A Bygone Era: A Look Into The Past, Pt. 1

Welcome back for the first post of 2026!

Isn't it crazy that we're now 26 years into the 21st century?? I feel like someone is dragging me along by my collar while I'm digging my heels into the ground and screeching out no I'm not ReAdYyYyY!

Ready or not, this year is going to be absolutely amazing. We have one more year to keep pressing Heavenward. One more year to make Heaven crowded. WE GOT THIS!!

I have so many exciting new ideas and thoughts for this blog moving forward, and today we're going to be testing one of those ideas with a topic different from anything else I've touched on.

We're going to focus on societal norms, fashions for women, what was the etiquette of the time concerning women, and how that has changed and shifted throughout the years. Then we'll examine present day and how the "anything goes" mentality has affected both good manners and societal customs.

Even if you're not a history nerd like me, I promise it will be fun. Or amusing at the least. So go grab a cup of tea, a fuzzy blanket, and snuggle up on the couch. We're starting with traveling back two hundred years to Jane Austen's time.

**disclaimer: due to copyright issues, I am not able to paste images directly into the article. I encourage you to go and look up pictures of clothing from the time periods discussed!**

The Regency Era

The Regency era is loosely defined as the years between 1795 and 1837, but for our purposes today, we're going to focus at the height of the Regency era, the time of Elizabeth Bennett and Emma Woodehouse: roughly 1810-1815.

Fashions for women at this time were all about loose fabric and little emphasis on figure. Skirts were slim and loose, easy for movement, and most dresses had an empire waist that came up to right under the bust. For daytime and morning wear, dresses were high-necked and long-sleeved, but for evening social functions and afternoon teas, dresses were short-sleeved and low-cut.

For the spring or autumn, short long-sleeved jackets with the hems ending at the empire waist were common. Gloves were a must, and accessories like parasols and fans were widely accepted.

Manners in this time period were largely concerned with being seen as a friendly and warm person, never openly judging someone you may dislike.

A System of Etiquette, published in 1805 by Rev. Dr. John Trusler, a popular guide of the time, reads:

"Shew in everything a Modesty

Be not always speaking of yourself

Angle not for praise

Be easy in carriage

Listen when spoken to

Be choice in your compliments

Flatter delicately

Command your temper and countenance

Seem friendly to enemies

Never see an affront if you can help it

Avoid wrangling

Judge not of mankind rashly

Trust not too implicitly in many."

Essentially, it was imperative that one was seen as gracious, easy going, humble and a good listener.

(Perhaps this is where "British" insults began- that is, politely insulting someone- because honestly, keeping your mouth shut and also dancing the dance of high society must have been exhausting.)

The Victorian Era

The Victorian era began in 1837 and lasted all the way until 1901, because Queen Victoria lived such a long life. Her reign over Great Britan was one of the most influential monarchies of all time, and she's the reason for many of our traditions today, like white wedding dresses, Christmas trees, and Christmas cards.

Similarly to the 20th century, fashions changed so rapidly here it's too much to cover it in a broad brush, so we're going to do this rapid fire, focusing on two distinct eras. Hold on tight to avoid whiplash!

The 1860s:

The 1860s in America was when the Civil War took place, so fashions for women over here were decidedly less over-stated than fashions in Europe. While we were lining our cotton dresses with newspapers to keep out the cold for winter, England was swishing their hoopskirts all over ballrooms.

War or no war, the standard was the same in Europe and in America. The 1860s was the period of large skirts and the bell silhouette, without an emphasis on either front or back (this would gradually change throughout the century, with bustles becoming popular and a trend to emphasize the back of the skirt taking over in the 1870s-1880s). Women used petticoats and large hoopskirts to make their skirts wide and full, and learned how to walk "pigeon-toed" to make their skirts sway as they just barely swept over the floor. Corsets were also popular, but they were shorter and not tight laced, since the sheer volume of the skirts easily provided the tiny-waisted look. Bodices were fitted, and like the regency era, necklines were high and sleeves were long during the day. Also popular in this era was the style of wearing a different bodice with a skirt than one that matched the skirt, a trend inspired by the military.

The 1890s:

The 1890s are when my current novel is set, so I'm partial to this era. The dresses are absolutely gorgeous, but they are a lot more restrictive than the ones of the 1860s, causing women to be more inventive as far as comfort and easy mobility went.

Unlike the 1860's "bell-shaped" silhouette, the hourglass shape was all the rage for women, with emphasis up top and on the waist, to create lots of curves. Skirts were slimmer again, falling over the waist and requiring corsets to be tight-waisted to create the illusion of a tiny waist. High necklines were in again, and sleeves became puffed, growing bigger and bigger until they reached their peak in 1895. Ruffles and lots and lots of details on fabric were very in style.

Victorian Etiquette:

Manners were almost universal throughout the Victorian era (again, thanks Queen Vic!), and were less "fake" than those of the Regency era. In fact, sometimes it felt like pushing people away from each other was the goal, instead of cultivating friendships.

Before Queen Victoria, it was the custom for women to greet one another with a kiss, but this custom was done away with entirely. Small talk was limited to polite conversation only, without any encouragement for deeper discussion. Talking or dancing with strangers was also discouraged. Posture and respectability were of the utmost importance, with gentlemen of "good-breeding" being polite and always considerate of a lady's welfare. Young, unmarried women were unable to mingle in society or converse with a gentleman alone unless accompanied by her chaperone.

The Edwardian Era:

The Edwardian era lasted from 1901-1910, although it is commonly extended into the start of World War One in 1914. This is also another gorgeous era for women, while again slightly more restrictive.

The defining feature of Edwardian fashion is the "s-shaped" silhouette. Corsets that thrust the bust forward and the hips backward were used to achieve this elegant, flowing look.

Typical day wear included high-necked and long-sleeved dresses, with lots of embroidery and looser skirts, gradually allowing for a shift into a more active lifestyle for women. Pastels were popular, with lots of lace and embroidery.

Parasols were a huge fashion accessory, and this is the era of wide brimmed hats and loose Gibson girl hair. (In case you were wondering, this is also the era of Anne of Green Gables.)

Significantly, this era was the shift from the strict Victorian fashions into more fluidity and ease of movement.

Manners also began shifting into a more relaxed style, but some Victorian customs still hung on, like men never removing gloves in public, women needing chaperones, and distinct daytime vs. evening wear.

Present Day:

Obviously, we have shifted and come a long, long way since the 19th century, and often for the better. I know I wouldn't want to be laced into a corset every single morning and constantly worried about dragging my long skirts around! I love my jeans and oversized sweatshirts a little too much.

But there's a lot about these fashion and manners trends that make me wonder if perhaps our predecessors had it right all along.

For starters, no matter what era it was, women's fashions were always concerned with preserving a woman's femininity.

I do not believe that as Christians, it is commanded for women to always wear skirts. I do not believe that what we wear determines our salvation, and I do believe that women can be modest in pants.

But it is also very true that there is something uniquely feminine about wearing dresses and skirts. They simply make you feel more like a lady.

There is a reason why every little girl loves princess dresses, and why we all dream of our someday wedding dresses.

It's because, my dear readers, being feminine is engraved on our souls.

And we know it.

So often, girls forget this. We run around in skinny jeans and graphic t-shirts, and steal our brother's sweatshirts, and forget how to also act like a lady.

I do literally alllllll of those things, and I need to restate it: there is nothing wrong with wearing t-shirts, sweatpants, jeans, any of it.

BUT it's also true that we can't let those things diminish our femininity.

We, as women, have something unique and special, something that is more easily put on display when we dress and act like it.

And while I am eternally thankful I don't have to wear a hoopskirt and I won't have to worry about engaging a chaperone, it also makes me sad to see how far we've fallen from those long-ago standards. Standards of both grace and elegance.

And also, those Edwardian dresses are just really really beautiful. Go look them up, I'm serious!

We'll pick back up next time and cover the roaring twenties to the 2010s, and dive deeper into modern day. Until then, thank you so much for reading!!

Stay undistracted, dear friend.

Love,

~Mira