She parties like it’s 1899. Oregon’s Adelaide Beeman-White is winding back the clock on haute couture by dressing like she just stepped out of a time machine from the late 19th century. Instead of the usual dress suit, the 27-year-old attorney wears a handmade long skirt with puffed sleeves, a feathered hat, and even a parasol, parroting the style of the 1800s Victorian era. She freely admits that she's stuck very solidly in about 1893 to 1898. “I love that period, primarily because the clothing is the best,” said Adelaide. Unfortunately, she’s not allowed to wear the vintage clothing in court. Like a superhero with a secret identity, she wears a normal outfit for the judge — typically a black suit — but once she leaves the courtroom, she reverts back to the Victorian age. For Adelaide, it’s not just cosmetic, it’s a way of life. She uses oil lamps in her house, mends her own clothing from vintage fabrics, and even uses a dip pen and ink. The 19th-century fascination began for Adelaide when she was in the 6th grade. She traded in her jeans for a skirt, which kept getting longer and more decked out in lace as time went on. By early high school, she dove headfirst into the role and was even a celebrity in her neighborhood, with residents comparing her to Mary Poppins. As for continuing her Victorian era fascination, Adelaide said we need to take our time with things and actually focus on enjoying life. “It’s every bad for people psychologically to be rushing around not taking time to smell the flowers.”
