point! We appreciate your understanding of any variation in video or audio quality.
DAR Museum lecture
June 16, 2020
Speaker: Alden O'Brien, Curator of Costume and Textiles
www.dar.org/museum

Пікірлер: 107

@Le_Madam_Butterfly 2 жыл бұрын

Wow this would have been very helpful to the MET Gala participants ❤️

@teijaflink2226 2 жыл бұрын

This perhaps one of the most fascinating and amazing fashion eras, how could they so totally miss it.

@___LC___ 2 жыл бұрын

They missed a golden opportunity!

@_flora31_ 2 жыл бұрын

Ironically, by far the easiest theme, but 98% failed this year. Shame

@dickmcshan9778 3 жыл бұрын

What an intriguing and well done presentation. Well done!

@mrs.g.9816 2 жыл бұрын

I love all the fashions of the 19th and early 20th century. I figure the women must have been very uncomfortable in those corsets and heavy clothing. But still, there was a lot of artistic imagination and skill required in making such beautiful gowns. When I was younger, I often wished I could at least model and pose for photos in dresses from all periods of the 19th century. I like documentaries on fashion, and I like documentaries like this.

@SomethingBeautifulHandcrafts 2 жыл бұрын

There is a video by Prior Attire, a historical costuming seamstress, where she weighs the layers of clothing worn in the Victorian Era. You'd be surprised... it doesn't actually weigh as much as you'd think. The fabrics were thin, and they flow in a way we aren't accustomed to with our modern synthetic fabrics. Plus the natural fibers breath.

@bookmouse2719 2 жыл бұрын

How does one function walking around in Granny's curtains.

@meeksiecore8284 2 жыл бұрын

On the contrary, corsets (if worn right) are considered as being more like the victorian equivalent of a bra. Modern media has made everyone believe that all women tight-laced their corsets which isn't true (a small number of women did but it wasn't a commonplace practice). Corsets were tailor made to every woman's measurements and were not worn on bare skin, and paired with multiple layers of skirts and padding inevitably made their waists look small. Highly recommended youtubers like Karolina Zebrowska and Bernadette Banner for this conversation on corsetry.

@dianawettstein7420 2 жыл бұрын

@@bookmouse2719If one must ask, One does not need to know.

@tymanung6382 Жыл бұрын

1) Internet instructional.videos 2) website patterns ads 3) website repro historical dresses of different periods All these are under " (time---Victorian, English Regency, etc). dresses" Good luck !!! Enjoy!!! ( Perhaps you can also see website and contact for groups like Bay Area Costumers Guild?

@realrox13 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the very interesting and informative presentation. It is a lovely way to add to my understanding of the time as I watch the new "gilded Age" TV series!

@camspks 2 жыл бұрын

Really interesting and enjoyable video. Very much appreciated the extensive range and variety of the visuals. I thought I knew something of fashion in the 1880s but I did NOT know that there was such lavish borrowings from the 16th and 17th centuries. Also your explanations of the links between clothes and furnishings & objects, was very informative. Perhaps you could do a sequel on hairstyles? Gave me a deeper appreciation of the costumes etc in the new series The Gilded Age. Thanks! 👏👏👏👏👏👍😀

@jayneterry8701 2 жыл бұрын

I never tire of hearing stories and seeing examples of the clothing from the past. 👍

@franklesser5655 2 жыл бұрын

So, when Scarlet took the draperies and made a dress it was entirely appropriate.

@lightmarker3146 2 жыл бұрын

Carol Burnett wearing the curtain rod made it hysterical 🤣

@teijaflink2226 2 жыл бұрын

I think she was slightly before her time, starting a new fashion

@erosleroi7638 2 жыл бұрын

Great presentation and excellent fashions shown here ! The dresses are superb examples of the Gilded Age !

@elgclinton 4 жыл бұрын

This was a wonderful look at fashion before us in the Gilded Age. It is amazing what women were willing to wear.

@valkyriesardo278 2 жыл бұрын

I would quibble with that "willing to wear". Any woman who might choose to defy the dress codes of her day faced extreme ostracism.

@marjoriejohnson6535 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe this should have been watched by the guests and designers of this year's event at the Met.

@TheMMFamily9 2 жыл бұрын

Great informative video. Those skirt while fishing and camping too...wow..I love the decor comparisons..beautiful

@robintheparttimesewer6798 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the lovely video! Lovely pictures and great information!!

