Getting dressed in the 18th century - working woman
Another video from CrowsEyeProductions, this time showing a working woman from England in the 1700s getting dressed.
I am far more interested in how normal working people dressed for regular occasions than I am in nobility or special events like weddings.
Further discussion about the garments shown in the video below the cut:
Undergarment layer
Unlike in the last post, we see undergarments getting more complex here.
We start with a linen shift, very similar to the smock from the 1300s. And similarly, there were not drawers worn beneath skirts at this time.
Above this, you have the stays. This garment is referred to as a pair of stays or a pair of bodies. The video shows the straps of the stays as being sewn more securely to the back side, while the front side it held in place with a piece of ribbon looped through carefully reinforced eyelets. This seems like it's to keep the strap length adjustable and fitting exactly to the person wearing it.
The stays shown in the video have laces in both the front and the back. The back laces could be kept pre-tied while the front laces were what was actually adjusted when putting them on for the day.
To cover the gap where the stays lace together in the front, there's a stomacher. The stomacher fits beneath the stays and is held in place by how tightly they are laced. This would potentially allow the wearer to remove clothing during the day (for heat, work, etc) without exposing that shift undergarment, preserving modesty.
The stays functioned as a supportive garment, preventing the bust from moving as well as providing modesty. Note the shape of it on a person. There are those little flaps on the side that flare out a little, and end the part of the garment that squeezes. The point of the body where that squeezing ends is right at the natural waist, not that far below the bust. This differs from later corsets.
Feet
Notably, stockings and shoes would actually need to be put on before stays, as stays made it difficult to bend and access the feet.
But stockings would now have been knit, which allowed them to stretch around the contours of the foot and calf much more easily. However, without modern elastic or double sided tape, they still used simple tied garters below the knee to keep them upright.
Shoes are merely described as low and practical. More detail is lacking.
Pockets/Belt layer
Much like in the 1300s video, pockets are their own item worn at the waist. The video shows one with a built in belt/strap that is tied around the waist, however, I believe at this time separate belts and pockets worn on those belts were also common. These pockets would have been accessed through slits in the sides of the skirt layers, and whether the belt was separate or integrated, the belt was also often used to attach tools.
The pocket is tied at the same level as the natural waist I mentioned before, where the side flap things are. While the model doesn't seem to do it in this video, I have seen other historical dressing videos where pockets ties are woven between those flaps, suggesting they exist not just to modify the shaping but also to be a point of fixture to help make things tied around the waist more stable.
"Skirt" layers
All skirt layers shown in the video are affixed with the same "petticoat" style ties. That is, the garments have long splits at the sides and long ties such that you tie on the front panel first, then the back panel, tucking the knots and ties beneath the bands of the skirts themselves.
The gaps in the sides would allow access to the pockets or any other tools tied to the waist. The garments would have been shaped with pleating/gathers in the waistband, but probably cut as simple rectangles. The skirts would all end around the ankle, letting you move freely without picking up the skirt. Longer skirts would require you to lift your skirt any time you took the stairs, to avoid tripping, as well as risking being dragged on the ground.
The video shows a single under petticoat and a single over-petticoat. The undergarment is simpler and used for shaping, warmth, and modesty (given the lack of drawers). More petticoats, or thicker quilted ones, might have been worn when it was colder.
The over petticoat is designed to be seen as the over layer. You would expect it to be dyed, potentially embroidered, and likely kept in better condition.
There's also the additional over layer of the apron, worn above this and constructed like the front half of a petticoat.
Torso and Arms
A kerchief is used here to cover the neck, shoulders, and low neckline. This can be for modesty, but also for protection from the elements or sun. The example in this video shows it tucked into the stays, which was common. I've seen from other sources that around this time, kerchiefs were often chosen in pretty patterns and colors as a fashionable thing, being a small amount of fabric with a significant visual impact and not needing any sort of careful sizing/etc.
A jacket/short gown is shown over stays, kerchief, and petticoats (but below the apron). This garment looks like a jacket that lacks any buttons or zippers. It's instead fixed in place via straight pins. These pins allow the jacket to overlap the amount it needs to, making it adjustable without even needing to move the locations of buttons. The straight pins are pointed into the solidly built stays, keeping the points safely away from your person, and holding the jacket very securely in place.
Jacket sleeves only reached below the elbow, keeping them safely out of the way for working, ensuring you didn't need to roll your sleeves up.
Hair/Head
Women at this time would usually wear their hair fixed up beneath a white linen cap, to protect the hair. Pretty ribbons to hold this cap in place were another of the easy/cheaper/high-impact ways to add beauty to your clothing and express yourself, much like the kerchief.
Outdoor Wear
The video shows long fingerless knitted gloves (the fingers are not separated, to be clear). These would go all the way up to meet or near meet the short sleeves of the jacket/short gown.
Hooded cloaks, also called riding hoods, were the expected and normal outdoor wear for all women at the time. And bright red ones were very fashionable for the later half of the 18th century, so yes, this is the garment from little red riding hood.