Costumes for Murder Mystery Games set in the Victorian Era
“Clothes are … the furniture of the mind made visible.”
Victorian Icons
Queen Victoria. Sherlock Holmes. Charles Dickens. Florence Nightingale. Mary Seacole. Oscar Wilde. Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Elizabeth Gaskell. The Pre-Raphaelites. Flashman. W.G. Grace. Madame Bovary. Jane Eyre. Heathcliff. Gibson Girls.
For Victorian women, being delicate and ornamental matters more than being able to move. Being able to breath is a luxury. Corsets, of course, are supposed to go with everything. But only because lycra hasn’t been invented yet. Do yourself a big favour – pretend it has!
Your hat or bonnet can be small to show off that chignon or those ringlets. Or it can be the size of flowerpots. And easily mistaken for one.
Poorer women might wear a calico dress, a petticoat, a woollen shawl, a cotton blouse, a hat and some hobnail boots.
Other style choices:
Long gloves. Big, feathery fans. Lots of jewellery. Lace. Frills. Puffed-up shoulders and sleeves. Jacket bodices, worn tight.
Skirts are as much architecture (crinolines, hoops, bustles) as items of clothing.
Ankles are kept covered.
Multiple layers and huge swathes of fabric are topped off by shawls the size of small bedspreads
Costumes for Victorian Men
Stick to black or white (or grey). A white shirt with a cravat and black tail-coat or frock coat and waistcoat will do fine. In at the waist is good. With all that on, you certainly won’t get cold…
If you must have a bit of colour, put on a fancy waistcoat.
Trousers are tight in all areas and high-waisted.
Collars are as stiff as your upper lip should be.
Nearly every gentleman will have some connection to some branch of the army, so feel free to wear a uniform.
A top hat if you are posh, a bowler or flat cap if you’re not.
A mighty beard. Mutton chops.
Collarless shirts and sturdy boots (if you’re hard-working and poor).
Other style choices:
A smoking jacket. A blazer. A three-piece lounge suit, preferably in Harris Tweed (meant for “lounging” in).
Murder Mystery Games that can be set in the Victorian era