@russrzln 2 жыл бұрын

I am here because of HBO’s The Gilded Age

@adrienneberger3642 2 жыл бұрын

The bustle was an amazement. I collect antiques and chairs were constructed and arranged to accommodate bustles.

@Me-fy8ue 2 жыл бұрын

the bustle was used because brazilian butt lifts were not available

@slouberiee 3 жыл бұрын

That was a really great presentation, I liked the added context of the looks of the dresses, the narration, pace and pictures.

@aldenobrien9978 2 жыл бұрын

thank you!

@valkyriesardo278 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent. Wonderfully researched and illustrated. Packed with detailed information. Could not ask for more of a documentary.

@dpcaw 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this beautiful presentation.

@missmalibumattel 2 жыл бұрын

My sofa is from 1820, didnt realise why it sits weird until i sat down in a corset and historical costume.

@Kimmy25600 3 жыл бұрын

Have really enjoyed this video!

@margoti2960 2 жыл бұрын

This was so delightful and well spoken. To my surprise I realized it’s Alden from MPS.

@aldenobrien9978 2 жыл бұрын

well hey! 😘

@lionessprowess3581 2 жыл бұрын

Now I understand why so I'm many KZfaq Fashion critic criticized 2022 Met Gala fashion. There were so many celebrities that neglected the Gilded Fashion theme

@saffronhammer7714 2 жыл бұрын

I've been saying how very like the Gilded Age our times are.

@larsonfamilyhouse 2 жыл бұрын

Beautiful! Lots of things were even in my favorite color- wish I could wear those outfits lol

@ginac895 2 жыл бұрын

This was fantastic and very well done!!! Really enjoyed this! Thank you!

@vierarajnakova7821 4 жыл бұрын

Ďakujem veľmi pekne za zaujímavé video a hlavne súvislosti, ktoré módne zmeny menili spoločnosť, trávenie voľného času, prácu a naopak. Pozdrav zo Slovenska. Thank you very much for the interesting video and especially the context that fashion changes have changed society, spending free time, work and vice versa. Greetings from Slovakia.

@LittleRLittleR 4 жыл бұрын

Fantastic presentation of fashion and social changes!

@cynthiaschultheis1660 7 ай бұрын

Era of my history degree.👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

@courtneybush6196 3 жыл бұрын

Loved it.

@HouseWinchester1874 2 жыл бұрын

Beautiful times.

@TransVangal 2 жыл бұрын

#historical #fashion fascinating

@jessicamorales2555 3 жыл бұрын

excelent explanation

@roseariannamcgowan1302 2 жыл бұрын

Women as beautiful furniture. Deep analysis and great curation. Thank you

@queencerseilannister3519 2 жыл бұрын

omgosh I'm obsessed with that green dress at 18:31!!!!

@diainsworth5887 4 жыл бұрын

Great lecture! Where is MMA ? It was listed as the location of several of the slides.

@DARMuseumDC 4 жыл бұрын

It is an abbreviation of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and it is located in New York City www.metmuseum.org/

@luisa.cah. 2 жыл бұрын

great video!

@mlss1229 2 жыл бұрын

I can’t imagine dragging dirt, mud, water, horse poop, gravel...etc from your daily outings with these elaborate dress trains

@tymanung6382 Жыл бұрын

Also. less known, women factory and other workers were active in trade unions rather than suffrage movement.

@boredgal3081 2 жыл бұрын

man we are living in the digital world the NET participants could have easily googled about the theme ,,,,,😭😭😭😭 ,,,,,, But we got to see Kylie giving wedding vibes but in a baseball stadium.

@screech5325 2 жыл бұрын

This was in my recomentions after I watched commentary about Met Gala... Hm.

@nothingworksworks3511 7 ай бұрын

how did we go from this to sweatpants for day?

@ThatBronxgirl7 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this presentation. The way we dress today is so BORING and DRAB compared to these women.

@catholiccrusader5328 2 жыл бұрын

That may be Regina but nothing beats a mini-skirt if natures calls in a big hurry. (LOL!)

@653j521 2 жыл бұрын

More is more. Very much Trump's taste. (Edit: make yourself clothes like this and enjoy. Or, hire a seamstress or costume designer. Today, women can wear anything from any age.)

@dawnsalois 2 жыл бұрын

it is too costly to dress like that now. of course you could make up your own.

@adale2771 2 жыл бұрын

Yea , but only wealthy and upper class women could dress like that.

@dorothywillis1 2 жыл бұрын

I would have preferred less about social conditions and more about the fashions! Thank goodness for the ability to jump ahead.

