Clara's 1902 Pleated Dress

Clara's dress this week is a little similar to the 1890 Day Dress from last week. Both dresses have a wide collar and pleats, but other than that, they are representative of their own fashion eras.

Clara’s pleated dress is a stylish fashion design from 1902. The wide collar and high neck balance the blousy sleeves and waist. Pin-tucks on the bodice provide a nice detail to the dress. The short, pleated skirt was worn over some petticoats to give it the wide shape.

The first decade of the 1900s is known for the extravagant hats worn by ladies (think My Fair Lady). Clara’s wide hat fits in with the style of the day, and sports a flamboyant bow and feather. Additionally, the hat was worn at a jaunty angle for more emphasis.

The patent-leather shoes had low, wide heels and were worn with long stockings to cover the legs. The stockings would have been made of fine cotton.

The original dress was all light blue. The stockings were also light blue. The shoes were black, shiny patent leather. The hat was all white, including the bow and feather.

In the 1900s, white and pastels were very popular for clothing. Fancier clothing and evening gowns would have bright jewel tones, but day wear was more muted. Here are some colors found in clothing from about 1900:



To print Clara's outfit, use this PDF file:
Clara's Dress 30 (755k)

Clara is a free, printable paper doll. Clara will continue to be available on this blog as long as I post new fashion pages for her. You can read the introduction for the Clara paper doll here.

To print the Clara paper doll, use this PDF file:
The Clara Paper Doll (745k)