Victorian "Low" Fashion : Sewing my working class ancestor's Natural Form era skirt and overskirt

Victorian dress history isn't just for the rich! I'm researching, designing, and sewing a Natural Form Victorian skirt and overskirt — part of my great-great-grandma Carolina's reconstructed 19th century Shabbos dress from 1881.Through fashion research, history, and experimental archaeology, I'm using historical costuming to get closer to my working-class Jewish immigrant ancestors. During the Victorian era, working people made many of their own clothes. Historical sewing was a basic life skill, and dress history research shows all levels of sewing skill in antique and vintage dresses. Fashion plates and magazines show glamorous silk dresses, but most people couldn't afford that! For her best dress or Shabbat dress, an immigrant girl like my ancestor Carolina would save her pennies for a pretty printed cotton. Extra fabric for a stylish Natural Form overskirt would be a luxury! As we explore the challenges and triumphs of sewing a Victorian skirt and overskirt, we'll uncover hidden stories within every seam. "The Clothes on Their Backs" offers a captivating glimpse into the intersection of family history, genealogy research, and dress history analysis against the backdrop of New York City's Lower East Side Jewish community, and that neighborhood's garment industry. Through personal anecdotes and a passion for the craft, dress historian Vi reveals the profound role fashion and historical dressmaking played in shaping the lives of her Jewish immigrant ancestors. Come along o