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Cathy Taylor's articles cover topics and issues that affect
vintage clothing: collecting, care, identification,
to wear or not to wear, etc.

Unless otherwise noted, these articles first appeared in
The Old Times, a regional antique trade newspaper,
distributed in midwest antique shops or by subscription.

Read Cathy's article about the Twelfnight ball presented
by the Northstar Chapter of the Victorian Society in America:
www.victoriana.com/Christmas/Twelfthnight.htm

You can find one of Cathy's articles from
Victorian Homes magazine at
www.berwood.com/news.html#vichomes

Articles are © copyright 1994-2006, Cathy Taylor, all rights reserved.
Reprints are offered for your personal use only.
Publication or redistribution in whole or in part by any means is prohibited.

Two additional topics of interest are explored briefly
in our Quick Topics page.

Below are brief descriptions of some of
Cathy's columns.
You may order reprints of these columns for $5 each.
See ordering information at the bottom of this page.

Children's wear:
You've come a long way, baby
In the last two centuries, children's lives and clothing have undergone a massive revolution. Once seen as little adults and dressed according to class, not age, children have acquired the right to play, learn and grow. Each piece of antique and vintage clothing we find has a place in that transition.

You swear, I swear, we all swear by menswear
Men's clothing in the last two centuries developed along its own timeline, which is totally different from women's and children's. Women could experiment with materials, color and style; men in the industrial age were stuck with good taste. Their clothing of today closely resembles that of the past, and this affects the survival and collecting of vintage menswear today.

To wear or not to wear? Arguments abound
This column presents the arguments for and against wearing antique clothing, and asserts that wearing is a skill; it can be learned. Not all pre-World War I garments are damaged by wearing; certain ones can be worn with care, selectivity and the right modern accessories.

There are hats ... and there are hats
Are hats highly valued in the vintage world? Only certain ones: spoon bonnets, cloches from the 1920s, any Edwardian meat platter that recalls Titanic. Most hats found today are from the tail end of the hat era, the late 1940s through the '60s, and don't excite much interest except for a few collectible varieties. This flying trip through the world of vintage hats attempts to explain.

Home display needs more know-how than equipment
Owners of old homes often like to lend atmosphere to room settings with a display of period clothing or accessories. This column features suggestions for those who want to appreciate costume without conservation-lab resources. They include choice of location and dress forms, and rotating garments in and out of storage.

Were people really so tiny then?
Don't ask antique clothes
Many (not all) antique clothes are small. Does that mean most people used to be small? This column argues against that theory. Its main subject is the law of survival. When examining antique clothes, we're not seeing what was worn, but what is left. That tends to be small--sometimes from corseting, because the wearer was very young, or because larger clothes in the past were routinely worn out or remodeled.

Clichés: It's not that easy, Scarlett
More myths: Scarlett O'Hara, her hoopskirt, her alleged 17-inch waist and her place in history-are re-examined. Real Civil War period clothes are precious today. They are not usually worn, because they're so badly needed by costumers and re-enactors to understand and reproduce the costume of that era.

Clichés:
Why did they call her a Gibson Girl?
This column explores Charles Dana Gibson's life and place in popular art. His creation, the statuesque Gibson girl, helped the public to accept the idea of independence and assertiveness in modern women. Of the revolutionary fashions he popularized, many survive today. To wear or display them is to appreciate some of the deepest social changes of the 20th century.

Clichés:
What put the flap in the flapper?
This column attempts to clarify the reality versus the myth of 1920s flappers and their clothes. In the real 1920s, flappers were few. Beaded and fringed "flapper dresses" are scarce and delicate. The clothes of "nice girls" are easier to find, more wearable, and often full of style and historical interest.

Clichés:
The feisty '40s gal
Clothes of the 1940s hold special attraction for men and women today. This column examines the clichés and the realities of the wartime and postwar years, which gave rise to these enduring and much-imitated styles.

