SUSTAINABILITY IN 18TH CENTURY STYLE: REMAKING AND REUSING GARMENTS

 Sew What | Natalie Scola 

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Sustainability in fashion has grown as people become more aware of the products they buy and consume. There is a huge interest in thrifting and upcycling clothes in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry. This seems like a new, green movement but the remaking of older clothes and reusing textiles is a centuries-old concept.

Extant garments (original garments that are still in existence in museums or private collections) are interesting because they reveal so much about the life of the object itself. Clothes are fascinating items to study as they hold a personal, intimate connection across time and place. We all wear clothes – styles change but clothing still holds thaziz  e same functions.

Clothing tells us how people lived their lives. They are a visual and physical marker of time periods, the wearer’s status and even represent important events in people’s lives. There is a prevailing idea that the wealthy wore an outfit only once. Scholarship and analysis of extant garments has proved this false. Clothes have been made and remade for centuries. Extant garments are rare partially because of the fragility and decay of textiles over time but also because they were continually remade into other clothes or items. Diaries and account books of women living in the 17th and 18th centuries show that women were concerned with cost, usefulness and aesthetics when making purchases. Studying how clothing was altered provides contextualization and gives life to an otherwise static object.

 

This dress (robe a la anglais) dates to the 1760s. However the large silk pattern is earlier, from the 1740s. The MFA Boston lists the provenance as being originally worn as a wedding dress in 1740. The dress was remade and worn by the original owner's daughter in 1760. Source. 

While it is generally understood that museums want the most pristine, undamaged objects for their collections, there is a great value placed on altered garments because it shows how construction techniques changed, how fashions evolved and how people used clothes. While remaking and reusing of clothes and textiles probably existed since people starting wearing them, this article focuses on garments from the 18th century. The 18th century saw a massive growth in consumer culture, with new imported materials and advancements in industry. Styles also changed a great deal over the century, notably with the shift towards the Regency style at the end of the 1700s and the rise of new materials for clothing. Because of these factors, there are many examples of extant garments that show evidence of alteration.

One of the main reasons why people remade garments was changing clothing styles. During the first half of the 18th century, women wore dramatic, wide gowns, which gradually narrowed by the 1770s and 1780s. Aside from fashion, people’s bodies went through natural changes, such as growth, pregnancy or weight. The large second-hand trade market meant that clothes needed to be altered to fit a new wearer. Clothes were remade also as a function of economy. The material purchased for clothes (cloth, metal, lace etc.) was often more expensive than the labour needed to make them. It made sense to remake clothes to get the maximum use out of costly textiles and trimmings. This allowed people to keep current fashions without having to purchase new materials each time.

How is it possible to tell that an extant garment is remade? It can be difficult because the level of craftsmanship in the alterations is so fine that it is hard to distinguish between the original and altered construction. Telltale signs of altering include: small holes left behind where fabric was unpicked, such as along the sleeve cuffs or the waist. Another clue are pleats that were taken out but retain their original crease.

The fabric itself provides a visual clue as to the age of the garment. Silk was an extremely popular fabric throughout the 18th century. Silk patterns changed over the course of the century. Large, abstract prints were popular in the earlier decades and more rigid, striped designs in the latter part. Some garments are made of silk that dates to earlier decades but the style and construction of the piece itself is much later; the clothes would have been remade in a newer, fashionable style while being economical in reusing an older piece. 

The large decorative pattern on this silk indicates a weaving date of the 1730s. The dress was remade in the 1770s. Source.

Some extant garments from the 19th century are also made from older, 18th century clothes. With the shift to neoclassical styles at the end of the 1700s, lighter fabrics, like muslin and cotton, were used; they evoked the specific ancient aesthetic of the period and silk was no longer as fashionable. The introduction of cotton to the British market in the 1780s also led to the decline in the silk market. By the 1820s and 30s, styles had changed again and silk was back in fashion. Contemporary silks were not as well made as older their older counterparts and could not hold up to the desired construction. The large sleeves and finely pleated skirts could be achieved with the stiffer fabrics from the 18th century.

