Edwardian Period / Titanic Era
Technically speaking, the Edwardian period is the period when King Edward reined in England, which was 1901 to 1910. Before Edward came his mother Queen Victoria, and I'm sure most of us have seen "Victorian clothing" or "Victorian Jewelry". These were the very tight-laced, high neck, floor length outfits which covered your entire body.
When Edward came along things were still fancy, but they were more body-fitting. The popular clothing style for women was an "S curve" where it emphasized her breast and her rear.
While Edward died in 1910, usually this era is "extended" slightly into 1912 - when the Titanic went down - because people were still wearing those same styles during the Titanic cruise. So many people are interested in Titanic clothing styles that this is considered one large era. World War I then came in 1914 which began changing things drastically, as war-times often do and people conserve money and fabric.
This was also the period of Art Nouveau - the gorgeous art style of swoopy, curvy lines and gentle colors. Alfons Mucha is a famous artist of this period. To see beautiful images of what Mucha created, visit the official Mucha Foundation Online Gallery
In France, this period of time is known as "La Belle Epoque". The "Gibson Girl" created by Charles Dana Gibson was a woman of this era, wearing long skirts and a close fitting white blouse.
Below are pages with examples of the outfits, jewelry and hairstyles worn during this era!
Edwardian / Titanic Clothing
1918 Dress
Edwardian / Titanic Hair
Edwardian / Titanic Jewelry
Making an Edwardian Dress
Movies / Books in the Edwardian Period / Titanic Era
A Room With A View
Titanic
Top Selling Books of All Time