This past Saturday, I attended the Victorian Ladies Society Annual June Tea with my mother and sister. We dressed in our finest Victorian outfits, raised our pinkies and indulged in scones, finger sandwiches and petite fours.

The guest speaker was a Victorian costume expert who brought a number of fine samples of original Victorian dresses. She explained the shift in styles, from post-Regency higher waistlines to the late Victorian emphasis on the bustle. It was an interesting look at how fashion changed over the sixty-years of Queen Victoria's reign. It also made me long for the days of the bustle when a large rear end was prized by women of fashion.

Our own outfits were more Edwardian than Victorian because it's easier to put together an Edwardian outfit at the Salvation Army than it is to find suitable Victorian pieces. Thank goodness for the frills and lace of 1980s blouses. While our attire may not have been period, it did invoke the flavor of a bygone era.

Well, maybe not that particular era, but you get the idea.