
Costumes of Mr. Selfridge Season 3, set in 1919
Have you been watching Mr. Selfridge Season 3? I have. Naturally, I keep a close eye on on the fashions as they evolve from the first season in 1908 to the current season 3, set in 1919. Clothing from 1917 to 1922 were long, loose, simple and free, yet not quite the slinky flapper styles still to come (in Season 4, I hope!). It is one of my favorite times in fashion history and one I have written about extensively throughout the 1920s series.
Recently, I purchased a handful of new clothing catalogs from the late teens and early ’20s. These are amazing to browse through not only because they showcase the fashions of everyday people but because they are the items that would have been for sale at the real Selfridges store! For those of you seeking to recreate a Mr. Selfridge costume these should help get a feel for the cut, colors and accessories in the year of 1919.
Let’s take a look at some of the 1919 fashions.
1919 Women’s Clothing

1918 Blouses and skirts for simple, casual day wear or working in a department store like Selfridges. Waistbands were high and wide yet the length was shorter then earlier years. Large pockets and big buttons were the primary details.

1918 Skirts and blouses. Read more about 1920s skirts.

1919 Silk blouses. They fit loosely,with wide round necklines and details of embroidery or pintucks. They were quite colorful. Design inspiration came form the orient. Learn about 1920s blouses.

1918 Silk and Velvet Dresses- Worn for day or afternoon. Notice the high waistline but with a large ruched waistband. The length has also shortened to an easier walking length (and getting in and out of cars and buses)

1919 tea dresses- Afternoon “going out” dresses to tea, shopping, and public gatherings. The yellow silk chiffon dress as a party dress style for young women or petite women. Daisy in the Great Gatsby wore a similar dress.

1919 fall dresses for going out. The detailed embroidery and clean lines make this a higher class fashion. At a price of $36 it was for the upper middle classes.

1919- Velvet dresses for fall and winter. The dresses were becoming slimmer and more casual. They were easier to wear and much easier to dress by oneself.

1918- Despite the slimming dress silhouette women still wore a petticoat- and a very colorful ones at that! at least now it was just one A line petticoat and not multiple layers of them like before the war.

1918- For traveling, a suit of two matching pieces, coat and skirt, was worn. Comfortable and warm!

1919 Velvet winter coats. Large buttons, wide belts and big cuffs and roll collars made women appear smaller and more dainty.

1919- More long coats and a short coats of beaver fur. Read more about women’s coats.

1918- Additional layers of fur stoles, collars and muffs added more fashion and class statements as well as warmth while riding in cold cars. Stoles using the whole animal was a luxury purchase.

1918- Winter hats of velvet, fur, and wool felt were small and round in shape. Notice a few are shaping into the classic 20’s “Cloche” hat.

1918- Simple hats in smaller sizes than the previous years’ oversize picture hats, reflect the change in the economy.

Wide brim hats were worn with suits and dresses while going out

1918- Nearly all women wore lace up or button up walking boots. At home a pair of heeled pumps were worn as well. Black, brown, Ivory and two tone patterns.

1919- More boots for women. Shop woemn’s boots here.

1919 Nightgowns and robes. Nearly as pretty as dresses.
1919 Sewing Patterns
- 1919 Day Dress (Blouse and Skirt Combo)
- 1918 Tunic Blouse and Skirt Combo
- 1919 Two Piece Skirt
- 1919 Stand Collar Dress
- 1918 Dinner Dress
- 1918 Ladies’ Jacket Dress
- 1918 Promenade Dress
- 1918 Blouses and 1918 Gored Skirt
- 1918 Skirt
- 1918 Side Panel Skirt
- 1919 Peplum Blouse
- 1918-1920 Ladies’ Dress
- 1918 House Dress
- 1919 Tunic Blouse
More Edwardian era sewing patterns can be found here.
Shop 1919 Style Costumes and Clothing
The late teens-early ’20s style clothes are a bit difficult to come by today. There are, however, the Nataya and Komarov brand of vintage inspired dresses that do reflect this era. Here are pages to get you shopping:
- 1910s Style Dresses
- Plus Size Edwardian Clothing 1900 1910s
- Edwardian Evening Gowns , Ballgowns, Formal Dresses
1919 Men’s Clothing
1910s Men’s Edwardian Fashion and Clothing Guide
1910s Men’s Hat Styles and History
1910s Men’s Hairstyles & Trends

1918 Men’s suits for business and leisure. Suits were slim fitting with high white collar dress shirts and matching vests. The look was youthful and “jazzy.” Notice the small hats too. Everything in moderation.

1917 Striped Double Breasted sack suit.

1917 Men’s summer sack suit for outdoor garden, beachside, or sporting events. Paired with a straw boater hat. Learn how to get this look.

1917 Men’s dark brown pin stripe summer suit with a straw gambler hat. Love the two tone boots and polka dot tie too. So dapper!

1918 Men’s coats. White suits were slim, overcoats were huge! Very wide and boxy coats for winter driving conditions. More about men’s 20s coats.

1918 Men’s Sweaters. Thick cable knit shawl collar cardigan sweaters for casual winter wear. Lighter knit sweaters and vests were worn for sport activities like golf.

1918 Men’s dress shirts. Thin colorful vertical stripes with stiff white delectable collars. Round “club” collars were the most common style of the times. More about shirts and collar types of the 20s.

1918 Wide neckties and thin knit ties in stripes and large paisley patterns. Bow ties were still worn as well. More about mens tie history.

1918 Men’s boots were unchanged from most of the Victorian era. Lace up boots, pull on elastic panel boots and button up boots had pointy thin toes to go with the thin suits. Work boots had thicker soles and round bulb toes. Shop men’s boots and shoes.
Department Store Shopping in 1919
I found these pictures of real department stores in 1919 /1920. Such elegance with many “shop girls” to help you with you purchases, just like at Selfridge’s.

Eatons Department store (Canada) rendering for the women’s Paris designed dresses

Eatons Millinery Shop
(Women’s hats)

Eatons Store Elevator

Eatons Blouse Department

Selfridges Beauty Department (Date unkown)

Selfridges Perfume Department

1920 shopping in a unknown department store
I hope you enjoyed this tour through history.
Debbie Sessions has been teaching fashion history and helping people dress for vintage themed events since 2009. She has turned a hobby into VintageDancer.com with hundreds of well researched articles and hand picked links to vintage inspired clothing online. She aims to make dressing accurately (or not) an affordable option for all. Oh, and she dances too.