Edwardian Fever

By The Green Queen

Next month (April 14^th) marks the 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  As somebody who is friends with a number of history buffs and costumers, you can imagine that I’ve been hearing about this for quite some time.  People all over are making plans to observe the day of the big catastrophe with Edwardian (1900-1915) themed parties, visits to museums, and viewings of the 1997 James Cameron film.  So for those of you who are interested in capturing the look of 1912 as you commemorate the disaster that changed maritime safety standards as we know them,* take a look at some of these ideas.

Edwardian Jewelry

Authentic Edwardian pieces can be expensive and difficult to find, so we thought we’d help out with some of our Diamond Nexus favorites.

Love Struck by Diamond Nexus

Love Struck by Diamond Nexus, in 14k gold.  ($845)  I found the same design in paste dating back to 1900, only with a pin back instead of the closed filigree back that the Love Struck has.

 

The original pendant/brooch circa 1900, apparently set in silver with some gold plating.  ($1,375)  Paste was an inexpensive fake diamond at the time: an early predecessor to the advanced diamond simulants we have today.

Lady of Kensington by Diamond Nexus

Lady of Kensington by Diamond Nexus.  ($949)  This ring is available with a larger or smaller center stone and your choice of lab created ruby, emerald, or sapphire, so you can fine-tune the look exactly how you want it.  Double bonus: the Lady of Kensington in sapphire is also a match for the royal engagement ring once worn by Princess Diana, now worn by Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.

Moonstone and diamond ring, circa 1915.  ($2,250)  Moonstone cabochons and pearls were fairly popular during this period.  If you’d like to customize one of our rings with a different jewel, like moonstone or pearl, contact the Nexus Design Studio.

SHOOOOOOES!

I confess, I was going to wait until later to write this blog…until I found American Duchess and these AMAZING Edwardian replica shoes!  They’re designed to perfectly match an antique pair found in the Shoe Icons Museum, and are available in both white and black.  Just look at that vintage charm and try to tell me you’re not starting to drool even a little bit.  (Especially when you hear that they’re reportedly very comfortable, even for dancing!)  You can imagine how high the demand for these beauties is right now, so you need to order soon to get them by early April.

Is anybody else looking at these and getting ideas for an amazing 1900s themed bridal outfit?  Speaking of which…

Edwardian Dress Patterns

  Hardcore historical re-enactors all have their secret and not-so-secret sources for historically accurate clothing patterns.  For the most part, though, I find that these two (above and below) capture the look fairly well and are available in pretty much any fabric store of reasonable size, making them easier to get your hands on.

 

 

Edwardian men’s clothing patterns certainly do exist, but they’re a bit harder to find.  (Sorry, guys.)  However, while looking for a few of them, I stumbled across a playful site called Gentleman’s Emporium. While most of their wares are more Victorian than Edwardian, there are still some good finds in there, especially considering how men’s fashions changed rather less between those two periods than women’s fashions did.  Come on, you know you’ve always wanted a top hat.

* After the sinking of the Titanic, new regulations were established that required all ships to have enough lifeboats for all passengers and crew, and to keep their radios on at night.  This is largely because there had been another ship nearby, the Californian, that could’ve intercepted the Titanic before it sank, but didn’t because their radio was off and they mistook the Titanic’s distress flares for a firework display intended to entertain wealthy guests.