Every petticoat tells a story. Victorian women’s fashion is as scholarly as a history book. And that’s part of what keeps Melissa Lopez entranced. The high-collared dresses, corsets, bustle cages, drawers and chemises reveal women’s trajectory in the 1800s and 1900s as much as any text can. Melissa Lopez and her family in Victorian dress. Courtesy Melissa Lopez “Women were evolving through this Victorian era. It was fashionable in the early Victorian era to be meek and demure. They fainted a lot,” said Lopez, who makes her own Victorian clothing. “But as women became more educated and more interested in what was going on in the world, they began politicking for more rights, and you can see it in the clothing as the Victorian era develops.” Lopez founded the Pikes Peak Victorian Society about a year ago, hoping to find kindred souls who share her love for the era and the fashion.…