The Style of
Women’s Hats
March 25, 1908
The style of women’s hats has changed over the years.  This season the hats have a lot of beautiful flowers on them such as lilacs, lilies, and many other flowers.  Other than flowers lace is also a major trimming this season.  Feathers are also being added to women’s hats to make them more attractive.  The new spring hats are for older elegant women.  Most of the hats are large, and cover the women’s full head.  The elegant hats are full with fancy ribbon, flowers and feathers to make you look beautiful.

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Children Dress for the Future
April 14, 1898
As America begins to build a new navy of modern, steam-powered ships, children dress patriotically to greet the new fleet. Girls and boys alike are dressed in red, white and blue sailor suits. The suits often include middy collars and braid trim. It is expected that children will wear pea-coats this winter as well as leather high-top shoes either laced or buttoned above the ankles.

Little boys continue to wear long curls and loose dresses. Older boys are dressing more sophisticatedly with knickers and coats. Small girls are now running just as fast as the boys in slightly shorter skirts. Girls are dressing in the styles of their mothers with shirtwaists and large sleeves; girls are wearing bustles less often. Girls are also wearing shorter skirts, which are allowing them to run as fast as the boys.

Women’s Shoes
February 13, 1900
The new formal shoe for women is here.  Since women typically have narrow feet this is a narrow shoe with a little heal.  With metallic embroidering and beading on the toe this makes a perfect shoe for a stylish woman.  A long dress or skirt covers the shoe only leaving the beaded part of the toe to be shown.  This shoe is very different from the typical daytime boot.  The new evening boot is also a popular item.  This shoe is a very fancy boot made from satin.  Beads are also included on this stylish boot, which help create a fancier look.        

The Sensible Gibson Girl
April 11, 1894
As women are taking to work in many areas, the evolution of the women’s dress has begun. As more women are leaving  the kitchens and participating in colleges, the work force and in professions, women’s clothing is becoming more sensible to meet the demands. The “Gibson Girl,” a creation of illustrator Charles Dana Gibson personifies this new ideal. The shirtwaist, a tailored, high-necked blouse is becoming more and more popular. The shirtwaist is accompanied by a flared shirt and sometimes a jacket. A corset and petticoats is required to meet the Gibson girl ideal of a slim, athletic young woman. Yet, bustles and hoops are useless for the Gibson girl. Shirtwaists are still sewn at home, but have become the first garment for women to be mass-produced. The future of women’s clothing may become more and more influenced by the needs of the growing amount of working women in America.