Fashion is constantly evolving. In the late Victorian era, women's fashion was subject to a shift from wide skirts provided by hoop cages and ruffles to a more tailored silhouette. With an increase in travel and settling overseas, it also became more practical. That being said, while we consider yoga pants and cotton tee-shirts to be practical travel fashions, they considered whale-bone corsets and bustle cages which provided extensive back-sides more practical. Sitting down tended to involve swooshing your bustle to the side and perching on the edge of your seat.

For more casual days, such as those spent crossing the prairies by covered wagons, women wore simple clothing. However, simple clothing was still quite involved compared to today's fashions; petticoats and corsets were still worn under their full length, high collared dresses, as well as wool stockings and boots - a lady never showed her ankles. Ladies' hair was typically pulled back into a low bun or pulled back into a French-roll or chignon. Women wore a bonnet on top of their head to protect their faces from the wind and the sun; this was a very important aspect of the costume as tans and freckles were considered coarse and beneath any lady of stature.

As for make-up, little to none was worn. Fresh-faced was the look to have, and if a woman was to wear make-up, this was not information that she would openly give. A delicate, clear complexion was coveted during this time, and they did not have sunscreen to protect them. If their bonnets failed to keep their skin fair, they would often try home remedies to bleach their skin including an oatmeal paste; happily by this era they had realized that lead paste was not an ideal skin whitener.

Foot-fashions were just as severe and staid as their corsets; women wore narrow laced or buttoned boots or high-tongued laced shoes with a low, broad heel. Many of our modern boots are based on styles from this time, but they did not have the time-saving zipper on the in-steps of their boots. Although interlocking precursors to the zipper started showing up between the 1850s and the 1900s, the zipper as we know it was not successfully used in fashion until the 1930s.

If you would like more information about historic fashion, do drop by the Park this summer after May 21 or during weekends in September and ask our costumed employees about their garments. There will also be fashion shows on Father's Day, during the Heritage Weekend and on our Field to Table event at the end of August, please check back to find out exact times and dates.

For those following the Facebook stream today, we challenged you with three sample images from our historical display panels on 1920's street. These panels demonstrate consumer and lifestyle trends of the 1920's. Were you able to guess what products were being promoted?

Historical Panel 1

Some of the guesses:

Saddle soap, car wash, bath tubs...

Historical Panel 2

Some of the guesses:

Tetley Tea, instant coffee, a dairy or creamery...

Historical Panel 3

The sample for this panel was guessed pretty quick as La Fleche Brothers Tailored Clothes for men.

Full-size billboards were highly visible in downtown Edmonton in the 1920s.  They were the dominant medium of marketing: an effective way to advertise in a city with a large number of vacant lots.  Freestanding and adjoining billboards were used to improve the 1920s streetscape by concealing undeveloped lots and corner vistas with advertising space.  Fort Edmonton's billboard representations of companies and products that existed in the 1920's provide insight into lifestyle, commerce and social aspects of life in early Edmonton.

These historical panels were one of the Fort Edmonton Foundation restoration projects. The Hotel Selkirk and The Fort Edmonton Carousel are just a few examples of high definition history made possible by donations from generous donors. Visit the recognition opportunities section of our website for information on other donation opportunities at the park.