Dresses made with military remnants, 1860s?

by LastPresentation1

I found a picture of a relative who is wearing a very distinct dress in the 1860s roughly. Some think it's due to her having NA ancestry. However, someone said it was a thing for women to use their husband's military uniforms to incorporate into their dresses. I was curious if anyone could shed any light on this? This is not meant to offend anyone, I am doing genealogy and am trying to get only the facts. Thank you.

mimicofmodes

Can you share the photo through an image-hosting service like Imgur? It's difficult for someone to tell you what's going on with her clothing without actually seeing it.

LastPresentation1