This dress shows the fashionable style of the late 1820s with a wide neckline and puffy sleeves. The neckline featured deep, stiff pleats. The fabric of this dress was woven between 1770 and 1780. Source.

Visible alterations like patches and hemming are indicators that clothes were remade. Patching can be seen on the inside of garments, particularly bodices. Some dressmakers and tailors tried to match the original lining with a similar fabric but others used different fabrics. On visible outside areas that were widened, such as around the torso or at the skirt waist, similarly patterned fabric to the original was used; although the patterns were not identical, patching would not be noticed unless it was examined close up. The materials used in alterations are also indicative of when the garment was changed. 19th century alterations can be noted by the use of cotton thread which was introduced in the 1800s. Machine stitching and manufactured lace also point to 19th century alterations, as these would have been done by hand prior to the 1800s. 

Evidence of alterations are often minute and hard to see without high resolution photographs or in-person examinations. Museums also rarely show the interior of garments. This jacket in the collection of the MET shows careful piecing of the lining. The reusing of scraps demonstrates how fabric was used and nothing was wasted as clothes were reused. Source.

 With the rise of consumer culture, fashion became central to self-image. Altering clothes to remain fashionable was a smart economic move, ensuring that you could be dressed in the latest style for less money. The 18th century saw huge shifts in fashion as new materials became available and reflected economic and political changes. By the 1730s, the sack-back gown (robe à la française, or sacque) had become a popular style, replacing the older mantua gown. The sack-back gown featured a fitted, conical bodice with long pleats that fell from the shoulders. Square hoops or panniers were worn under the skirt to support the fabric and create a wide silhouette. As styles changed throughout the mid-1700s, the silhouette became less wide and the fullness moved to the back of the body. Close-bodied gowns (robe à l'anglaise) became fashionable by the 1770s. These gowns had less width at the sides and had fitted back pleats. Many examples of altered gowns are from this period, reflecting the change in fashion over a short period of time. By the end of the 18th century, the French Revolution ushered in an entirely new era inspired by Ancient Greece and Rome, shifting the style away from structured gowns. 

The chintz fabric of this gown was woven in the 1740s but the dress dates from the 1780s. The dress is a close-bodied gown (robe à l'anglaise) and has a fitted back with no flowing pleats as was the style later in the century. It may have been remade from an earlier sack gown. Source.

Changing fashion was not the only driving force behind altering clothes. A person’s body changes in many ways and clothes need to reflect that. As a person gained or lost weight, their clothes could be let out or taken in to fit their body. Pregnancy was also a consideration as a woman’s body would change shape for nine months! There was no maternity wear as we have today (although a rare maternity set does exist in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg) so clothes needed to be designed for a long-term, continual change. Dresses could be let out at the waist or have ties loosened in the back to allow for an expanding belly. These garments could then be taken in and altered after the pregnancy; in this way, a woman remained fashionable throughout her pregnancy and beyond.

Children’s clothes also followed the practical need for alterations as they grew: it was more economical to have clothes that grew with a child than to continually make new clothes. Adult clothes could also be altered down to fit smaller children – there were no “children’s clothes” as children wore miniature versions of adult clothes. In other instances, entirely different garments were constructed from the original. Some of these follow a logical process based on the design of the item. Short jackets like caracos or casaquins could be made by shortening a longer dress. Others were completely different, like making gloves from stockings, or shoes from a jacket! Fabric household items were repurposed as well. Quilted fabrics were commonly reused as they were sturdy and warm. Some quilted petticoats found second lives as bedcovers while original quilts became petticoats. 

The deep hem on this girl's dress from 1771-1780 may indicate extra fabric for future alterations as the child grows. Source. 

The piecing of fabric on the skirt (same garment of above) shows evidence of alteration, possibly to accommodate growth. Source.