In antique clothing, black is beautiful
Black abounds among antique clothes, but most were made for utility, not for mourning. Here, a leading re-enactor talks about Victorian mourning customs, which were formidable but not universal. Dressing in black was the average family's way to afford respectable fashion. In modern times, black dresses acquired chic and desirability.

White equals wedding? Not always
The white wedding dress is not an ancient tradition, but a convention less than 200 years old. Too extravagant for most 19th-century brides, white dresses and other wedding formalities really took hold in the last 50 years, encouraged by marketing. This column, backed by research, explores the issues.

Antique or vintage clothing? Assumptions and viewpoints
This early column attempted to define the differences between antique clothing--made before World War I--and vintage, the modern product made from the '20s to recent years . When is modern clothing vintage, and when is it just out of style? Your definition of that depends on when and where you grew up, your viewpoint and experience.

Where have all the corsets gone?
Interviews with corset experts helped explore the real nature of 19th-century corsets and the reasons they are so hard to find. Myths about wasp waists, displaced organs, fainting and rib surgery are confounded by research and healthy skepticism.

Preserving antique textiles:
find out the how and why
This column encourages collectors and heirs to research and understand what they own, and shares conservators' approaches to taking care of antique clothes safely at home. Causes of damage include the material of a garment, the way it was treated and stored in its first years, careless wearing, and poor storage in recent times.

Store antique clothes with care and understanding
Old clothes are like elderly people: funds of information, valuable to know, and on the delicate side. Interviews with conservators helped provide background for this column. Flat storage, even temperatures, careful cleaning and acid-free surroundings are among the recommendations to keep fine old textiles in fine condition.

Never demean the teens
Women's garments made between 1913 and 1919 are in the quiet corner of the vintage world. Not Gibson girl, not flapper, they are often unrecognized, ignored or discarded. This column examines their important place in the transition from Victorian to modern life, and shows how easy they are to wear and display.

You may order reprints of these articles for $5 each.
(MN residents add sales tax)

ORDERING REPRINTS:

Victori Limited, ordering e-mail: orders@victori.com

Include the following information:

Article Title
Your Name
Company Name (if any)
Address
City, State, Zip
Country
Telephone number and e-mail address

Specify your choice of hard-copy printout (first class postage paid)
or we can send a PDF attached to e-mail..

Please do NOT send credit card information.
We do not accept credit cards at this time and
we do not have a secure site for such information.

PAYMENT: You may pay by check, cashier's check or money order,
made out to Victori Limited.
All personal checks must clear prior to shipment. Reprints will be shipped as soon as possible after receipt of payment. When we send an e-mail message to confirm your order, we will include the mailing address for your payment.

Articles are © copyright 1994-2006, Cathy Taylor, all rights reserved.
Reprints are offered for your personal use only.
Publication or redistribution in whole or in part by any means is prohibited.

Two additional topics of interest are explored briefly
in our Quick Topics page.

Cathy’s Links of Interest
Costume Society of America: www.costumesocietyamerica.com
The Victorian Society in America: www.victoriansociety.org
VSA North Star Chapter: For more information,
contact President, email: mboviatt@comcast.net
Living History Society of Minnesota:
www.lhsmn.org
A site presented by and about Civil War reenactors:
www.rust.net/~gwjchris/

You can find some of Cathy’s articles
at the next two sites:
Victoriana.com brings together Victorian sites:
www.victoriana.com
The Old Times newspaper website:
www.theoldtimes.com
(click on the "Past Articles" link)

Other Vintage Dealers to shop:

Clothes and a unique interactive timeline: www.corsetsandcrinolines.com

Bobby Dene’s Vintage Clothes:
http://bobbydene.com/

A wide variety of excellent antique and vintage clothing:
www.dresses4u.com/edwardiandresses

Mildreds Antiques features unusual accessories:
www.mildreds-antiques.com/clothingaccessories.htm

