Getting Dressed - Queen Victoria - Christmas 1848

the fashion for off-the-shoulder evening gowns necessitated a style of the shimmies the basic undergarment which also drifted off the shoulders long open leg drawers were worn beneath the shift they reached a below the knee in length [Music] although Victoria is thought to have been uninterested in dress during her reign she spent an average of around 3,000 pounds a year on clothing and employed a mistress of the robes dresses and wardrobe maids to manage her wardrobe Victoria wore stockings a fine silk stockinette they were usually cream but she also wore pink and black amongst other colors some of her stockings were beautifully embroidered across the top of the foot and above the ankle as with the rest of her undergarments each one bought victoria's initials and sometimes a crown embroidered in red as a laundry mark silk garters were worn below the knee to keep the stockings secure Victoria's gold heart locket was a sentimental piece of jewelry that she wore constantly it contained a lock of Albert's hair that she obtained a few days after their betrothal the stays were back fastening and lace clothes through metal eyelets the neutral colors of white and beige were the standard for stays at the time Victoria married Albert of saxe-coburg and Gotha in 1840 Albert's engagement gift to Victoria was a ring he designed himself a skirt enhancer or bustle was worn to give added lift to the skirts the ties were passed under an inverted hook placed below the waist at the center front of the stays to avoid the bulk of not spoiling the line of the waist the fashionable bodice which suited the petite Victoria was for a waistline which dipped into a V at the center front petticoats were designed to sit just below the waist a number of cotton petticoats may have been worn some tucked and trimmed with white workplace Victoria born Alexandrina Victoria had become Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on the 20th of June 1837 when she was just 18 years old she married when she was 20 and by 1848 Victoria and Albert had six children in order to achieve the fashionable bell-like shape of the skirts before the invention of the steel hoop to cage crinoline various stiffening 's were used petticoats of woven horsehair known as crinolines from the french word crin meaning horsehair was sometimes worn petticoats might also be stiffened with many yards of cotton cord hand-sewn between the layers of fabric the petticoat cording could extend up to the knees or higher and would be broken up into narrower bands towards the top to make a softer graduation from stiff to fluid movement of the fabric victoria's pink silk gown was depicted in the first illustration of the royal family and their german christmas tree victoria's gown was a simple elegant off-the-shoulder evening gown it would have been lined with glazed white cotton and edged with fine piping borås fastened edge to edge at the center back with concealed hooks and eyes Boris was boned and had a v-shaped waist that had the appearance of lengthening and narrowing the torso the bodice neckline was finished with a birther of Honiton lace and the neckline was adjusted to fit by means of a concealed cord at the center front [Music] evening shoes were flat and delicate made from fine leather or silk to match the gown they were held in place by silk ribbons which crossed over the top of the foot and wound around the ankles before tying off in a bow victoria's taste tended towards simplicity rather than flamboyance as befitted her petite figure her hairstyle was all so simple to suit her delicate round face however she had a reputation for the splendor of the jewels she wore in the Illustrated London News article she is shown wearing an abundance of blue sapphires and diamonds including a sapphire jewel tied with ribbon upon each wrist a brooch dripping with sapphire gems a fine sapphire necklace dropped sapphire earrings and a beautiful tiara not only was Albert German but Victoria was half German too and she and Albert preferred to speak German when in private their household was also German and they maintained many family traditions from Albert's homeland a single deep pocket concealed in the right hand seam of her gown allowed Victoria to discreetly carry personal items such as a handkerchief or fan in December 1848 an article appeared in the Illustrated London News entitled the Christmas tree at Windsor Castle which included an illustration of the royal family around the children's present bedecked Christmas tree each gift had a prince or princess's name affixed to it so that no difference of opinion in the choice of the dainty's may arise to disturb the equanimity of the illustrious juveniles the German Christmas tree had been a tradition for the British royal family since about 1800 but it was this illustration that brought the idea of the Christmas tree to the attention of the general public and popularized it as a British tradition from then on [Music] 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Channel: CrowsEyeProductions

Views: 13,873,792

Rating: 4.8462539 out of 5

Keywords: christmas, victorian, getting dressed, historical costume, history, 19th century, get ready with me, get ready, getting ready, bonnet, reading, performance, festive, snow, vintage, style, asmr, costume, documentary, factual, facts, victorian way, victorian era, prince albert, menswear, men's fashion, moustache, grwm, valet, queen victoria, eveningwear, first christmas tree, xmas, christmas tree, xmas tree, decoration, decorations, christmas presents, the crown, historically accurate

Id: TuuvqFKdyNA

Length: 6min 49sec (409 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 10 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/Pauline-Loven]

The actress playing Queen Victoria is Faye Caddick, and since she lives quite far from me I had to rely on measurements rather than fittings. The most important measurement for this sort of gown is around the shoulders, following the line of the dress. Because of limited production time, I made it from scratch in about three days. I didn’t use a pattern, but studied, and photographed in detail, a similar dress from a local collection (Normanby Hall in Lincolnshire - we filmed there too) and copied that. The silk is a shot pink taffeta which shimmers different shades, and you can see that in the centre front panels (that wing out over the shoulders) which are cut on the bias. The handmade lace is vintage and was purchased on eBay. The jewellery was sourced and created by my colleague Liv Free, who also did Faye’s hair and makeup and does the voice-over. Crow’s Eye Productions.