The thriving trade in second-hand clothes also necessitated clothes being remade: whether they were given to a friend or a maid or sold to a shop, the new owners of these garments needed them altered to fit their body. Once clothes were worn down, they became rags or other useful scraps. Metal trimmings or threads were stripped from fabrics and melted down for reuse. Fabric rags ended their lives in mills to be made into paper for a growing literate society.

The reuse and remaking of clothes continued throughout the 19th century and were widely adopted for fancy dress balls. This marked the transition of the garment from clothing to costume. Fancy dress balls were a common entertainment throughout the 19th century. At fancy dress balls, people would dress in a variety of themes, including as mythological, allegorical and natural subjects. Historical themes were very popular as people could look into their attics and closets to find old clothes to repurpose. The extremely wealthy often had their fancy dress costumes made from scratch by dressmakers or couturiers – but that’s a whole other article! Older clothing could be altered to fit new wearers for fancy dress balls but also needed to be altered to align with contemporary styles. For example, the style throughout the majority of the 18th century was a flat, conical torso which was created by wearing stays. When corsets became the dominant undergarment, they produced a different shape of the body with a full bust and hips. The garments would need to be altered to accommodate this difference in support and structure.

 

Here an 18th century men's waistcoat has been altered to become a 19th century woman's fancy dress bodice. Darts were added to the front to shape the waistcoat to create a curved silhouette and the back features boning. The sleeves are a 19th century addition. Source.

This photograph shows Mrs. Louis de Lotbinière Harwood in historical dress when she attended a fancy dress ball at the Chateau de Ramezay (Montreal) in 1898. Her outfit is not a remake of an earlier garment. The dress shows elements of 18th century costume but the silhouette is distinctly late 1890s, especially the cut of the bodice which is very curved. Source. 

Aside from fancy dress events, fabrics and clothing from other cultures were made into clothing which reflected the European interest in non-Western cultures. In the early 1800s, Kashmir shawls became fashionable wear after Empress Josephine of France popularized it as a luxury symbol. They were not just used as shawls but the fabric was made into dresses. The light weight fabric lent itself well to the neoclassical style of fashion and the teardrop motif of the pattern, called buta, was visually interesting and appealed to expensive tastes. These shawls originated in the Kashmir region and were primarily worn by men. In Europe, the shawls were brought back by European officials who gave them as gifts to their wives. Several paintings exist showing upper-class women wearing dresses made from Kashmir shawls. They became ingrained in European society as indicators of class and wealth and were seen as women’s items, given to a woman upon her marriage. The shawls were removed from their original meaning, use, and cultural context and were adapted to suit Orientalist tastes in Europe. The popularity of the shawls, particularly for their patterns, led to the rise of imitation weavers in Europe. The Paisley design, copied from the buta, derives its name from the weaving town of Paisley in Scotland, where imitation Kashmir shawls were mass-produced. 

An 1812 fashion plate shows a dress made from a Kashmir shawl. Source

Empress Josephine wearing a dress made from a Kashmir shawl. She is wearing another shawl wrapped around her body. Antoine-Jean Gros, 1808. Source.

Like the Kashmir shawls, the European interest in the East led to a rise in Japonism throughout the 19th century. Japanese patterns and aesthetics were adapted for Western dress. Contemporary paintings and extant garments reflect this interest as clothes were made from kimono fabric. Some kimonos were even taken apart and made into entirely new clothes, mainly women’s dresses.

The gown on this 1870s bustle dress was made from a kimono. Source.

Altered and remade garments are important parts of museum collections as they provide so many clues about the lifecycle of an object and provide a glimpse into consumer culture of the 18th century. Extending the life of garments by reuse and alteration exists into the modern day. Wedding dresses, baptismal gowns, prom dresses and university jackets are all common items that are passed down as heirlooms and used by new generations. These reuses add another chapter of history to the story of the garment.

I am extremely grateful to Dr. Carolyn Dowdell for sharing her dissertation and bibliography with me. Dr. Dowdell is a dress historian whose work focuses on the remaking of historical garments. I will be interviewing her for this column next month, discussing dress history and historical costuming. You can see her work on her blog and Instagram.