@aldenobrien9978 2 жыл бұрын

That's fine, of course anyone can fast forward. I am a historian, fashion history is inseparable from the society it came from, so I will always include the social context; and the phrase "gilded age" needed explaining.

@dorothywillis1 2 жыл бұрын

@@aldenobrien9978 It's just I've heard it all so often. And no one ever points out that the prosperity of the general populace is what made all that excess possible. It's easier to focus on the picturesque poor. BTW, I did enjoy the photos of the dresses. Perhaps sometime you might talk about men's fashion. How gilded was it?

@aldenobrien9978 2 жыл бұрын

@@dorothywillis1 Well, not everyone has heard it before, so in a talk for general public, one gives general info; sorry it was boring to you; there's no way to know the knowledge level of all listeners. And as the statistics show re: very unequal distribution of wealth, much of the general populace wasn't all that prosperous; the general populace's work made the excess possible, by producing the things that produced the tycoons' wealth (coal mining, railroad building, etc). I wouldn't say I focused on the picturesque poor but merely mentioned them, and I don't call them picturesque which would be condescending. They existed and I merely said so. Men's clothing was not the place for the same display as women's, in this age, as I assume you are trying to point out; but that doesn't make the age any less "gilded" overall. ;-)

@queensrule4450 2 жыл бұрын

@@aldenobrien9978 You could have included the social context and the meaning of the phrase "gilded age" in a much more succinct manner, particularly given your professional background. Your title is Fashion in the Gilded Age, not How Society Affected the Fashion of the Gilded Age, which is what you focused on rather than the fashion itself being the main topic. This could have been done better, starting with the narration. nrn eod - please note that one did not "dislike" this video. If anyone reading one's posts wishes to express your disagreement, please feel free to do so. And if you do, don't go for the personal insult. That only reflects on you. This is just one person's opinion about presentation. These ears, however, will remain deafened as one does not get notified and one does not return to a comment thread. 'bye now

@feralkat9370 2 жыл бұрын

@Dorothy Willis The recent Met Ball got me to look for this vid. Had no idea and quite enjoyed the fashion evolution as a result of the evolution of the role of women. Just focusing on the fashion would have been very superficial and boring without context. Appreciate the time and effort put into this presentation. Editing could have been tighter as the many trip ups were very distracting from the wonderful content.

@jennifermcdonald5432 2 жыл бұрын

It still amazes me that they could get away with it. It was so in your face

@charlotteowens4644 2 жыл бұрын

Change of clothes multiple times a day. Can't fathom the yardage and weight these things required.

@glennrenna2491 2 жыл бұрын

A very good presentation if you want to tear people down. People were able to work their way up, yes it was hard, but it could be done. These people employed hundreds (sometimes thousands) of people. Providing income, rather than on the dole, which is now called welfare/supplemental security income. The clothes was nice. Fashion is a response.

@aldenobrien9978 2 жыл бұрын

I don't want to tear "people" down. I wanted to lift UP the labor of the millions who worked to create wealth for a very small few who are the "people" you are defending. Hey, I happen to be descended from robber barons myself. I just think it's important to tell whole story and not just say "look at all the pretty pretty stuff" w/o acknowledging the contributions of the majority, and the inequity of the setup. It was only with labor and housing and other laws; unionization; and income taxes, that those inequities mitigated.

@653j521 2 жыл бұрын

Providing income so a person could work extremely hard for a pittance.

@lightmarker3146 2 жыл бұрын

That money still funds collages and hospitals. It was what propelled America ahead and educated many. My family comes from both sides of the coin . It's what made America!

@sissyrayself7508 2 жыл бұрын

I prefer conspicuous consumption and relaxation ooh the Bustle era.

@RonAaron33 2 жыл бұрын

Like now.

@nancygreenwald3077 2 жыл бұрын

Yum

@maryannangros7538 2 жыл бұрын

Very Interesting. And I am SO glad I never had to wear all that fabric and those Gods awful designs. I know I'm a philistine.

@christianpatriot7439 2 жыл бұрын

As uncomfortable as a bustle looks, was it the reason why so many upper-crust women were willing to take their clothes off as often as possible for men who were not their own husbands?

@queensrule4450 2 жыл бұрын

What a ridiculous extrapolation. If you think a bustle is uncomfortable, try wearing a corset. And not the ones from Victoria's Secret, they're not the real deal.

