Historical fashion gives us an insight into people’s daily routines, hints at concerns of the time, and lets us better picture the past. We can get even closer if we look at the clothes people wore for a pastime that was fun and casual, such as their summer holidays.
As November brings #FocusWeek to the forefront of the Explore Your Archive campaign, Conwy Culture Centre gives us an insight into seaside fashions c.1900.
Fashion… Changing With The Tides
When you think of North Wales, you might think of the potential held by its scenic seafronts. You wouldn’t be the first. Conwy County’s coastline is a cultivated tourist hotspot, covered by towns that cater to the crowds. This identity has its roots in the Victorian era. In particular, the busy town of Llandudno was developed to attract beachgoers, starting in the mid-1800s.
The seafront reveals remnants of this past. From fin de siècle hotels staring out at the sea, to tram tracks that once carried tourists across town. But, despite still bustling with visitors, Conwy’s beaches couldn’t look more different in one crucial way. Summertime fashion has shed the severe face of the past, changing with the tides.
No Need for Sunscreen
Beachgoers in the late Victorian period did not feel the desire to dress down for their holiday in a way that makes sense to us today. Clothes had much more of a role in demonstrating class and wealth. People were not picking headwear for its ability to prevent sunstroke.
Women of means would have shown off with elaborately decorated hats. Men were broadcasting their worth with the top hats or bowler hats that were stylish at the time. Combined with high necklines and multi-layered outfits, sitting in the sun would have quickly worked up a sweat.
Planting Parasols in the Sand
With large groups gathered to enjoy the good weather, you might well have seen beaches polka-dotted by the sloping shapes of parasols. Sheltering under one of these would keep the owner’s skin safe from sunburn.
For many women of the time, these would have been bought as fashion statements first, before focusing on their practical use. Some very elaborate types of parasol were available, with beautiful decorative elements and complex designs.
These types of accessory items were becoming easier to access thanks to advancing production technology at the turn of the century. Even so, not everyone was worried about the expense of what they carried under their arm.
Those more interested in simply sitting and soaking in the experience of a day at the beach could still bring something simple to keep themselves cool by the seaside.
Sandcastles and Shifting Styles
Many of us might cringe at the thought of putting on a full suit to go and build sandcastles. However, the clothing we see in photos from the late Victorian and early Edwardian period represents a relaxing of former fashion rules.
Women’s outfits began to take more influence from menswear, loosening up and allowing women more freedom. We might spot this style shift in the appearance of more masculine jacket cuts, straw boater hats, or ‘shirtwaists’: blouses that resembled male shirts.
As fashion for girls often took inspiration from what adult women were wearing, skipping over the teenage fashion period which exists today, we can see similar trends emerging for those starting to grow up. While summer clothes at the turn of the century don’t look particularly relaxed to us now, this was a time of breaking free from the more restrictive rules of the earlier Victorian era.
Bathing Huts and Bad Behaviour
As easy as it is to assume that people of the past were much more buttoned up than us based on the photographs they left behind, it’s not the full story. There were strict rules about how people should behave at the beach, but rules were not always obeyed.
Court records show that sunbathers might have had to avert their eyes from someone wandering out of the gender-divided sea bathing area they should have stuck to. Some even committed the ultimate seaside fashion crime… leaving a bathing hut without any clothes at all!
Keep Your Calves Dry
Most people were more willing to respect their fellow holidaymakers and used bathing huts for their intended purpose. It was the norm for people in the late nineteenth century to change their outfits multiple times a day. Different clothes were worn for the morning, afternoon and evening.
However, even into the Edwardian period, practical swimwear was still a little way off. During this era, women were not encouraged to swim, as doing so would be considered too vigorous an activity for them. This means the women pictured in these photos were likely doing little more than paddling.
Men would have had an easier time diving in headfirst, with lighter clothing options inherently more practical for stepping into the sea. Especially along the North Wales coast, an area with plenty of fishermen.
Filling Up the Photo Album
Taking out the camera on a nice day became a habit of the era. It gives us glimpses of holiday history today. People have always loved recording their summer adventures. Families dressed their children up in outfits designed to look good in the photo album, particularly in the days when each photo carried a cost to develop.
The image above shows us 3 children whose parents must have been very proud to see them looking so put together. The tiny sailor shows us a perfect example of Edwardian children’s fashion… even if he does seem anxious to get back to building sandcastles!
Written by
Victor Langdon Lewis
Prentis Modern / Modern Apprentice
Canolfan Ddiwylliant Conwy / Conwy Culture Centre
Further Information
- https://calmview.conwy.gov.uk/CalmView/How.aspx – Conwy Archives catalogue
- https://historypoints.org/index.php?page=site-of-rail-depot-llandudno-junction – Site of a steam train depot, Llandudno Junction
Other Blogs
- Wraiths, Dames and Magic: Celebrating Christmas with the V&A Performance Archives
- The Dunalistair Home – support for bereaved families
- Remembrance at the National Army Museum
- Focus Week – Dances and Decisions at the Haverfordwest Assembly Rooms
- Dressed to De-Stress: Seaside Fashion at the Turn of the 20th Century