I am currently training in theatre design. Here is some costume research for the character Mattie Campbell in the play Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson.

The play is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA in 1911.

I decided to go with the divided skirt for Mattie as I felt she would be a cyclist.

Please excuse any typos in the above video- it’s still in development phase.

So, the divided or split skirt of the 19th Century:

“In the Victorian and Edwardian eras, women were enjoying outdoor leisure activities, sports, and travel in specialty designer suits (skirt and jacket sets). Initially, the knickerbocker suit with large bloomer-like pants was the most modest and practical of the sport outfits. Other rainy day walking suits like “rainy daisies” only featured a shorter hemline, whereas the knickers were the first step towards women wearing pants.

In the 1890s, the move to the divided skirt ceased the need for knicker pants. Divided or split skirts extended to mid-calf, flowing open during riding and closed when walking. Jackets followed fashion trends, at first with huge mutton sleeves before reducing almost overnight to smaller puff shoulder sleeves. The Edwardian era, 1900-1910s, saw narrowing skirts and blouses worn alone.”

— Vintage Dancer

I found this pattern available online https://archive.org/

But one of my theatre design mentors found me a pattern from this book from the 19th Century that I found easier to understand:

OK this post is getting a little long! I will do another post on the pattern and sewing of this soon- and besides it’s not complete- still waistband and fastenings to go.

Do you own a pair of culottes? Well the origins came from the divided or split skirt! I’m not much of a fan of culottes but love the divided skirt- what do you think?

19th Century Divided Skirt Part 1/ Mattie Campbell

New make!

I’ve a big decision to make!