Most reenactors are familiar with common bodice and sleeve styles from the civil war era; however, bodices and sleeves are not universally interchangeable. Some bodices are more appropriate to some fabrics or ages than others, and the same holds true for sleeve styles.

The two basic bodice styles that were commonly used for day dresses were the fitted (darted) bodice, and the gathered bodice. (Use of the fan front, slightly v-necked bodice style is not encouraged, as this was a late 1840’s, early 1850’s style, and no longer common by the 1860’s. If you are younger than age 40, this style of bodice is absolutely inappropriate.)

Age: Appropriate for all women over the age of 12 to 14, depending on parental preference.

Materials: Darted bodices made of cotton fabrics are vanishingly rare in original garments. If you currently have darted cotton bodices, by all means continue to wear them until you replace them. I would strongly encourage you to consider making any future darted bodices out of wool or silk, as those seem to be the fabrics of choice for darted bodices in extant originals. Please note that this is a departure from our current civilian guidelines. The guidelines will be overhauled and updated to reflect more current research as soon as is practical.

Description: This style of bodice, while less commonly seen in CdVs, is more commonly seen in original garments. Small, controlled areas of gathers replace the darts from the darted bodice, while the piping placement, dropped shoulder and horizontal armscye remain the same. The gathered bodice is fitted onto a waistband approximately 1.5" to 2 " wide, which is piped at the lower edge. These bodices are commonly seen with decorative belts made of velvet, ribbon, or contrasting fabric.

Age: Appropriate for all women over the age of 12 to 14, depending on parental preference.

Materials: While some gathered bodices were made of wool for winter work dresses, the majority of cotton dresses were made in this style. Woven checks, stripes, or plaid cottons, solid or print cottons are all appropriate for a gathered bodice. In fact, at a recent conference, Juanita Leisch, author of "Who Wore What", maintained that a gathered bodice made up in cotton was arguably the most common dress for southern women during the civil war years.

Description: Probably the most commonly seen style of sleeve, this sleeve is fairly fitted at the armscye, although small tucks or darts along the back edge are common. The sleeve is also fairly close fitting at the wrist, and is not cuffed. The typical coat sleeve "bellows" out at the elbow and can be cut in one or two pieces, with or without a seam running down the "elbow" edge. This sleeve is included in the Past Patterns gathered bodice pattern.

Age: Coat sleeves were commonly used by all ages.

Age: Gathered sleeves are appropriate for all ages.

Fabric: Gathered sleeves are appropriate in cotton, wool, or silk dresses.

Description: Gathered or fitted at the armscye, pagoda sleeves are generally about 3/4 length, and have an open flare at the bottom edge. Original pagoda sleeve dresses almost universally have the inside of the pagoda sleeve lined with white silk, with ruching or trim applied along the interior bottom edge.

Finally, on a completely unrelated note, I was asked by several people at McIver when it is permissible to change from period clothing to "normal" clothes.

To clarify: you should plan to be in period clothes from breakfast the first day of the event until you are packing to leave the event.

Exceptions to this include: leaving the event to go to work, shop, run errands, or whatever. The operative term here is "leaving the event."

Likewise, if you are packing your tent and preparing to go home, by all means feel free to put on your street clothes to do so if you desire.

Finally, if you have kids that fell in a mudhole and are wet, cold, and miserable, and you don’t have a period change of clothes for them, don’t make them sit around and catch their death of cold. Let them change, then wash out their clothes in a washtub. That’s why we have a laundry line! Once they have clean, dry clothes, they can always change back.