My Skin is Crawling. Or is that My Dress? Beetles in Historical Clothing

michellebennington
3 days ago
4 min read

Right about now you’re probably thinking: “Uuuhhh…whaaa?” But you read that right: Beetle wings were once used as shiny baubles on clothing back in the day.

This was a surprise to me, too. And my reaction was much the same: Whaaat?

Your next question is probably something like: How do you even find out this information?

This is what makes research into history for a novel a lot of fun.

Recently, I was working on the third novel in my Widows & Shadows mystery series. It’s set in Georgian England (1803) and follows the intrigues of Lady Ravenna Birchfield, who has a mysterious past. The first two books, Widow’s Blush and Widow’s Fire, are already released. The third book, Widow’s Peak, releases in October 2025.

At any rate during my research, I stumbled on articles about the use of beetle-wings in historical clothing. I immediately knew I needed to write a post about it. So, let’s jump in the time machine and find out more about this weird little historical detail.

The origins of wearing beetle wings dates back for centuries, across the globe in places like Peru, Ecuador, India, and all over Asia. The beetles used are called Jewel Beetles, from the family Buprestidae, which have beautiful elytra that come in a range of colors. The ones used for clothing are generally green with a blue-purple shimmer.

Elytra are the hard wing casings that cover the softer wings beneath. Interestingly, these beetle elytra are still used today, harvested as a byproduct of the FOOD industry. Um…WHAT? FOOD industry? That sounds like a different post for another day.

Back to clothes, because I don’t want to think about beetles in my food. Anyway….

Using beetle wings in fashion soared in popularity in the Victorian Era, which was after the setting of my book; so, unfortunately, I couldn’t use this delightful historical tidbit, but I digress. The popularity of beetle wings in Victorian fashion makes sense because that’s when the British Raj was established. The British fell in love with the beetle wing embroidery in Jaipur and other parts of India and the fashion technique took off. However there are some examples of fashion items using the elytra earlier, which makes sense because England first entered India in 1599. For example, here’s a picture of a pair of Western shoes from the late 18th-century (late 1700s).

In India, the elytra were used on clothing and accessories for both sexes and all ages and were usually cut up, used as sequin-like embellishments alongside gold embroidery on brightly colored cottons or fine silks.

Since India was a colony of England from 1757 to 1947, the Englishwomen living in India, wives of soldiers and officials, would’ve worn the beetle-decorated dresses as early as the 1780s but the technique began taking a firmer hold in the 1820s. No doubt, as a result of the officers and wives returning from their tour of duty and bringing the fashion back with them or sending home gifts from India.

By the 1830s, things got fancy. Big, bold designs were all the rage, and the buteh motif (think paisley with flair) became the go-to pattern, reigning supreme until the 1880s. Victorian fashionistas loved their beetle wings whole—either as full-on wing casings or chunky bits. Some dresses were famous simply for their beetle bling. One 1898 article practically shouted, “There are 5000 beetle wings in this dress!” While smoother sequins were more practical, they were less eye-catching. And while elytra are pretty sturdy, they do crack. Seems to me, you’d have to make sure the pattern on the dress didn’t cover the bum. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to sit down without crushing the wings.

Most of these glittery bug casings were stitched onto

white cotton muslin, which would, of course, really catch the eye. While white was the default, darker dresses did exist—black bobbinet fragments prove it. Take, for instance, the dress the famous Victorian

actress, Ellen Terry wore when playing Macbeth and recaptured for posterity in a painting by John Singer Sargent (pictured right). The dress (pictured below) is now in Smallhythe Place, a museum in Tenterdon, England.

Even a century later, elytra embroidery still had that magical, otherworldly vibe—perfect for special occasions or anyone wanting to make a shimmering statement.

Beetle-wing fashion had its moment in the spotlight during the 1800s, but those shimmering elytra didn’t disappear overnight—they fluttered stylishly into the 1920s, adorning evening gowns and accessories with their iridescent charm.

The most dazzling example was Lady Curzon’s “Peacock Dress,” designed for the 1903 Delhi Durbar by Jean-Philippe Worth. It was a glittering tribute to Indian craftsmanship, weighing about 10 pounds, featuring peacock feather embroidery with beetle wings nestled in each eye. Meanwhile, Western fashion kept the sparkle alive with beetle-wing embroidery in a rainbow of colors, embellishing dresses, purses, and accessories—until the flapper era’s sleek silhouettes nudged the trend out of the limelight.

However, the trend hasn’t completely died. Charlize Theron wears a beetle-wing dress designed by Colleen Atwood in the movie Snow White (pictured right).

High fashion designers are still using the elytra in their haute-couture lines (pictured left) and fashionistas all over the world are still using the wings in their traditional costumes, jewelry, and other clothing and accessory items.

In 2002, artist Jan Fabre created an installation piece in the Royal Palace of Brussels. This amazing work of art took 3 months to complete with 30 assistants and 1.4 billion jewel beetle wings!

Prized for their iridescent wings and lightweight beauty, designers, and artists embrace them for sparkle and eye-catching detail—whether in statement jewelry or massive installations, they’re nature’s glitter. While the use of jewel beetle wings may not be at the height of popularity like they were in the Victorian Era, their beauty and appeal have not faded completely away.