WWI, and in general the 1910s, can be really daunting as to not knowing where to start out, so hopefully this post helps as a starting point to those who are new to the era. I (Julz) compiled this with Stephanie, and feel free to comment suggestions!
Let's start with foundations. As any woman in living history knows, period correct foundations is a small way to immediately improve your impression. This section will be a mix of sew-your-own and not. If you sew your own, ideally undergarments would be made in a lightweight cotton material, petticoats can be made out of a heavier cotton material or lightweight wool for winter events.
What's the first layer? In order to protect your corset (repeat after me: corsets weren't torture, they were bras!), you would wear either a chemise (like a slip), or a "combination" (which is the top of a chemise, bottom with the split drawers). You would also put on stockings and shoes on at this time.
- Chemise/combination patterns
- Stockings - for ARC, must be black or white
- Boots/shoes - for ARC, must be black (occasionally you see brown for walking and travel) (if you go and search for your own, ideally search for black leather shoes, no zippers, and a low heel)
Next layer would be your corset! You could get away with not wearing a corset during the war years, since using metal in your garments was seen as being very unpatriotic - instead, you could wear a mildly supportive "bra" called a brasserie.
The final layer of undergarments are a corset cover, drawers (not necessary if you do combinations for your first layer), and petticoat.
Onto the uniform!
Since our main focus is hospital/nursing service and canteen/camp service, these services are what we will be focusing on in this section of the post. However, many uniforms were tailor made and women's uniforms especially had a relatively similar look across all branches of service. If there is particular interest in having other branches of service on this post, please feel free to contact us.
Maggie May Clothing is by far the best reproduction of the ward uniform I have seen. She is on the expensive side, but given her
resume/portfolio, the uniform is well worth the price. Also reach out to her if you need to work out a payment plan or a deal on shipping, she is very nice and you can tell she loves what she does and loves supporting educators.
Romlya on Etsy is a close second, however you need to make sure to choose the option that is 100% cotton fabric.
*Note on head-coverings: The cap or the veil are perfectly acceptable. I've seen both worn in overseas work, it is up to you on what you prefer.
Another option is to make your own uniform, of which there are a few options.
- Canteen uniform with cap (should be made with 100% grey/blue-grey cotton, or chambray)
- 1910s suit (paper pattern version) (with slight alteration, works well for the dress uniform) (should be made with 100% heather grey wool, gabardine would be a good suiting weight for it, below are some good photos of the ARC Outdoor Dress uniform- you can see the subtle differences in lapel shape and how the belt of the jacket and how the skirt is constructed!)
Sharon is also a really great seamstress/resource for if you want your uniform made by someone else.
This is Shirley Power's uniform guide which is really helpful for general diagrams and dating uniforms. Important to note is that her uniform guide isn't "The Bible" of a regulation for uniforms, as especially during the WWI era we see a lot of variants in what the uniform looks like due to women making their own uniforms or the uniforms were private purchase from different tailors.
Bonus adorable Red Cross Stuffed Dog pattern!
With many WWI events being in the late fall or early spring, it would also be a good idea to invest in something warm. Thankfully, long underwear/union suit designs have not really changed since the 1910s, but here is an advertisement from 1917 showing an example of a period union suit:
More warm things: here are two options for a WWI pattern knit nurse hat (blue, grey).
And a sewing pattern for a really cute jacket similar to ones that I have seen ARC workers wear in pictures.
If you are new to sewing from period patterns, Stephanie found some great resources for troubleshooting sewing from period patterns with minimal instructions, and in general some really good tricks of the trade from the era.
- Clothing for Women: Selection, Design, Construction: A Practical Manual for School and Home, Laura Irene Baldt, 1916
- Handbook of Wool Knitting and Crochet, Needlecraft Publishing Company, 1918
- Practical Sewing and Dressmaking, Sara May Allington, 1913
- American Dressmaking Step by Step Containing Complete, Concise, Up-to-date, and Comprehensible Instruction in Sewing, Dressmaking, and Tailoring : Prepared to Meet the Needs of the Home and Professional Dressmaker and Pupils of this Branch of Domestic Science in Our Schools, Colleges, and Universities, Lydia Trattles Coates,1917
- Complete Sewing Instructions The Russell Way the Newest, Simplest, and Most Perfect Method of Sewing Ever Offered Women, Maude Westerman Russell, 1918
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