Women’s fashion

Women’s fashion changed immensely through the Victorian era.Queen Victoria was nicknamed ‘The Queen of Fashion’ and trends in women’s clothes were gradually influenced by her during her reign.

Here are some pictures of Queen Victoria’s wedding dress. She selected a white dress, which was considered an

unusual choice at a time when more cplourful dresses were more common. It was made from heavy silk

satin. The Honiton lace used for her wedding dress ended up an important becoming so popular that her choice boosted Devon lace-making. Queen Victoria has been credited with

When Queen Victoria became queen as an 18 year old, women turned to her ideas on how to dress. Before her reign fashion can be described as more Regency in its influence inspired by the French and romantic. As her reign progressed, her attitude came to symbolize the entire era. Victorian exuberance were the rules of the day. Fashion, then as now, took its cues from society.Queen Victoria greatly influenced how women viewed themselves and how men perceived them. A woman's "job" was in the home, as wife and mother. Wealthy women of the time followed Victoria's lead in dress and leisure pursuits. These are typically the women who defined Victorian fashion history, as the poor female laborers could not afford to dress in such luxurious and impractical ways.

Here are some pictures showing how poorer Victorian women dressed.

It was only middle class and richer women that were able to truly follow the very latest in fashions.Some of the most popular trends were crinolines, bustles and hoop skirts. These all gave women’s dresses a distinctive shape and look. They also wore chemises, corsets, petticoats, camisoles and even more. There were so many layers that a maid had to help a rich woman get dressed and undressed. But not just once a day, rich women dressed two to four times a day in different outfits.

These rich women are dressed very differently to the poorer ladies

CrinolinesCrinolines were one of the most popular women’s fashion items in the Victorian era. They were so popular that Punch nicknamed the craze for crinolines, ‘Crinolinemania’.The name ‘Crinoline’ was coined when one of the fabric’s manufacturers combined two Latin words, crinis and

linum, meaning hair and thread. Crinoline cages were made of stiffened horsehair and so the name was born.Crinolines were like cages with no base that gave long dresses a large and distinctive shape. Although the crinoline was extremely fashionable during the 19th

century it restricted women from doing certain activities and it was impossible for them to do simple actions such as bending down. Several maids would help

a woman to put on her crinoline and it would take quite long to put on. Early crinolines had to be worn with several petticoats so that the dress looked smooth and the crinoline’s wiry shape could not be seen. This was very heavy and exhausting for women and also generally uncomfortable.Later on the extension skirt was developed which resisted bending and was made of many cane and whalebone hoops. The hoops gave the woman her choice of width but the hoops broke simply and it was therefore useless.During the late 1850s these extension skirts were adapted and the cane or whalebone hoops changed to flattened steel wire hoops. This was a much better design because even if the dress was bent it would spring back into shape again afterwards.Crinoline cages were invented, these were much lighter and it was easier for women to walk around in. This also meant that less petticoats had to be worn making it not as hot for women. Women today still wear crinoline dresses but it is rare and only usually worn in fashion shows by models. Comparing the first crinoline design to the last it is clear that there is a huge difference.

BustlesBustles were another very popular fashion during the Victorian era. They were similar to crinolines because they gave a certain shape to women’s dresses. But rather than giving a crinoline look it gave the dress almost a small train at the back.

During the first half of the 19th century women wore crinolines but later on the women’s skirts lost its volume and it flattened at the front and the sides. The back stayed the same though and a particular type of framework was made that shaped the back of a woman’s dress to look like it is in the picture. The amount of fabric used was the same amount as the hoop skirt and crinoline but bustles were much shorter, they ended at the bottom of the hips.The bustle’s job was to help support the heavy draperies that this fashionable style demanded. At first bustles were built into petticoats or small hoop skirts but by 1871 the majority of bustles were separate. They also came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. They could be made of pads, springs, ruffles, wires or curved boning during this time.

CorsetsCorsets were an item of clothing that shaped a

woman’s waist. It had to be laced up at the back and rarely it was tied too tight and

suffocated people!

This is a

When a waist had been changed by a corset it took the name of an ‘hourglass waist’. It was called this because the body became slim in the middle but wider above and below because of the constant tightness of the corset. The picture shows a corset and the ‘hourglass figure’ that a corset gives a waist.

ChemisesChemises were long sleeveless gowns that were worn as an undergarment to protect a woman’s skin from the corset. They usually hung to the

knees and they were crafted without buttons as the corset was placed over the top.The corset was put on directly after the chemise and unlike the crinoline and bustle; chemises were light, easy and best of all comfortable!The picture shows a chemise with a laced up corset over it. Without this layer, the skin would become extremely irritated by the corset and the lace which is used to tie the corset to a woman’s body. The undergarments of a woman’s clothing were the key to allowing the woman to wear more and more layers over the top without causing any irritation.The chemise was the absolute bottom layer of a rich woman’s clothing and it was the only layer that touched the skin as well as a pair of drawers. The word ‘chemise’ comes from the Latin word ‘chemise’ which means shirt or nightgown. It was then used in Old French and Italian language.

All the layers together

The following pictures illustrate the order of the layers and the effort a Victorian lady would go through to get dressed:

1. The drawers were put on first

  2. Then the slip3, Next, the corset was put on

4. Then the petticoat.

5. The fifth item was the camisole

6. The sixth item was the "bustle".

7. This was followed by the underskirt 

 

8. Finally the skirt and the jacket or t-shirt.

 

Here the women is now dressed ad ready to go out!

 

Here are some pictures of some Victorian women’s clothes

A Victorian ball gown

Evening DressesIn the evening, for dinner, women would wear evening dresses. These dresses were usually made of silk or velvety fabric; they also had a very low neckline compared to the usual day dresses that women would wear. Queen Victoria owned many beautiful silk evening dresses.

Evening dress by Worth, 1895

Victorian tambour lace dress

Women’s HairstylesWomen’s hairstyles during the Victorian era were very complicated. Most women’s hairstyles took at least 8 steps to complete. Unless at an informal occasion women almost never left their hair loose without anything tying it up. There were many types of different hairstyles that women did and they almost always included some type of braiding, plaiting or curls. French hairstyles that had a parting in the middle became trendy and wearing floral headdresses also became very popular to add colour and beauty. The Austrian empress, Elizabeth, was the first person to wear a floral headdress, after that the trend swept throughout all of Victorian London and became very popular.Hair would usually be quite thick and long and this was ideal for all of the complicated styles that women would use.

Later on in the Victorian era using a hot iron to wave women’s hair or to add ringlets to it became popular. This was called crimping. Many pins and clips were used to keep a women’s hair or style in a firm position with no hairs escaping. Some examples of women’s hairstyles are the coiled bun and

the braided bun. Both of these include teasing the hair. Teasing, also called backcombing, was used to give the hair volume. Having your hair done by a professional hair stylist became highly popular in a short amount of time.False hair or hair extensions were very fashionable in the Victorian era. The very

fashionable women of the time would buy the best quality false hair straight away. Peasant girls in Germany, France and Italy whose traditional headdresses were able to hide the absence of hair, gave them a way of earning money. Even poor girls in

England or America might sell their hair if they were in desperate need of money. In Little women by Louisa May Alcott, Jo March sold her hair like these girls did.

False fringes were especially popular, they would avoid women cutting the front hair and it was

considered very neat and not messy.Victorian Hair Accessories

Some examples of hair styles in Victorian times

Women’s Shoes

At the beginning of the period women wore mostly boots and cloth topped shoes. By the year 1885 boots became less popular and were only really worn for driving. Buttons or laces on women’s boots and shoes was popular and dark colours were only used. Later on though white shoes were developed and they gave a women a ‘summery’ look.In the 1890s heels on shoes grew and became much taller than they were before. Amazingly, some heels reached as high as 6 inches!! They must have been hard to walk in!! By 1901 though, the year Queen Victoria died, the heel reduced again and became no more than 3 inches tall.

Some examples of Victorian from the practical to the ridiculous!

