Why historical clothing has so many layers?

[@laurensternenberg7635]

My grandparents were born in the late 1880’s, my parents in the early 1920’s, so Victorian/Edwardian-plus. When you had one bathroom in the house and limited hot water you would “bathe” once every week or two and “wash” every morning. It’s a little acrobatic, but they even washed their hair in the sink or basin. I know this is the tail end of when folk nowadays think “people were filthy back then”, but first and second hand knowledge- nope, they weren’t. Love your videos, very informative and entertaining 😊.

[@spaghettiking7312]

Just giving my random take as a man, the use of undergarments in the past seems quite economical. You invest in one corset and some underlayers, the corset will last a long time, and the underlayers will protect your outer clothing. Even from a tertiary glance, I've been shocked by the expense for women's undergarments. And for all the talk against corsets, I've never seen someone complain about their undergarments as much as women complain about their bras.

[@anna9072]

I generally don’t wear a bra, because getting one that actually fits is a nightmare, and a bra that doesn’t fit is excruciating. I’m actually looking at this and seriously considering making myself a corset.

[@AlexandraLynch1]

The corset also helped protect your body from your outer clothes digging in and shifting round, and if you had to work, it served as a back brace.

[@eclecticlittledork3418]

This is why folks thinking people in the past were gross amuses me. They didn't dirty their support garments and used multiple layers to protect their clothes from the inside out. They literally had better clothing hygiene than we do, we're the gross ones by comparison.

[@spaghettiking7312]

Too true, brutally true.

[@lilykatmoon4508]

Absolutely!

[@thomassergeant2217]

Maybe not.....​@@spaghettiking7312

[@thomassergeant2217]

Heat?

[@eclecticlittledork3418]

@@thomassergeant2217, garments were natural fibers until the 20s. Linen, cotton, and silk are very breathable. But also the underlayers wicking sweat away from the body means you feel cooler.

[@TealCheetah]

I worked on a farm for a few years and boss thought I was insane for wearing long sleeves in the summer. Didn't believe me it was better

[@anna9072]

For working in the full sun and heat, I prefer a short-sleeved t-shirt topped by a loosely fitting light colored long-sleeved shirt. Definitely makes a big difference.

[@D.S.Luna66]

@@anna9072I went this route this summer and was hotter on days I had exposed skin

[@hurraynature7449]

Something you forget to mention is the insulation that all those layers provide. Both from the heat and cold! Plus, because of the insulation, any sudden changes in weather in the middle of the day were not as big of a deal as it is with our clothing today. When I'm dressed in historical clothing, I can tolerate about a 50 degree (fahrenheit) difference in the same outfit. In my modern clothing, I get a tolerance to about a 10 degree difference from one outfit.

[@sewthroughtime]

I definitely do talk about the insulation and keeping your body temp even 😅

[@hurraynature7449]

@@sewthroughtime I must have missed it. In any regard, historical clothing is definitely much more practical than clothing now in lots of ways 😊

[@cassandrafisher2437]

I just recently got a corset cover from a antique store. Good to know they were worn in the 1880s.

[@berg_ahorn]

thank you for the video! it's so interesting how much modern fashion separated itself from this long history. so many items that have been with us for centuries are mostly forgotten now. i think we have a lot to learn from historical fashion.

[@sewthroughtime]

Definitely! Not only sustainability but also hygiene and simply survival in a ever warming climate

[@karen4you]

Wonderful explanation and makes sense. I've been using an undershirt to protect outer shirts for some years now and air clothes outside and bedding.

[@sewthroughtime]

It really does help with how long clothing lasts when you don't have to constantly wash the outer garments 😊

[@lilykatmoon4508]

Very interesting video. I had never heard all the reasons for each layer all together in one video. In the 70s, as I was growing up, I remember slips still being a thing under dresses and skirts. As time passed, I thought they just made me hotter, which given they were probably polyester and did make me hotter, I quit wearing them. My dad who’s in his 80s still wears undershirts, but neither of my brothers do. I just recently started following fashion history I. The past four years and am working on a late Victorian outfit from the shift and drawers up through all the layers. I just love videos like this that help me really connect with these garments and put all my effort even into the under layers that won’t be seen by anyone but me. I love the outfit you’re wearing in the video. Looks very elegant. The red head scarf is lovely. Is it a 1920s era dress? Take care.

[@sewthroughtime]

Thanks! Yes a 20s one hour dress.

[@rafaaholic]

I loved it! 3 years ago I began using tziniut (jewish traditional clothing) and I realized practically some of the things you explain in this video, like the function of petit coat and the temperature isolation. Thank you so much for this class! ❤

[@coreymerrell6673]

Thank you for such a comprehensive and entertaining video! I enjoy your presentation style and the way you connect everything together. I saw that others also wondered about your current outfit, and thought it would be a great feature if you were to give a little bit of information about what you’re wearing either before or at the end of the videos. You bring fashion and the lifestyles that shaped it into an easily understood and accessible format.

[@hongcte]

Wow, I've been watching historical clothing videos for a long time and did pick up a lot of what you said here about hygienic the undergarments were, but you put it all in one easy-to-find-and-understand video, and there were a LOT that I didn't know and learned from this video as well. I love how informative it was. I want to share this with other people I know to show how it wasn't about getting sweaty and stinky in impractical layers back then, but that they were SUPER practical and clever. LOVE THIS.

[@sewthroughtime]

@@hongcte glad you liked it ❤️

[@garbtheater]

I’d love to see a video like this about menswear, since it seems through most of history they wear fewer layers than women.

[@rosalinddavies8466]

I love that dress so classy

[@rudomwadiwa2183]

I love your look in this video, you look so pretty.

[@zunni1607]

Very informative! Thank you.

[@mrsmmoose6775]

So comprehensive, thank you.

[@janefoley5184]

Very Interesting information

[@pyenygren2299]

Thanks for an informative video. 🙌

[@ing-mariekoppel1637]

How many shifts did people have ?

[@rafaaholic]

21:10 ahmmm.... In Brazil the average person takes at least 2 bathes per day.....