An excellent place to find quality vintage:
Victorian Elegance Show
twice a year, in Richardson (Dallas), TX:
www.victorianshow.com

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Victori Sells Page



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	Cathy Taylor's articles cover topics and issues that affect vintage clothing: collecting, care, identification, to wear or not to wear, etc. Unless otherwise noted, these articles first appeared in The Old Times, a regional antique trade newspaper, distributed in midwest antique shops or by subscription. Read Cathy's article about the Twelfnight ball presented by the Northstar Chapter of the Victorian Society in America: www.victoriana.com/Christmas/Twelfthnight.htm You can find one of Cathy's articles from Victorian Homes magazine at www.berwood.com/news.html#vichomes Articles are © copyright 1994-2006, Cathy Taylor, all rights reserved. Reprints are offered for your personal use only. Publication or redistribution in whole or in part by any means is prohibited. Two additional topics of interest are explored briefly in our Quick Topics page. Below are brief descriptions of some of Cathy's columns. You may order reprints of these columns for $5 each. See ordering information at the bottom of this page.
		Children's wear: You've come a long way, baby In the last two centuries, children's lives and clothing have undergone a massive revolution. Once seen as little adults and dressed according to class, not age, children have acquired the right to play, learn and grow. Each piece of antique and vintage clothing we find has a place in that transition.
		You swear, I swear, we all swear by menswear Men's clothing in the last two centuries developed along its own timeline, which is totally different from women's and children's. Women could experiment with materials, color and style; men in the industrial age were stuck with good taste. Their clothing of today closely resembles that of the past, and this affects the survival and collecting of vintage menswear today.
		To wear or not to wear? Arguments abound This column presents the arguments for and against wearing antique clothing, and asserts that wearing is a skill; it can be learned. Not all pre-World War I garments are damaged by wearing; certain ones can be worn with care, selectivity and the right modern accessories.
		There are hats ... and there are hats Are hats highly valued in the vintage world? Only certain ones: spoon bonnets, cloches from the 1920s, any Edwardian meat platter that recalls Titanic. Most hats found today are from the tail end of the hat era, the late 1940s through the '60s, and don't excite much interest except for a few collectible varieties. This flying trip through the world of vintage hats attempts to explain.
		Home display needs more know-how than equipment Owners of old homes often like to lend atmosphere to room settings with a display of period clothing or accessories. This column features suggestions for those who want to appreciate costume without conservation-lab resources. They include choice of location and dress forms, and rotating garments in and out of storage.
		Were people really so tiny then? Don't ask antique clothes Many (not all) antique clothes are small. Does that mean most people used to be small? This column argues against that theory. Its main subject is the law of survival. When examining antique clothes, we're not seeing what was worn, but what is left. That tends to be small--sometimes from corseting, because the wearer was very young, or because larger clothes in the past were routinely worn out or remodeled.
		Clichés: It's not that easy, Scarlett More myths: Scarlett O'Hara, her hoopskirt, her alleged 17-inch waist and her place in history-are re-examined. Real Civil War period clothes are precious today. They are not usually worn, because they're so badly needed by costumers and re-enactors to understand and reproduce the costume of that era.
		Clichés: Why did they call her a Gibson Girl? This column explores Charles Dana Gibson's life and place in popular art. His creation, the statuesque Gibson girl, helped the public to accept the idea of independence and assertiveness in modern women. Of the revolutionary fashions he popularized, many survive today. To wear or display them is to appreciate some of the deepest social changes of the 20th century.
		Clichés: What put the flap in the flapper? This column attempts to clarify the reality versus the myth of 1920s flappers and their clothes. In the real 1920s, flappers were few. Beaded and fringed "flapper dresses" are scarce and delicate. The clothes of "nice girls" are easier to find, more wearable, and often full of style and historical interest.
		Clichés: The feisty '40s gal Clothes of the 1940s hold special attraction for men and women today. This column examines the clichés and the realities of the wartime and postwar years, which gave rise to these enduring and much-imitated styles.
		In antique clothing, black is beautiful Black abounds among antique clothes, but most were made for utility, not for mourning. Here, a leading re-enactor talks about Victorian mourning customs, which were formidable but not universal. Dressing in black was the average family's way to afford respectable fashion. In modern times, black dresses acquired chic and desirability.
		White equals wedding? Not always The white wedding dress is not an ancient tradition, but a convention less than 200 years old. Too extravagant for most 19th-century brides, white dresses and other wedding formalities really took hold in the last 50 years, encouraged by marketing. This column, backed by research, explores the issues.
		Antique or vintage clothing? Assumptions and viewpoints This early column attempted to define the differences between antique clothing--made before World War I--and vintage, the modern product made from the '20s to recent years . When is modern clothing vintage, and when is it just out of style? Your definition of that depends on when and where you grew up, your viewpoint and experience.
		Where have all the corsets gone? Interviews with corset experts helped explore the real nature of 19th-century corsets and the reasons they are so hard to find. Myths about wasp waists, displaced organs, fainting and rib surgery are confounded by research and healthy skepticism.
		Preserving antique textiles: find out the how and why This column encourages collectors and heirs to research and understand what they own, and shares conservators' approaches to taking care of antique clothes safely at home. Causes of damage include the material of a garment, the way it was treated and stored in its first years, careless wearing, and poor storage in recent times.
		Store antique clothes with care and understanding Old clothes are like elderly people: funds of information, valuable to know, and on the delicate side. Interviews with conservators helped provide background for this column. Flat storage, even temperatures, careful cleaning and acid-free surroundings are among the recommendations to keep fine old textiles in fine condition.
		Never demean the teens Women's garments made between 1913 and 1919 are in the quiet corner of the vintage world. Not Gibson girl, not flapper, they are often unrecognized, ignored or discarded. This column examines their important place in the transition from Victorian to modern life, and shows how easy they are to wear and display.

