Titanic Fashion - An Edwardian Makeover- Styles On the Titanic

I'm Sara O'Neill and today I'm here at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
I'm a freelance fashion stylist.
Vintage fashion is a big inspiration in my work
and one of my favourite eras is the Edwardian era.
I've been asked to promote the museum's Titanic exhibition.
I'm going to recreate the look of a first-class passenger
who may have been on board the Titanic.
In fashion we saw a new eastern influence
with turbans, harem pants
and feathers being worn by the fashionable set.
And the most popular couturier of the day, Paul Poiret,
introduced a new style of dress that was simple and elegant.
Here the waistline crept up into an Empire line,
trains shortened,
and the crippling S-bend silhouette of the previous decade
gave way to a natural slim shape.
The young women loved it.
But which dress am I going to choose?
- It's lovely to meet you. - Lovely to meet you too.
Let's do this.
Edwardian ladies liked to wear their hair high,
especially in the evening.
Balls of padding helped achieve that high-volume look.
Natural hair extensions were common.
Ladies used horse hair or saved their own hair from their hairbrush.
The higher the hair the better the impact,
so first-class ladies finished up with feathers, tiaras,
anything that gave the illusion of height.
This popular style had a soft finish with a lot of volume
to help take the weight off the face.
A slim figure was essential and achievable thanks to this,
the modern corset of the day, made using metal boning.
The corset was worn over combinations or a shimmy and drawers
and a petticoat was worn over the top.
Fashion was big business on the Titanic
and first-class ladies would change outfits up to six times a day.
That's dedication for you.
Sorry, Sara.
We won't make you sit down in it though.
Traditionally, make-up was seen
as something just worn by actresses and prostitutes,
but by 1912 shops like Selfridges in London
were beginning to sell it over the counter.
First-class ladies on Titanic would have secretly ordered supplies
and they applied them with great discretion.
The pale, natural look was popular and rouge was added for a youthful flush.
So, are you ready for your evening dress?
You look amazing!
Wow! What a difference!