Men and women's attire

During the years when the Sicamous was a working vessel, men and women dressed much differently than they do today. Women's fashion had been characterized by the Edwardian silhouette, which was an 'S' shaped silhouette meant to enhance the shape of a woman's body without being revealing. Men's fashion was neat and distinct, also characterized by the Edwardian style.

Women wore dresses embellished with lace. Corsets, and ankle-length skirts were the norm. However, this all changed after World War 1. A steady change in the way women dressed happened after the war because women were increasingly working outside of their homes replacing the men gone off to war. In response to this, fashion evolved, and designs became more utilitarian. Even though the shortage of men being able to work is what started the evolution of women's clothes, other influencing factors were a shortage of materials, and social attitudes.

dress from 1914

By the end of 1914, the perfectly sculpted, corsetted figure created by the Edwardian style had disappeared, and designs that allowed women to be more functional were seen everywhere.

Much like women's wear, menswear also saw a change after the war. Before and during the war, men wore a sack coat, waistcoat, and narrow trousers with a sharp crease in front. The collars on men's shirts were starched and worn high around the neck. This particular outfit was called a lounge suit because it was less formal than a typical suit worn with a frock coat. The lounge suit was often worn with a Homburg hat, a felt hat with a dent down the top, or a bowler hat. After the war, men commonly wore a three-piece suit with a trench coat. The trench coat became popular when men from the military saw it and thought they were lighter than their traditional protection from the weather. The trench coats were khaki brown and water resistant and very useful to keep men dry and warm.

Lounge suit

Men's trench coat

Three-piece suit