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30 Stunning Historical Dresses Recreated By ‘Extremely Outdated Fashion Blogger’
While a lot of people spend a lot of time developing their personal style, few can say they have medieval dresses hanging in their closet. YouTuber Bernadette Banner has more than just a few. Furthermore, she’s made all of them by hand. “I study the history of dress through practical experimentation and reconstruction, exploring historical eras preceding the introduction of the electric sewing machine because technology is weird,” she says.
Not only does she dress like someone from another era, but her viewers also notice with amusement that she appears to think and speak like someone from the past as well and it's oddly satisfying to watch.
More info: Youtube | Instagram
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#1
PaigeA MacPherson 4 years ago
This girl is amazing. I watch her videos and the techniques she uses are so complex and time consuming. Idk how she does it!
"My reconstruction work is done by hand or using authentic machinery where appropriate, and I am simultaneously on an ongoing side quest to discover how we can implement historical practices in 21st century life in order to live a bit more sustainably," Bernadette says.
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She now has an impressive 658k YouTube and works full-time as an independent online content creator and as freelance “consulting dress detective” or, simply put, research consultant, and illustrator. She splits her time between her native New York City and London, where she’s collaborating with the School of Historical Dress on future publication work.
#3
Dances with Bees 1 year ago
Morgan Donner coined the term 'history bounding' for outfits that borrow from period clothing, yet are quite wearable today.
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4EVER PANDA 4 years ago
once again, well done with the contrasting of the background and the dress. They match quite nicely together.
#4
Maddie Painter 4 years ago
I actually watched this video recently! It was complex to make and it looks so lovely!
#9
4EVER PANDA 4 years ago
( again, maybe I should just stop commenting this ) the outfit works really well with the background!!!!
#11
Tracey Hirt 4 years ago
They're stunning , but I wish these were labeled with the time period they are from. I can place some of them, but others I can't figure out the decade.
#12
4EVER PANDA 4 years ago
the colors ( once again ) contrast really well with the background. well done! I know a lot of people who can make beautiful outfits, and beautiful backgrounds, but can't pair them up together.
#14
Binxyminxem 4 years ago
The doggo in the background looks happy and cute! Also all of these outfits and the lady's hair look gorgeous!
#22
#23
chachkimooch 4 years ago
Too bad about the barbed wire fence. These women are lovely in all the photos!
#24
#29
#30
Tazzy Ladynero 4 years ago (edited)
This is Cathy Haye, a friend of Bernadette's. She often wears that scarlet escargot with that green tweed vest.
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What do you think ?
Erika Jones 4 years ago
I've noticed Bored Panda has a habit of referring to young women as girls. If you wouldn't refer to a male this age as a boy, please try not to infantilize women. Oh, and these dresses are gorgeous.
Elina Kuusisto 4 years ago
I was immediately turned off this article for that very reason. I'm glad they changed the title. And I'm very glad someone else brought this up.
Load More Replies... Tazzy Ladynero 4 years ago
Bernadette Banner has some fabulous videos on her YouTube channel where she makes her outfits and explains the method behind them. Cathy Haye is another delightful YouTuber and a friend of Bernadette, and is the one often seen with the green tweed vest and scarf around her throat.
April Simnel 4 years ago
Is that her name, Cathy Haye? She's at Audley End House as a re-enactor (well, she was recently before the present unpleasantness). Wouldn't it be cute to see her pop up in one of the Mrs. Crocombe videos one day?
Load More Replies...
satan hears a scream 4 years ago
A lot of these clothes I would love to wear around town and to school! I don't care if they're "out of date" look how COOL THEY ARE
Monika Soffronow 4 years ago
Then join this slowly growing community of people who wear period clothing. I love everything about them.
Load More Replies... Foustri 4 years ago
Bernadette Banner isn't a girl. She's 25 years old, and she is an amazing seamstress and fashion historian.
Monika Soffronow 4 years ago
I cannot help but wonder how Bernadette herself feels about being called a girl. What if she refers to herself as a girl? In any case, it ought to be up to her.
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Ruth Beaty 4 years ago
Bernadette is the best!! Her youtube channel is well worth a watch and I have even picked up some sewing and costume tips, and I've been sewing for over 50 years. Go watch her channel and check out some of her friends also.
Ella Blackwood 4 years ago
Beautiful! I love some of these outfits. I would wear them today. So many modern clothes are so cheaply made and unattractive.
Geth 4 years ago
Modern clothing is designed to be sold to a "general" body, that almost no one actually possesses, and to be worn for maybe half a year and then discarded. All clothing used to be tailored to the wearer, and made to last for at least a few years, which is one of the reasons why it looked better. Wealthy people and celebrities still have all of their clothing tailored to fit them, even if they bought it off the rack.
Load More Replies...
