On the Town: Lingerie, Victorian style

4/10/2011
BY BARBARA HENDEL
BLADE COLUMNIST
  • victorian-lingerie-kathy-down-patricia-crosby

    Kathy Dowd, left, and Patricia Crosby prepare to model Victorian fashion and lingerie.
    • Kathy Dowd, left, and Patricia Crosby prepare to model Victorian fashion and lingerie.
    Kathy Dowd, left, and Patricia Crosby prepare to model Victorian fashion and lingerie.

    Stepping back in time, secrets were revealed about Victorian ladies' lingerie during a free program Tuesday at the Sanger branch of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.

    Kathy Dowd of Heritage Rose Designs, who holds a master's degree in historic clothing design, with an area of specialization in the mid-to-late 19th century, explained what women wore beneath all of the lace and ruffles.

    And she should know since she creates custom-made ladies' Victorian apparel, underpinnings, bustles, and accessories inspired by designs from 1860 to 1890. Her work has been on Broadway and is in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill.