Edwardian-era Fashion

For whatever reason, this old Edwardian-era mail order catalog has been been passed down through the family. I'm fascinated by the descriptions, prices, and fashions - it's like a time capsule of the Edwardian-era

Downton Abbey is enthralling viewers right now so this catalog is also a great way to discover more styles that Lady Mary and company might have worn during the first season of the show.

To give some perspective, servants only made about 50 dollars a year, and a dollar back then would be equivalent to over twenty dollars today. So this catalog was probably for the fairly well-to-do! (Unfortunately, my family's fortune dissolved quite some time ago...)

Furs were all the rage, and a must-have for the fashionable lady. I wonder if the equivalent of PETA existed back then.

The catalog had fashions for men and boys as well. You can see the "Sample Russian Blouses" they advertise. This look was very popular as it was the same one sported by Tsarevitch Alexei, son of Czar Nicholas II.

I think I'll be on the look-out for the jewelry equivalent of this catalog in the future. Then I'll be able to see which accessories pair with these styles!

See more Edwardian styles I scanned from the catalog and cleaned-up here.

Photos from How to Be a Retronaut

How to Be a Retronaut features a varied and wide-ranging selection of color and black & white vintage photographs and videos from around the world (although many are from the United Kingdom).

These autochromes of Peace Day in 1919, King Edward VII (one of the last photos taken before his death), and the Pool of London especially caught my eye. It's fun to compare places and clothing styles I've seen in person with how they used to be. (I have to say, thankfully the Thames is a lot cleaner now!)

See more old photos here.