Jolene Oldham 4 years ago
Bernadette Banner is an amazing artist and I love her work! Also, I fixed your headline: This Woman Is Making Historical Dresses By Hand And It’s Oddly Satisfying To Watch
Madison Feehan 4 years ago
This woman is extremely talented! I am in awe of your beautiful fashion masterpieces! You should be a Hollywood Costume designer! :)
Bob Belcher 4 years ago
You should set up a shop at TRF near Houston. Largest Renaissance Festival in the states and one of the largest in the world. You can easily sell those dresses for hundreds and people will buy them easily.
Monika Soffronow 4 years ago
"You can easily sell those dresses for hundreds"... This made me actually laugh. No sir, I do not believe that Bernadette would like to sell them at or below cost. The workmanship that goes into each piece is extraordinary, from research to fabric sourcing, to hand-sewing every stitch.
Load More Replies... April Simnel 4 years ago
Bernadette Banner's channel is delightful. I found it through looking up the English Heritage Victorian cooking videos with "Mrs. Crocombe" on YouTube, and a video with Bernadette and her friend Cathy going to Audley End House was in the results list. A great couple of channels, both.
Fixin'Ta 4 years ago (edited)
Bernadette is a rockstar. And if you like what she does, also check out Izabela Pitcher at Prior Attire (she has a YouTube channel, a website and Insta account, and makes period-accurate clothing for sale). Izabela and her husband have been wearing period costumes on their daily walks around their UK village and posting them on Instagram. They've gotten quite a following.
Cordi Schmidt 4 years ago
I love Bernadette Banner and her work she posts on her Youtube channel! And when they are together with Cathy Hay - it's an astonishing duo! <3 Both of them hugely inspired me to start sewing in hand and I must say I have never done anything so relaxing and satisfying :)
Bettye McKee 4 years ago
This young woman is a fashion genius. All of the garments are perfectly fitted and very elegant.
Suzanne Forney 4 years ago
I love all of Bernadette's videos and she is such an inspiration to new Costubers like myself. I wish I had half her motivation to do the things I want to do. I absolutely hate how in the title of the article they say "extremely outdated fashion blogger" while that may be true, I think it's really insulting. Of all the things they could have said about her choice of dress, they have to basically insult her about her taste in fashion.
The End Is Nyreezy 4 years ago
She has Gail Carriger vibes! I wonder if they ever share ideas?
Nicely 4 years ago
Bernadette's channel is one of my absolute favourites, it's so relaxing to watch and also quite empowering. I can't sew for toffee, but since lockdown began and returning not-quite-fitting clothes became more difficult I've taken the leap to alter a few items to get them to fit. I would not have had the courage but for the wonderful ms Banner.
Brandy Grote 4 years ago (edited)
She has only been sewing for a few years, started out on her own, and has really progressed! And she does most of her work by hand. Any machine stitching she does is on an antique hand crank Singer. She gets all my kudos!
JustAAnotherGirl 4 years ago
I’ve been watching her videos for about a year now and they’re very entertaining. She’s super knowledgeable and her videos are great. I would highly recommend if you enjoy historical dress, fashion, art, or just want something soothing to watch! You can also check out Cathy Haye, Morgan Donner, Rachel Maksy, and Drama Costumes if you want more.
Susanne Carvin 4 years ago
I love this post! The clothes are stunning and she is a perfect model for them - also excellent choice of locations
Celeste Grant 4 years ago
This lady is amazingly talented; I recently found her on YouTube but unfortunately I found her uncomfortable to watch. She is at the same time scornful of modernity and yet working as an influencer through social media; a juxtaposition I found a little jarring. She does make beautiful clothes.
Erika Jones 4 years ago
I've noticed Bored Panda has a habit of referring to young women as girls. If you wouldn't refer to a male this age as a boy, please try not to infantilize women. Oh, and these dresses are gorgeous.
Elina Kuusisto 4 years ago
I was immediately turned off this article for that very reason. I'm glad they changed the title. And I'm very glad someone else brought this up.
Load More Replies... Tazzy Ladynero 4 years ago
Bernadette Banner has some fabulous videos on her YouTube channel where she makes her outfits and explains the method behind them. Cathy Haye is another delightful YouTuber and a friend of Bernadette, and is the one often seen with the green tweed vest and scarf around her throat.
April Simnel 4 years ago
Is that her name, Cathy Haye? She's at Audley End House as a re-enactor (well, she was recently before the present unpleasantness). Wouldn't it be cute to see her pop up in one of the Mrs. Crocombe videos one day?
Load More Replies... satan hears a scream 4 years ago
A lot of these clothes I would love to wear around town and to school! I don't care if they're "out of date" look how COOL THEY ARE
Monika Soffronow 4 years ago
Then join this slowly growing community of people who wear period clothing. I love everything about them.
