THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) - Thomasville really embraces the Victorian Era.
It's a time in the city's history when it became a popular winter resort. So it seems fitting that the Rose City's holiday theme focuses around this period.
The Victorian Era is a time known for elegance, hats, and corsets.
"[Corsets] which were usually reinforced with whalebone and you would have to squeeze yourself generally down to a waist that was unhealthy," said Ephraim Rotter, the curator of collections at the Thomas County Historical Society.
Why? Well.. to fit into a dress like this, covering your body from neck to ankle.
"A lot of the materials you'll very much recognize today," said Rotter. "Silk, cotton, wool, linen, and a little bit toward the end, especially the working, denim."
At the Thomasville Museum of History, there's a piece of clothing worn by a child during the early Victorian period. Despite it being a dress and having lace all over it, it wasn't worn by a little girl, but rather a little boy.
And there was no running to a boutique, the mall or Amazon to pick up a dress. You had to make it yourself, by hand.
"It wasn't until the late Victorian period that you started having mass production of clothing," said Rotter. "So generally everybody was making their own clothing. So learning to sew, learning how to make clothes wasn't a fun craft to do, but it was an essential life skill."
One fun fashion trend from the late 1800s are the hats.
Everybody, men, women, any event you went to, every day, all the time, people were wearing hats, unless you were inside in which case you'd take your hat off," said Rotter. "Number one reason is good old fashion vanity. Didn't have mirrors or product, so hats gave you good coverage and for men with balding."
For Lauren Grubbs, the store manager of Godwin Jewelers, she's got her Victorian Era inspired attire.
"I'm going to be wearing a taffeta teal green skirt with velvet black leaf detail, a fur shawl with white ruffle top and a beautiful big hat," said Grubbs.
And she is ready to join in on the holiday fun in Thomasville.
