It is very interesting to see changes in styles over the different decades of your ancestors. This can be seen in photos. Some changes came from the early 1900s into the 1910s. There would even be a bit of a fashion limbo, where hemline started to rise slowly. Appearances were long, vertical lines and no fitted curves.
What was added were special velvet sections and braided trim to the more expensive dresses. If the clothing was cotton dresses they would be trimmed in satin or contrasting cotton. With the dresses, you wore wide brim hats, some with a ribbon tied under the chin.
The term for the dresses or shirts being narrow toward the bottom (the feet) was that of ‘hobble skirts’.
Special clothing was needed for women who started playing sports such as golf, tennis, swimming and basketball.
By the late 1910s and World War One, many women worked in factories, Red Cross offices or other locations to help in the war effort. Clothing styles became plainer, with hems a bit shorter and sleeves that would not interfere with work.
The 1910s proved to be the ‘baby steps’ in changes in ladies’ dresses. The big changes came with the 1920s when the styles really changed.
Check family photos, note the changes, and it didn’t matter the lady’s age, the older ladies followed the current trends.
Photo: 1913 – Ladies narrow dresses/skirts
Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:
Census 1910 and Your Ancestors
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