Historical Fashion Dress Up Review

Game: Historical Fashion Dress Up
Genre: Casual, Indie, Dress Up
System: Steam (Windows)
Developers | Publishers: Tidvis Games
Controller: No
Price: US $8.46 | UK £6.69 | EU € 7,79
Release Date: March 21st, 2024

A review code was used, with many thanks to Tidvis Games.

Historical Fashion Dress Up is a 2024 dress-up game developed and released by Tidvis Games.

Premise

In Historical Fashion Dress Up, we meet Tailor Hoff and Seamstress Lind and design outfits we love, using fashion trends from the 1820s.

In-game screenshot from "Historical Fashion Dress Up," showcasing a cheerful character named Seamstress Lind. She stands in her sewing parlor, a cozy room adorned with framed fashion illustrations and draped mannequins displaying unfinished dresses. The seamstress is dressed in a vibrant pink dress with a white lace collar and a matching white bonnet accentuating her curly brown hair. She greets the player with a welcoming message in a speech bubble: "Greetings, I am Seamstress Lind. Welcome to my sewing parlour!" A wooden sewing table holds a spool of thread and a brown suitcase, while a window with blue curtains suggests a workshop bathed in daylight. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Hello!

The Gameplay of Historical Fashion Dress Up

In Historical Fashion Dress Up, we can choose Tailor Hoff to dress up a gentleman or Seamstress Lind to dress up a lady. Once we’ve made our choice, we select our gent or lady. We have basic appearance options: face shape, skin color, eye shape and color, nose, lips, hair, facial hair, and scars.

Then, we move on to the event we are preparing for: dressing Up, The Spring Ball, The Summer Ball, The Autumn Ball, The Winter Ball, Afternoon Tea, Promenading, Visiting Family, or a Social Outing.

Customization screen from "Historical Fashion Dress Up," displaying a male character ready for 'The Winter Ball (1820s)' event. He sports a fashionable dark top hat and is dressed in a green coat with a red ascot tied neatly over a white shirt and a striped waistcoat. The character has warm brown eyes, light brown hair, and a sprinkling of freckles across his cheeks. The interface to the left provides various options to change the character's features, including eyes, hair, and facial hair, each with a selection of styles and colors. The background features a brightly lit room with cream walls and a large window suggesting an affluent setting. Published on: LadiesGamers. — The cravat is essential.

Then, we choose the outfit, which is different depending on the model. The basics are the same; we can change the colours of each piece of clothing. For the female model, we have a bit more freedom; we can also change the patterns more—the cut of the bodice, the elements of the skirt, and the shape of the sleeves. Once we are done, we choose the background, and then we can save the doll and the outfit in the dresser or discard them.

While I don’t see myself spending much time in the game for dressing up, there is one feature of the game that, in my opinion, is practically priceless: the option to print out the dolls and the clothes as paper dolls. Paper dolls are a classic and very underrated way of amusing a child for quite a while.

Interactive character customization screen from "Historical Fashion Dress Up" for 'The Summer Ball (1820s)' event. The female character is elegantly poised in a floor-length, deep red gown with short puffed sleeves and a square neckline, accented by intricate decorations at the hem. Her brown hair is styled in an updo with ringlets framing her face. The menu on the left offers options to modify the skirt decor, with various patterns and trims to choose from. The room around her displays a collection of different dresses on mannequins and a large mirror reflecting the warm, inviting space of the seamstress’s workshop. Published on: LadiesGamers — Ready for twirling.

Visuals

I am no specialist in historical costumes, but the dress-up part of the game brought back some good memories of watching Pride and Prejudice (the BBC version!). The information in the game about the fashions of the time was a delightful addition.

A character stands proudly in a virtual Oslo Cathedral setting within "Historical Fashion Dress Up." He's wearing a long, dark grey overcoat over a waistcoat of vibrant red with gold buttons, paired with black breeches and boots, completing the attire with a crisp white cravat and black top hat. The man's posture is confident and genteel, with a subtle smile. The backdrop features an illustrated skyline of Oslo during sunset, with warm hues blending into the sky and historic buildings in the distance. The game's interface includes options to take a screenshot or return to the previous menu, inviting players to capture and share their fashion creations. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Ready for printing.

Some Notes

Historical Fashion Dress Up has Steam achievements but no trading cards as of yet. It has a basic audio toggle off and on setting and some language support. Under options, in each of the game’s sections —male and female fashion, we can also read more about the fashion trends of the time and see a real photo comparison between museum exhibits of dresses and coats and their in-game versions.

Historical Fashion Dress Up currently consists of 2 separate levels—1820s Female and 1820s Male Fashion. There are plans to release further packs for male and female fashion from the 1780s, 1860s, 1890s, and 1920s.

An educational panel from "Historical Fashion Dress Up" detailing Regency-era hairstyles. The left side features icons representing different hairdos, while the right side displays illustrations and an actual painting for visual reference. The main illustration portrays a woman with brown curls styled in a period-appropriate updo, complemented by a simple necklace. Adjacent is a reproduction of the artwork "Woman with her Knitting, 1827" by artist Wilhelm Bendz, showcasing a similar hairstyle on a figure dressed in black with lace details, indicative of the fashion sensibilities of the time. The accompanying text explains that these hairstyles were inspired by Greek and Roman statues, with curls collected at the back of the head and adorned with clips and ribbons. Published on: LadiesGamers. — Some light reading.

Conclusion

Historical Fashion Dress Up is a short game that can offer some delightful moments for fans of fashion and history. The artwork is great, and the option to print out the dolls as paper dolls gives us some interesting possibilities, whether for entertaining the kids in our lives while educating them or perhaps for use in some craft projects.

Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot.