Clothing Styles During the Victorian Era. (1816-1855)

Clothing Styles During the Victorian Era(1816-1855)

Style Difference of the Rich and Poor

• Women wore extravagant gowns that were extremely uncomfortable. Had two different types of silhouettes Empire and Regency. Women and men wore corsets made of whalebone that were often very expensive. Women had different dresses for different times of the days, their dresses were made of lace and silk.
• Men were very relaxed and wore leisure suits made of cotton. Had scarves or ascots made of silk and canes with intricate carvings throughout the cane and silver knobs. They wore silver cufflinks and heavy watch chains.

• Women usually made their own dresses and wore the same thing every day because their dresses were saved for special occasions. Also wore discarded clothing from their masters if they were servants. For children clothing was usually too big because they could not afford fitted clothing and got clothes passed on from older siblings, all clothing was tatty.
• Men wore ratty clothing that was generally too big, no shoes and if they had shoes they did not wear socks because they could not afford them. In winter they would rap their feet in rags to walk to work, could not afford to wash clothes unless it was in the rain.
• All poor would wear clothing until there were huge holes throughout the garment.

• Most common side effect was shortness of breath often causing the women wearing them to pass out, corsets decreased lung capacity.
• Women would feel extremely sick after eating because the corset would also decrease the stomach capacity.
• Rare side effects: Abdominal muscle atrophy, the body becomes dependent on the corset to support the torso so the abdominal muscle would waste away.
• Organ deformation: Doctors during the Victorian Era would blame corsets for deforming stomachs, livers, and intestines. This was rare and would only happen when corsets were laced extremely tight.

The Victorian woman's attire was extremely formal and uncomfortable.

On a normal day an outfit would consist of a metal hoop to accomodate a

full and wide skirt, tight corsets. heavy peticoats. whalebone and steel bodices,

layers of underclothes, collars, and undersleeves often decorated with lace. The

outfits were all handmade and consisted of three layers:

• First layer: The basics. Black or white knee high stocking held up with garders,

covered by cotton drawers

• Second layer: Form and Function. Corsets pulled as tight as four sizes smaller

than their natural form and a steel hoopskirt.

• Third layer: Practicality. A camisole over the corset that hid prespiration, and a

cotton covering over the hoop skirt.

• Fourth layer: The dress. During the day a proper woman would wear a high-necked

dress with long sleeves reaching all the way to the floor. By dinner time the woman

would change into a lower cut dress and for elaborate events women often wore extravagent

ball gowns that would dip off of the shoulder.

• Fifth layer: Accessories. The Victorian women would never leave the home without

gloves and a bonnet and often even wore a cap and gloves indoors. Thin soled slippers would

be worn with ball gowns and boots for everyday events. She would wear a cape or shawl outdoors

and carry a small handbag.

Skeleton Suits: Worn by boys

Skeleton suits for breeched boys were common from 1790 to the 1830s. The skeleton suit consisted of a tight jacket, high waisted ankle-length trousers buttoned to and over the jacket. The skeleton suits were usually worn with white bouses that had open knecked ruffled collars. The size of the collar varied

Chilren fashion in 1800

Men's CLothing

Children Clothing during the victorian era

•consisted of a three piece suit

•tightly tailored coats and trousers

•some wealthy gentlemen continued to wear corsets

•wore colors like brown, dark green, blue, violet and black

In the early 1800s, girls wore dresses of muslin, dotted Swiss, white percale, lawn and nankeen (a yellow buff coloured fabric from China). Empire line gowns following the fashion of the day were usual.　Simple lightweight muslin dress with a high cut empire line bodice seam of the 1800s were worn with a slip. The dress was drawn together with a ribbon or sash just beneath the chest.

Girls Dresses:

Muslin, dotted Swiss, white percale, lawn and nankeen.

Side Effects of Corsets

works cited:

http://histclo.com

Fashion-era.com/children

Works cited:

http://www.literary-liaisons.com/article042.htm

http://harpersbazaar.victorian-ebooks.com/

Skirt Lengths and Hoop Styles for Victorian Young Girls

Shirts

Hats

•cut much more fully than modern shirts

•high straight collar

Top hats:

- required for formal events

-worn as day wear by wealthy men

-made of silk or beaver felt

-tall crown and narrow brim

Muslin

Nankeen

muslin

White Percale

Dotted Swiss

Derbies/Bowlers:

-short brimmed

-rounded crowns

-worn by middle class

In the C18th all girls wore floor length gowns and then soon young girls began to have their skirts shortened. A seventeen and eighteen year girl was analyzed to be a young lady and wore skirts ground length just like adult women did.　 Most sixteen girls wore gowns to the ankles, a fourteen year old wore skirts to the calves, but a 12 year old wore skirts to just below the knee.　

Not even the youngest child escaped the wearing of a crinoline.　By the 1840s those skirts were true crinoline style.　 They were pushed out with stiff starched petticoats and horsehair crin fabric petticoats in layers.　 Later a wire hoop cage crinoline, a mini version of adult crinoline.

Children fashion after 1825

Cloth Caps:

crinoline

worn by the working class

Porkpie: flat topped

Wide Awake: wide brimmed

Poor:

Rich:

Pants

•worn higher with the top of the trouser at or just below the navel.

•Men wore trousers that had stripes and sometimes checks

•Belts weren’t used, nor did pants even have belt loops.

•used suspenders

By 1825 the fashion girls soon looked liked mini adults again. Fashion returned with the Romantic era and decoration in the form of ruffles, flounces, and fur trims with the waistline moving down in the same ways as adult dress had, and wore hats and bonnets.　 Also the sleeves of adult women were repeated in the styles of girl's dresses and the skirt length on a child was a sign of her age.　

Accesories

Pantalettes: Worn by boys

Pantalettes appeared in the early 1800s. Pantalettes became more common in the 1810s as dress hems began to appear. Some boys, towards the end of the 1800s decade wore pantalettes which peaked out at the hem of long dresses and at the ankles of skeleton suits.

•Cravats

•Pocket watches

•Gloves

•Canes

Coats

•fitted sleeves

•featured oversized buttons

•Frock coat: coat with full skirt both front and back that reached just above the knee

Bonnet

Flouce

Ruffles

Hat

•Tailcoats: coats with a knee length skirt in the back, short front

-used for parties and formal events.

Tunics: Worn by boys

The tunic was a major style for young boys during the early 19th century. Some mothers decided on somewhat more boyish tunic once a boy was breeched. A typical tunic might be made of earth brown sateen trimmed with dark blue braid.

Vests

•used to make a fashion statement

•1840's wore fancy silk vests

•Later wool and cotton vests more common

Dresses: Worn by boys

Little boys all through the 19th Century were dressed in dresses and petticoats like girls. This changed as the century progressed, in the early 19th century there was no differences between dresses for boys and girls, perhaps only the color. Dresses in the early 19th century might include chintz and gay. These were worn with small white caps and long ruffled pantaloons.

Tunics

Pantalettes

Breeching

Skeleton Suit