Civil War Era Dresses 1857-1867
This is the era of the crinoline, or the hoop skirt as we call it. Before the crinoline became popular, the full skirts were achieved with many layers of petticoats or even corded petticoats. Skirt widths could range from 150" for and average dress to 240" for evening dreses. Early skirts (pre 1863-4) were often cut from rectangular panels of fabric, and pleated onto a waistband. After this some skirts were gored to present less bulk at the waistline. Shoulder seam sloped well to the back at the armscye and the armscye was low on the shoulder actually resting on the upper arm. Sleeves were in several variations, becoming the most fitted after the civil war. Collars were often the "peter pan style" or other small collars or bits of lace that could be taken off for cleaning or a change.
-The following are examples of some of my designs from this era.

A Wrapper circa 1859 I have the good fortune of having a pretty fair selection of primary resources to work from in the form of my collection of Photographs and Period Fashion Magazines. This one I saw and just couldn't resist in my 1859 Godeys. It is made in a wrapper style. The sleeves are bishop cut in two pieces with a stylish "cap" at the armhole. The beauty of this dress is in its simple detail and the fact this is something that would have been available to most ladies. The buttons are covered with the contrasting fabric and a simple "feather" or "herringbone" stitch provides ornamentation to an otherwise plain dress. This does button closed- (there seems to be a misconception that all civil war dresses close with hooks and eyes and buttons were only decorative- I have found from studying original garments of the era, that this is true for silk dresses, but not for work dresses which ususually close with buttons and not hooks and eyes.)

A Wrapper circa 1862 This is a simple day dress I made for myself, unlike many of the dresses of the time this is made in one piece and intended for morning, at home, or work wear. This front closing bodice, side closing waistband was very popular for wrappers of this era- the skirt is 4- 45" widths of fabric cut on the straight and pleated into the waistband. (fabric would then be more useable if a lady wanted to "remake" the dress later. The bishop sleeves are set into the shoulder with box pleats and into a cuff at the wrist.

A Visiting Dress 1860's This dress was fashioned after several photos I have. It is only 2 pieces and not 3 as the white "vest" is only a false front. The fabric is a interesting rayon & cotton blend check(looks like the silk/cotton fabric of the period). The sleeves are worn with undersleeves and feature satin lining and a satin bias cut ruche along the inside.

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