Undressing in 19th century Victorian England was much more complicated than it is today.

Women wore massive cages known as crinolines to keep their skirts in shape and tiny corsets to cinch in their waists.

Historic re-enactress Kim Poovey will show just how elaborate Victorian dress was for women at the 2016 Ladies Luncheon benefiting My Sister’s Place.

The luncheon will be 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 12, at First Baptist Church, 751 Green St. NW, Gainesville. Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased at http://my-sisters-place.org.

The event is planned with women of all ages in mind.

“Ultimately we just want it to be a fun girls’ time,” said Brandee Thomas, managing director of My Sister’s Place. “So we’re encouraging everyone (who) regularly has girls’ luncheons or a girls’ night out to consider attending this. Their tickets will include a boxed lunch and the presentation by Kim. She’ll be our main source of entertainment, and we want to make sure she has as much time as she needs for her presentation.”

Poovey’s presentation dubbed “Crinolines and Corsets” was suggested by a board member who saw the performance while attending an out-of-town event.

“She just thought it was really interesting,” Thomas said. “It’s not something we’ve necessarily seen here, so we thought it would be a fun thing for us to do.”

Poovey is a South Carolina-based re-enactress who creates all of her gowns using period correct patterns and finishing details such as tatted trim, ruching and silk rosettes. All details, including jewelry, headdress and undergarments, are historically accurate.

Poovey will start fully dressed in Victorian-era costume and will, piece-by-piece, explain the process of getting dressed. Thomas said Poovey will undress from her many layers as she describes each article’s purpose.

“It will be strictly G-rated, though, so it’s great for all ages,” Thomas said.

Some board members will bring their granddaughters and members of BULLI, the adult learning institute at Brenau University, are registered to attend, Thomas said.

The women in attendance can participate in number of drawings for artwork, jewelry, Easter baskets and more.

“It’s just going to be a fun time,” Thomas said.

My Sister’s Place is a nonprofit homeless shelter dedicated to single women and mothers with children. Each year, the shelter hosts an annual Dinner Dance fundraiser in the fall, but the luncheon is the first event of its kind.

Thomas prefers tickets be purchased online by Monday. Those who wish to purchase tickets after Monday should call the shelter at 770-532-5111 to determine how many tickets
are available.

“This is the first time we’ve ever held a luncheon like this,” Thomas said. “As we as a program grow, we want to introduce different fundraisers. So we’re presenting this to the community to see how they like it. So far, response has been great, so maybe this will be something that sticks and becomes an annual thing.”