Illustration of blouses from a 1904 fashion circular. Scrumptious! This is the decade of tucks-a-plenty and lace in profusion, including on the underthings.

A 1904 bolero dress from a fashion circular. Note all the detailing at the sleeves and neck. The "S"-bend corset is still in vogue, though it will go out of fashion in about five years when the more columnar look comes into style.

This is a ca. 1904 bed jacket pattern for young ladies. This is what a lady would pull on in the morning while she was doing her hair or eating breakfast (if she didn't wear a breakfast gown). It also kept clothes neat while she styled her hair.

Here are several girls' day dresses from a 1904 fashion circular. When you view ladies' outfits from the same year, you can see how girls' things parallel what was available for women--just with shorter skirts. At this early date, the leg o'mutton sleeve was still hanging on from the 1890s, but mainly for younger girls.

A pattern for a ladies' combinations: corset cover and drawers with drawstring waist. This is ca. 1908 and is much simpler than the voluminous drawers of the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras.

1904 "combinations" for a young girl, circa 1904. These combined drawers and undershirts into one garment, with a drop seat in the back that buttoned closed.

This is an absolutely incredible early 1900s ballgown by Frederick Worth. His designs are the ultimate in style, detail, and fit. This is a pre-1905 evening gown with layer upon layer of rich fabrics, trims and floral accents. Definitely drool-worthy!

This is a scrumptious 1904 wedding gown which belonged to the great-grandmother of one of my customers. It is made entirely of Brussels lace. On the left is the gown on the mannequin. In the center is the bride wearing the gown. On the right is the bride with her matron of honor (whose "Titanic"-style dress I made). Wouldn't you have given your right arm to see the wedding gown up close? Breathtaking!

A 1903 portrait by John Singer Sargent of Mrs. Fiske-Warren and her daughter. I love the look of this early 1900s tea gown with its pigeon bust and lavish skirt. I just wish Sargent had given us some more details of this heavenly dress!

These three ladies are from the Eaton side of my family, so they are distant cousins or aunts. This photo was taken between 1900-1905. I wish someone had written on the back of the photo so I could identify these gals! Looks like a mother and two daughters to me.

This heavenly Edwardian tea dress was sold on eBay by USVainen, a past seller whose knowledge of vintage fashion was astounding and whose descriptions were delightful. This seller graciously agreed to let me share her images and words on my site, and I think you'll enjoy them as much as I have!

Princess-Style Promenade Gown: In the middle of Spring in 1907, Paris design houses were further streamlining fashions so that the lines of the dresses were fluid from shoulder to hem. Tightly cinched waistbands from the first part of the decade had been discarded in favour of princess and empire-style lines.

This is the cover and one page from a 1908 Standard Fashions newspaper insert. The "pouter pigeon" bosom silhouette was on its way out by this time, but the "S" curve figure still held on for several more years.

I love this ca. 1904 portrait photo of a young lady with a beautiful lace collar over her dress. If you check the post with the blouses from the 1904 fashion circular, you'll see a similar lace collar.

A cute 1908 photograph of four sisters from Winchester, Virginia. Note the big bows in the hair. This is the origin of the term "flapper," because big bows like this flapped in the breeze. When these girls grew up, they'd be the flappers of the 1920s because of this term from their youth.

At left is a circa 1908 photo of four friends in white.The gal in the second photograph is also pictured in the first photo on the far left. Note the different trims, bows, and hat styles. Beautiful!

This is a pattern for a May Manton nine-gore walking skirt. This pattern served as the chief inspiration and source for my 1909 "Beatrix" Walking Skirt pattern. Perfect to pair with the "Beatrix" Shirtwaist, "Beatrix" Jacket, or my Edwardian Walking Jacket pattern for an afternoon's stroll!

This dress was designed with the 1909 fashion aesthetics: very tall willowy figure with a marked waist sash. This style is the transition from the over-endowed Gibson Girl to the waistless silhouette shapes of the next 4 years. The silk is very sturdy and fortunately is unweighted (weighted silks tend to disintegrate prematurely and lasts the years only with extreme care). I do not see any shattering at all with this thin and elegant material.

Circa 1908-1910 photo of five ladies seated on a bench. The gal on the left has her coat on her lap. Look at those marvelous hats. I also love the vest and tie on the gal seated second from left.