Women In the Civii War - Civil War Dress - Prairie Dresses

Women in the Civil War and Their Dresses

The reenactment of historic American Civil War battles are painstakingly organized events. The actors, or reenactors as they are more commonly known, are generally very serious about the authenticity of their uniforms and other clothing. Women also played an important part in the war and they are an important addition to a Civil War Reenactment as well. Their dresses are given the same painstaking attention to insure an authentic presence in the reenactment as a soldiers uniform is. In a reenactment the female who is recreating a civilian or non-military role would traditionally wear an authentic civil war era dress.

Making dresses from homespun fabric was the general rule for the pioneer, or prairie dress, of those days. They were usually made with a bare minimum of cloth as times were hard. Trimmings were added to make a dress appear more fashionable but sequins and zippers in reenactments are out. Skirts are almost always plain and the dresses short waisted. The “mourning dress” also came in to fashion, which could be expected during the Civil War. The elliptical skirt came into fashion toward the wars end as well.

In the Confederacy there was a class of women that had grown up in the lifestyle of the aristocratic world. Whether it was from being born into a wealthy merchant or plantation family they became known as southern belles. The gowns and dresses were beautiful and worn with pride to the many balls that the South was known for. These southern belles always vied for the honor of being known for their beautiful gowns.

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