Haven’t you always loved the simple styles Caroline Ingalls wore for the “Little House on the Prairie” TV show? Despite the fact that she would often clean the chicken coop, weed the garden, and do the laundry out on the wide, open prairie, she always looked neat and clean. Not only did she stay tidy, she also wore long, gathered skirts with pretty cotton blouses which she kept in perfect condition. Whereas we would wear jeans and an old t-shirt for working in the yard, the pioneer women of the 1800s were determined to look well-dressed, even when doing hard physical labor.
So for this installment in our “Little House on the Prairie” original costume review, I’d like to highlight a few of Caroline Ingalls’ staples which Karen Grassle wore often in the first couple of seasons of “Little House“. If you look closely, you will notice that there are two mainstays in her wardrobe which debut in the pilot episode that were remade for the following season. At first glance one might think that they are the same, but apparently the costume designer felt the need to change it before the show continued. Shown below are two photographs of a calico blouse sporting small blue flowers on a white background. The one on the left shows a pointed collar, higher yoke, and closely spaced buttons. But for the remainder of the “Little House” series, Caroline wore this more flattering blouse shown on the right. It has a shawl collar, lower yoke, and more gathers with shell buttons down the front. In addition, they are actually two totally different materials! The first blouse shown was pure white, while the second had a pink checkerboard print in the background.
The next most photographed dress Caroline wore was probably her brown woolen dress. Whatever the occasion, Karen Grassle as Caroline Ingalls was often seen walking along in this dependable dress that had a fitted bodice that ended in a “v” in back, gathered skirt, and high collar. This was apparently a two-piece dress, as was common for the era this series was set in, which would have been from 1876 – 1889.
But this daydress’s counterpart which “Ma” Ingalls wore in the pilot episode was a different style altogether. There were many similarities, to be sure, but the wool was a darker color, the bodice was not as well shaped, and the buttons and collars were obviously different. Shown first is the original “Little House” dress, with the re-designed outfit below.
Join us!
Subscribe to our newsletter for new pattern releases and vintage sewing inspiration. We'd love to have you!
[…] she only wore once! For the pilot episode, which debuted in March of 1974, Caroline wore some pioneer dresses never seen again, and this outfit was no exception. This beautiful Victorian dress was had a […]
Hi, Wendy! No, unfortunately I’ve never seen patterns like the ones that Caroline wore on the tv series. I know that either Butterick or McCalls does make a straightforward prairie dress for women, though, which you could probably alter to look something like the gowns shown here.
Maybe I’m wrong ( Heaven forbid ) ,but I think many men would find girls & women to be very pretty wearing bonnets like we saw on “Little House” at least for special ocoations. I think Karen Grasel proved how attractive they were. How many men would like to see girls & women wearing such pretty hats / bonnets ?
[…] she only wore once! For the pilot episode, which debuted in March of 1974, Caroline wore some pioneer dresses never seen again, and this outfit was no exception. This beautiful Victorian dress was had a […]
I love these dresses. Any idea where to get a pattern for them?
Hi, Wendy! No, unfortunately I’ve never seen patterns like the ones that Caroline wore on the tv series. I know that either Butterick or McCalls does make a straightforward prairie dress for women, though, which you could probably alter to look something like the gowns shown here.
Happy sewing!
Katrina
Maybe I’m wrong ( Heaven forbid ) ,but I think many men would find girls & women to be very pretty wearing bonnets like we saw on “Little House” at least for special ocoations. I think Karen Grasel proved how attractive they were. How many men would like to see girls & women wearing such pretty hats / bonnets ?
Ha ha! Well, I’ve never exactly thought of prairie bonnets as attractive, but I’m sure back then folks thought they were pretty! 🙂