Load More Replies... Foustri 4 years ago
Bernadette Banner isn't a girl. She's 25 years old, and she is an amazing seamstress and fashion historian.
Monika Soffronow 4 years ago
I cannot help but wonder how Bernadette herself feels about being called a girl. What if she refers to herself as a girl? In any case, it ought to be up to her.
Load More Replies... Ruth Beaty 4 years ago
Bernadette is the best!! Her youtube channel is well worth a watch and I have even picked up some sewing and costume tips, and I've been sewing for over 50 years. Go watch her channel and check out some of her friends also.
Ella Blackwood 4 years ago
Beautiful! I love some of these outfits. I would wear them today. So many modern clothes are so cheaply made and unattractive.
Geth 4 years ago
Modern clothing is designed to be sold to a "general" body, that almost no one actually possesses, and to be worn for maybe half a year and then discarded. All clothing used to be tailored to the wearer, and made to last for at least a few years, which is one of the reasons why it looked better. Wealthy people and celebrities still have all of their clothing tailored to fit them, even if they bought it off the rack.
Load More Replies... Jolene Oldham 4 years ago
Bernadette Banner is an amazing artist and I love her work! Also, I fixed your headline: This Woman Is Making Historical Dresses By Hand And It’s Oddly Satisfying To Watch
Madison Feehan 4 years ago
This woman is extremely talented! I am in awe of your beautiful fashion masterpieces! You should be a Hollywood Costume designer! :)
Bob Belcher 4 years ago
You should set up a shop at TRF near Houston. Largest Renaissance Festival in the states and one of the largest in the world. You can easily sell those dresses for hundreds and people will buy them easily.
Monika Soffronow 4 years ago
"You can easily sell those dresses for hundreds"... This made me actually laugh. No sir, I do not believe that Bernadette would like to sell them at or below cost. The workmanship that goes into each piece is extraordinary, from research to fabric sourcing, to hand-sewing every stitch.
Load More Replies... April Simnel 4 years ago
Bernadette Banner's channel is delightful. I found it through looking up the English Heritage Victorian cooking videos with "Mrs. Crocombe" on YouTube, and a video with Bernadette and her friend Cathy going to Audley End House was in the results list. A great couple of channels, both.
Fixin'Ta 4 years ago (edited)
Bernadette is a rockstar. And if you like what she does, also check out Izabela Pitcher at Prior Attire (she has a YouTube channel, a website and Insta account, and makes period-accurate clothing for sale). Izabela and her husband have been wearing period costumes on their daily walks around their UK village and posting them on Instagram. They've gotten quite a following.
Cordi Schmidt 4 years ago
I love Bernadette Banner and her work she posts on her Youtube channel! And when they are together with Cathy Hay - it's an astonishing duo! <3 Both of them hugely inspired me to start sewing in hand and I must say I have never done anything so relaxing and satisfying :)
Bettye McKee 4 years ago
This young woman is a fashion genius. All of the garments are perfectly fitted and very elegant.
Suzanne Forney 4 years ago
I love all of Bernadette's videos and she is such an inspiration to new Costubers like myself. I wish I had half her motivation to do the things I want to do. I absolutely hate how in the title of the article they say "extremely outdated fashion blogger" while that may be true, I think it's really insulting. Of all the things they could have said about her choice of dress, they have to basically insult her about her taste in fashion.
The End Is Nyreezy 4 years ago
She has Gail Carriger vibes! I wonder if they ever share ideas?
Nicely 4 years ago
Bernadette's channel is one of my absolute favourites, it's so relaxing to watch and also quite empowering. I can't sew for toffee, but since lockdown began and returning not-quite-fitting clothes became more difficult I've taken the leap to alter a few items to get them to fit. I would not have had the courage but for the wonderful ms Banner.
Brandy Grote 4 years ago (edited)
She has only been sewing for a few years, started out on her own, and has really progressed! And she does most of her work by hand. Any machine stitching she does is on an antique hand crank Singer. She gets all my kudos!
JustAAnotherGirl 4 years ago
I’ve been watching her videos for about a year now and they’re very entertaining. She’s super knowledgeable and her videos are great. I would highly recommend if you enjoy historical dress, fashion, art, or just want something soothing to watch! You can also check out Cathy Haye, Morgan Donner, Rachel Maksy, and Drama Costumes if you want more.
Susanne Carvin 4 years ago
I love this post! The clothes are stunning and she is a perfect model for them - also excellent choice of locations
Celeste Grant 4 years ago
This lady is amazingly talented; I recently found her on YouTube but unfortunately I found her uncomfortable to watch. She is at the same time scornful of modernity and yet working as an influencer through social media; a juxtaposition I found a little jarring. She does make beautiful clothes.
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