Time Travel: Edwardian Picnic

Last Saturday I attended the PEERS “River City Picnic” up in beautiful and much-missed Alameda. In preparing for this day, I realized I had absolutely no passable Edwardian costume, and I lacked the motivation to throw one together at the last minute (like SOME brilliant person I know!!).

Instead, I took a look at what I had in my closet already, then called upon the limitless power of my amazing mother to see what she had in hers. Together we created something quite period, albeit far from River City.

The look combined…
– a1980s khaki Banana Republic skirt, the construction and length of which resembled an Edwardian walking skirt to a “T.”
– a prairie shirt with some embroidery and beading (also from the 80s)
– one brown corduroy swiss waist I made sometime last year
– a wide-brimmed hat from Sheplers, ordered online for small amounts of dollars
– my mother’s fabulous blue silk wildrag (or neckerchief as you may know it better)
– and my actual, well-worn and beloved riding boots and spurs.

Maggie, Jeff of Military Brilliance, and Me

I was inspired by a book my brilliant mother gave me a few years back, titled “Cowgirls: Women of the Wild West.” Some images from that book (and some not from the book) are below (and above)…

I found this book to be incredibly useful for western costume from the Victorian through the 1960s – Highly Recommended!