	You may order reprints of these articles for $5 each. (MN residents add sales tax) ORDERING REPRINTS: Victori Limited, ordering e-mail: orders@victori.com Include the following information: Article Title Your Name Company Name (if any) Address City, State, Zip Country Telephone number and e-mail address Specify your choice of hard-copy printout (first class postage paid) or we can send a PDF attached to e-mail.. Please do NOT* send credit card information. We do not accept credit cards at this time and we do not have a secure site for such information. PAYMENT:* You may pay by check, cashier's check or money order, made out to *Victori Limited*. All personal checks must clear prior to shipment. Reprints will be shipped as soon as possible after receipt of payment. When we send an e-mail message to confirm your order, we will include the mailing address for your payment. Articles are © copyright 1994-2006, Cathy Taylor, all rights reserved. Reprints are offered for your personal use only. Publication or redistribution in whole or in part by any means is prohibited.
	Two additional topics of interest are explored briefly in our Quick Topics page. Cathy’s Links of Interest Costume Society of America: www.costumesocietyamerica.com The Victorian Society in America: www.victoriansociety.org VSA North Star Chapter: For more information, contact President, email: mboviatt@comcast.net Living History Society of Minnesota: www.lhsmn.org A site presented by and about Civil War reenactors: www.rust.net/~gwjchris/ You can find some of Cathy’s articles at the next two sites: Victoriana.com brings together Victorian sites: www.victoriana.com The Old Times newspaper website: www.theoldtimes.com (click on the "Past Articles" link) Other Vintage Dealers to shop: Clothes and a unique interactive timeline: www.corsetsandcrinolines.com Bobby Dene’s Vintage Clothes: http://bobbydene.com/ A wide variety of excellent antique and vintage clothing: www.dresses4u.com/edwardiandresses Mildreds Antiques features unusual accessories: www.mildreds-antiques.com/clothingaccessories.htm An excellent place to find quality vintage: Victorian Elegance Show twice a year, in Richardson (Dallas), TX: www.victorianshow.com
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