Halloween is coming at the end of this month. This is a good time to explore costume ideas! Take yourself back in time with a historical dress-up day. Filling a box or dresser drawer with fun, old clothes doesn’t have to cost much.

Vintage clothing stores, antique stores and resale shops like Goodwill and the Salvation Army are great places to find dresses and other cheap, interesting old clothes.

Aubrey's Attic illistrationOr get permission from older adult friend or family member to comb through their attic. In Aubrey’s Attic, Aubrey and her friend, Tilisha, find some wonderful costumes in the attic of an old hotel.

While you’re waiting on permission to go on a vintage shopping trip, or to dig around in your grandma’s attic, let’s learn about how people dressed in the past!

Historical dressup clothing quiz

Find the answers to this old-time clothing quiz at Kidipede, an online history and science encyclopedia for kids. Answers for specific centuries are at 1500s, 1600s, 1700s, 1800s and 1900s.

  1. In the early 1900s, boys wore short pants until age___________.
  2. In the 1700s, men’s shorts were called _____________.
  3. Men first wore _______ in the 1850s.
  4. In the early 1900s, children’s dresses were usually made of _____________.
  5. In the 1800s, women wore steel______________ under their dresses to make them fuller.
  6. During World War II, cloth was turned into _________instead of dresses.
  7. In the early 1900s, men wore _______________instead of belts.
  8. Women began to wear _____________in the 1950s.
  9. In the 1800s, African-American slave women often sewed their dresses out of ___________.
  10. American Indians historically made their clothes out of _________.
  11. In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the _________________.
  12. In the 1800s, most people owned ___________ outfit.

 

Be inspired by Aubrey, of Aubrey’s Attic. Mystery and adventure follow as Aubrey digs for a costume in the attic of an old hotel called the Trading Post.