At the start of the Fortnight in 1916 project, one of my rules was that I wasn’t allowed to continue the experiment if it put my health in any danger.  Happily, except for some minor blood blistering from a bad corset, I came through  the experiment in perfect health – probably  even better than if I’d spent it living 2016 style. My main worry about the fortnight was the cold.  Would using less heating in the middle of winter, and wearing nothing but wool stockings on my lower legs, increase my chance of chillblains or a bad chest cold? I hadn’t managed to make a wool union suit, and compared to the layers of socks and merino thermals I usually wear  in winter (the July standard  is  two layers of socks, heavy jeans, and at least three layers of wool on my torso), my 1916 wardrobe seemed quite insufficient.  Every day I would be wearing a single pair of thin-ish merino stockings, cotton combinations, a one-layer cotton corset, corset cover, two cotton petticoats, a thin-ish …

You’ve gotten some hints, but many people have asked what my wardrobe was like for my Fortnight in 1916. I did a great deal of research in diaries and newspaper articles, and assembled what I thought resembled a fairly middle of the road wardrobe for a housewife to wear during a two week period in Wellington in August 1916.  One thing my researched revealed is that, just like today, there was probably a fair amount of variation in wardrobes, even in the same social class.  Some of us own dozens of bras, some of us own 2: the same was true in 1916. Here, however, is my best guess at what a middle class Wellington housewife would have worn over a two week period in winter 1916 (eta: her total wardrobe would have been bigger, particularly in terms of accessories, one or two nice outfits, and seasonal items, but that didn’t come up in my fortnight): Five combinations: My research indicates very poor women only had one set of undergarments, and even some ‘middle class’ …