@shaunwhalen6223 2 жыл бұрын

And nothing has changed

@TheNoblot 2 жыл бұрын

BARONS, LADIES 😉💞👠 money 💵 circumstances ✌💕💌 Fashions of the Gilded Age

@vickilindberg6336 8 ай бұрын

Looking for fashion Not see ocial communtary & judgements!

@tammiesspark 3 жыл бұрын

A beautiful power point presentation, but the video required editing to stop the narrator's distracting stumbling...

@BlowinFree 2 жыл бұрын

Give over. Black Karen.

@aldenobrien9978 2 жыл бұрын

sorry. My first Zoom lecture. I was still learning to balance advancing slides with reading my text on a second laptop. I myself edited the captions to cut those.

@tygonmaster Жыл бұрын

Women's fashion: jfoertjsrjgsojeggpojapgsg EVERYTHING. YOU CAN WEAR EVERYTHING. Men's fashion: How big you want your lapels to be, brah? It is a shame so much of history is like this. Thankfully, no as much anymore. The cultural revolution really improved things.

@melissamybubbles6139 2 жыл бұрын

I have mixed feelings about these clothes. On the one hand, they were beautiful. On the other, I don't like what the gilded age fashions represent. I like the simpler working woman's clothes better for what they represent, but I can't stand having fabric close around my neck. How did they deal with feeling choked?

@maxlinder5262 2 жыл бұрын

The narrator seems to have trouble expressing ...... NO.. offense . but too much stammering.......

@jdennis211 3 жыл бұрын

Good presentation, but the narrator's tone is not smooth.

@catholiccrusader5328 2 жыл бұрын

Those dresses are gorgeous but it was awful when the ladies had to take a dump; all those clothes, yikes! however there is a short video that demonstrates how the ladies used to 'take care of nature's business' on KZfaq. (LMFatAO!) Okay, I'll be serious...I'm a big fan of the Gilded Age the beautiful fashions, lavish meals, holiday celebrations most of it. I'm not in agreement with it the big wigs total disregard of the poor, Jim Crow laws, lynching's, the abject poverty, denial of women their basic rights and medicine was still very primitive. Though I did publish a book on the era after it no way on GOD'S green earth would I ever go back to that era, unless I was a member of the 1%, if it were possible.

@Michaela1942 Жыл бұрын

What the narrator has to say is interesting. Yet, her delivery is soooo bad that it's difficult to focus on what she is trying to relate. It might be worthwhile to rerecord her narration AFTER she practices a bit.

@nicolasandribet4506 2 жыл бұрын

Many of these dresses are fabulous but quite a number of them are truly hideous, like a chimera made of upholstery fabrics!

@queensrule4450 2 жыл бұрын

Too much time spent at the beginning on history, and not fashion history. This is the bustle era, yet not a single, actual underskirt bustle was displayed to inform how the effect was achieved and its changes. One does not even recall seeing a corset, which also changed along the way. The narration was abysmal: Sniffs, coughing, erratic pacing, mangled pronunciation, word order messed up. Professional narration would improve this video a great deal. One is aware of the opinions of others, having read the comments, but finds this video inadequate and focuses too much on the history around the fashion and not fashion history. Yes, one is aware that the times drive the fashion, but too much time was spent on that portion and not the styles themselves. For instance, not a single mention that the invention of aniline dyes were the reason for the extreme use of color. This just is not up to par.

@VinessaWilken-ql8pl Жыл бұрын

The narration is bad😮

@patty4709 3 жыл бұрын

Too much talk, not enough showing. We already know the history

@jayneterry8701 2 жыл бұрын

How rude.

@vincentparisi2644 3 жыл бұрын

Poorly delivered narration. Too much stumbling. Sorry for being so harsh but a professional like this should have read through it beforehand and done some practicing. Stopped at 10 minute mark.

@hollyw9566 3 жыл бұрын

I know, right? I am amazed by all the complimentary comments. I hate to criticize, as public speaking is hard, but wow! And slides? Really? I felt like I was back in high school in the 70s.

@slouberiee 3 жыл бұрын

I liked the presentation very much, it was easy to follow and I loved the context information.

@aldenobrien9978 2 жыл бұрын

@@hollyw9566 Sorry guys. My first Zoom. I've lectured often and did practice, but it was my first time on that platform and I was still learning. And yeah, slides because this is part of a series we do of monthly lectures in real life, but we had to pivot to zoom after lockdown. Answering for myself personally not for the museum.

@aldenobrien9978 2 жыл бұрын

@Digby Dooright thanks! I mean, we aren't tiktok here. It's a lecture. What can I say lol