1910 - THE LAST YEAR OF GIBSON GIRL POPULARITY

Typical Gibson Girl outfit

The "horrible" hobble skirt

If you are following this blog or have read Rosetta's memoir written at age 80, CAN WE COME IN AND LAUGH, TOO? you know we're now following milestones during the years of her life. If you don't have a copy of this endearing book, it is available in Kindle and paperback editions.

On November 18, 1910, Rosetta was one-year-old .

The Gibson Girl was in the last year of its popularity because women had begun to turn their thoughts toward more comfort in 1910, but many made a bad choice when they quickly fell for the hobble skirt.  Imagine trying to walk with speed and balance practically bound at the knees.

Fabrics became lighter, colors brighter, and styles looser. Shockingly, lowered necklines became popular, spurring sales of cold cream and lemon extract.

1910-Rosetta's sister Jean and her husband

Many other fashion trends were introduced that year, like the sack, the sheath, oriental costumes, harem trousers, and the Hellenic tunic. Head gear and furs were also popular. Rosetta's sister Jean was about 19 then and probably would have loved to indulge herself with trendy clothing, but they were a poor family and every penny counted.


During the 1910s, Rosetta's older brothers would have worn tweed jackets and striped blazers. The wealthier business men wore striped trousers, a morning coat and starched white shirt. Some wore top hats and frock coats.

So how about little Rosetta? Well, although the most radical changes were in women's wear, from 1910 to 1919 kids' fashion was characterized by more clothing designed specifically for children than ever seen in history. Take the sailor suit for boys for instance. By 1910, the sailor suits we see in old movies were predominantly worn by younger boys as their main outfit. They might even have had a fancier sailor suit for special occasions, but believe it or not, this was what many wore until adolescence.

Imagine how someone of that era would have reacted to seeing the teens of today.