Somehow, in the last 24 hours, ten people found me. I don’t even know how that happened, that is how little I know about Facebook, but it was…illuminating.

I still don’t know what I’m going to do with it (and I dread finding out), but I’m this one, and not the one who’s a physical therapist in Texas or whatever.

19th Century Fashion, 1800-1829

19th Century Fashion, 1830-1859

19th Century Fashion, 1860-1897

People who write stories set in the past (and located in America and/or Western Europe), check briefly the year of your story’s setting against the costumes here. Some serious shit goes down in the 19th century, okay? In 180mumble, your character could be dressed with elegance. By 1820, she better have something else happening on that dress. Hint: ruffles and poufs, and sleeves that are wider than her head. (Don’t look at me, I just report the news.) By 1850, if she didn’t have a hoop skirt on, don’t even ASK what would happen. (Mostly because I don’t know. Fahsion police?)

Every time I glance at the scope of silhouettes in 19th-century fashion, it’s boggling how many silhouettes they actually went through, as if they were trying to make women as uncomfortable (yet decorative!) as possible and kept trying different methods until women revolted. Then it was time for a NEW uncomfortable silhouette!

Also, in the late 1820s and early 1830s, it was illegal for a woman to have shoulders. Fact. You showed up with a shoulder seam? A month in the brig. (There were nothing but brigs back then, too.) By 1840, you could have a shoulder as long as it was halfway to your elbow. According to these pictures, looks like women finally earned back the right to natural shoulder seams around 1873.*

* None of that is true. Except the shoulder seam parts.**

** And the brig parts.

2. If someone like Junot Diaz ever blurbs MY book as “Cool as fuck,” I will tattoo those words. On someone else. (I don’t like pain. Plus, when you’re cool as fuck, people do what you want!)

3. Spring is coming; the guy whose backyard backs up to my building is out in his plastic chair, barefoot, shirt open, reading the paper. I also know this as “that time of year when I keep my blinds closed all the time.”

4. The exhibit book that accompanies the Gothic fashion exhibit contains about fifteen photos of material actually in the exhibit. The exhibit had something like seventy-five pieces. There will be more about this.

5. In better gown news, Megan Mylan’s mother stopped by my Oscar dress post to give me the details on her daughter’s Oscar dress, which was designed by Megan’s grandmother, who went to the Pratt Institute as a fashion illustrator. Megan promised to wear it if she ever got nominated. Basically, it is the coolest, sweetest thing ever. For once I have used the internet for good, and not for evil!

When salting water for cooking, use 1 tablespoon of salt for every 4 quarts of water.

And the eight hundred reviews of the recipe.

* As a Canadian, I am on the metric system and have no idea what a quart is. Furthermore, I had to substitute beavers for the salt, and beer for water. The boiling process caused my igloo to melt, leaving me homeless. Two forks.

* I used iodized sea salt and added an extra 1/8 tsp. Definitely upped the ante. My guests were begging me for the recipe.

* I have been making something similar to this since it first appeared in Gourmet magazine in 1992. But I misplaced the recipe years ago and have had to improvise since, with out much luck. Thank you Epicurious for reacquainting me with this oldie but goody!

My own review: this website gave me my review for lemon icing. Proceed with caution.