Victorian Lady Puts It On

In One-Woman Show

Are the days of button top shoes, crinoline hoops, and whale bone corsets gone? Not for East Haddam actress Kandie Carle, who loves nothing more than to dress in layer upon layer of authentic vintage undergarments while explaining what life was like for our great grandmothers.

On Monday, September 25, C.H. Booth Library will feature the East Haddam actress in her one woman show as an ante-bellum lady of the early 1860s. The program will begin at 7 pm in the meeting room of the library and is open to the public.

The presentation is not a fashion show; rather Ms Carle takes her audience on a journey of discovery by using clothing as a tool. In her show Ms Carle spends an hour or more to dress, starting out in her bloomers and finishing up with white kid gloves.

Kandie Carle explains that a corset was not really an option for women of the 1860s but an essential item; both boys and girls began wearing boxy lightly boned ones as young as 6 months old. The corset was not used as a foundation garment for children, but rather to encourage good posture.

Women slept in looser lightly boned corsets and they were even considered a necessary undergarment during pregnancy. With the help of a servant, a corset could be tightened to reduce a woman’s waist to 17 to 20 inches. Unfortunately it also made it impossible for a woman to touch her toes.

As Kandie Carle adds layer upon layer of the clothing, she explains its use, how it was worn, as well as when and where it was appropriate. Included are interesting accessories and accouterment. Throughout the presentation Ms Carle shares insights into lifestyle, manners, etiquette, and customs of men, women, and children.

Kandie Carle has been working in the theater for over 20 years as an actress, dancer, and singer throughout the United States and abroad. She has been touring with her one woman show, The Victorian Lady, for the last 4 years. Kandie Carle has assembled a vast collection of authentic Victorian and Edwardian clothing and accessories dating from the mid-19th century to the turn of the 20th century. Also an accomplished seamstress, she makes pieces from actual designs and patterns of the Civil War, Victorian, and Edwardian periods. With many years of research and interest in history and fashion, along with humor and grace, Kandie Carle shares her love of these lovely treasures with her audiences.

The program at the library is free and all are invited to attend. The Newtown Historical Society will be serving refreshments appropriate for a social gathering of the 1860s. Call the library at 426-4533 if you have any questions.