Violet Travilla, who is the middle daughter of Elsie Dinsmore, is born into a world of wealth and great privilege. She grows up during the most elegant fashion period of the Victorian era. Yet despite her riches, Vi finds herself called to a life of service and humility. Violet has had many diverse experiences, and her wardrobe reflects this dichotomy. As a young teen, she had to wear the clothes of mourning due to a family tragedy. Then she spent a holiday in exciting New York City. She even traveled to Europe and shopped in the fashion houses of Paris and Italy. But near and dear to her heart is her inner-city mission house. One day Violet might be found mopping the floor on her hands and knees, and the next day find herself dressed in a Worth gown and attending a gala ball as the keynote speaker! Hers is a life of plenty juxtaposed against need and poverty. This extraordinary lifestyle requires a very unusual wardrobe.

Beginning the Day
Violet’s School Apron is usually worn over her morning dress for protection from the ink and pencils used during her studies. Violet’s apron is black with just a touch of print, as during these school years, Violet is in mourning because of a death in her family. She has black ribbons for her hair.

Dinner with the Family
Violet’s Morning Dress is soft batiste, but is in black and white stripes. The black symbolizes the sadness that her family feels at their loss. When her family gathers to share the midday meal, they read Scriptures together.

Mourning Bombazine
During the months of morning, whenever Violet ventures out in public with her family, she wears a cape and bonnet of bombazine, the traditional cloth of mourning. She usually wears her black everyday shoes and socks as well.

Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea and calling on friends—or receiving guests “at home”—are important activities for a young Victorian girl. These events have a very special wardrobe of their own. This is the time when one must look her very best.

When Violet’s deepest mourning is over and she travels to Europe, she takes afternoon tea with friends in the piazza. For this outing, a linen dress of sky blue with matching shoes and stockings is her favorite. Violet’s Presentation Dress (which the doll comes with) and accessories are in her favorite shade of blue and are just what she needs when guests come to call. Violet loves her elegant walking suit as well; she feels like a fashion plate as she strolls through the lovely gardens in the park.

A Day Dress for a Different Lifestyle
Violet is determined to make a difference in the world. When she buys a house in the heart of the poorest section of the city, she helps to clean and ready it herself—which was almost unheard of for girls of her social status. She has little in the way of “working clothes,” but she finds a simple linen dress and makes it her own day dress. For cleaning, she needs necessities and she procures an apron from her mother’s house, as well as a bucket, a mop, a rag, and a sponge. Violet spends her “day” differently than she ever has before

Bedtime
Violet has the most elegant of nightdresses made of soft embroidered cotton. To go with it, she has a Victorian boudoir pillow and a knitted bed jacket. She sleeps in comfort and elegance.

Undergarments
Violet’s undergarment collection includes simple white cotton undies for her daily wear, lacey undergarments for her presentation dress, and soft pink satin undies for special occasions.

Special Occasions
To raise money for her mission project, Violet must speak at a gala ball—she is almost like Cinderella turning into a Princess—for she goes from the worker in apron to the elegant young lady in a true Victorian ball gown, complete with feather boa, elbow length gloves, a proper fan, and adornments for her hair. Holidays require special dresses as well, and Violet’s is silk madras plaid, one of the most elegant materials of her time.

Accessories
Violet loves accessories, beginning with the one thing she never expected to have, and that is her black rimmed reading glasses. She also has a variety of shoes, socks, hair adornments, bonnets, reticules, and the most interesting of all, a collection of hair pieces. Victorian ladies often styled their hair before they put it on! Violet is well equipped to do this.