Victorian Men’s FashionVictorian Men’s daily clothing was much more formal than what men wear today. Even if a rich man didn’t work they would still wear suits and formal clothing whereas today men wear more informal clothing like jeans. Even if men went to the beach they would still wear their suits and top hats unlike today where men would probably wear a t-shirt and shorts.The features of a Victorian man’s daily outfit:A wealthy or middle class Victorian man would wear-

A waistcoat or a vestWaistcoats (vests) were available in an unimaginable variety of cuts, cloths and colour. A man’s waistcoat would be the centrepiece of each outfit. Just as men would wear colourful ties to stand out from their dark suits today, Victorians would wear colourful waistcoats.

A HatJust like waistcoats, hats came in a variety of styles and shapes. The most popular hats were top hats and bowler hats. Top hats were

Top Hat Bowler hat

tall and had a wide brim. They were used in special occasions when very formal clothing was essential. Bowler hats though were shorter and had a slimmer brim with a rounder shape. Slowly throughout time bowler hats became more and more common and by the mid-1890s, there were more men wearing bowlers than any other hat.

CoatsVictorian men wore coats as their last layer. The first popular coat was the frock coat which hung just above the knee. Later on tailcoats were popular. They were long at the back but short at the front and were considered stylish. In the 1870s sack suits became popular.

TrousersMen would wear trousers with stripes and sometimes checks on them. Victorian men would wear their trousers much higher than men do today. Wearing your trousers high was considered very trendy and fashionable then whereas nowadays it may look silly. Trousers didn’t have belt loops

because men didn’t wear belts. They would wear suspenders or braces instead.

ShirtsVictorian men’s shirts

were cut more fully than modern shirts. Also seeing as washing machines were not common, shirts weren’t washed as much

as they do today. Some shirts even had a removable bib front so that men could hide any unfortunate stains that they may have on their shirts.!

ShoesKnee length boots were very rare for men in the Victorian era. But short ankle boots were very popular and men would wear these most of the time. Buttoned boots with clothed tops were also shoes that men would wear. Patent leather was trendy.Black and brown were the only colour shoes that men wore up until the 1890s when white was introduced for summer. Socks though were almost always black even with the white shoes. Men played sports like tennis in rubber and canvas shoes just like the American ‘sneakers’ that came after.

Accessories Men’s most basic accessory was the cravat. You could There was a wide range of coloured and styled cravats. Men also had pocket watches and fobs which looked good but also told them the time. Men also wore gloves at special occasions and had walking sticks even if they didn’t need them. Accessories weren’t needed but they added extra style to make a man’s outfit look trendier.

Rich and Poor Men’s Clothing

Rich and wealthy men could afford to keeep up with all the latest trends. But poor men couldn’t and they just had to wear patched and mended clothes.

If poor men worked in factories or even in the workhouse, they were given work clothes and for some men this was great.

It meant that they had fresh clothes that weren’t patched and worn, this was fantastic to any poor man because that’s all he would want.

Rich men on the other hand could buy new clothes at will.

Children’s Fashion

Children’s fashion changed throughout the nineteenth century significantly and there were different styles for boys and girls. Children tended to wear smaller versions of the clothes that their parents or adults would wear.

Sailor SuitsSailor suits were the first popular children’s fashion trend and they were very fashionable for both boys and girls in the

nineteenth century. It started when Queen Victoria decided to clothe four year old Albert Edward, who was the Prince of Wales, in a miniature version of the sailor suit that the Royal Navy wore. In 1846 he wore it on holiday to the Channel Islands with his family where a portrait was painted of him and thus starting the fashion. At this time though it was only fashionable for boys but that changed in the 1880s when it was trendy for girls to wear them as well.

Girls Girls had a wide range of fashion throughout the Victorian era and most were quite similar to women’s but just in a miniature version. It was considered to look ‘grown up’ if girls wore clothes adults would wear. But of course they had to fit so they literally shrunk them!!

Very fashionable girls wore crinoline petticoats like their mothers did. The important difference of this though was that they wore skirts that were short and not long like their mothers

would do. As a girl grew up her skirts would become longer and longer until she was a fully grown woman and skirts were the longest they could be. Girls wore dresses with pinafores on the top but they didn’t wear bustles and crinolines until they were older.

Girls didn’t wear as many layers as grown women would do but some layers were similar to what women would wear. The girl’s first layer would be a chemise (the long sleeveless gown to protect the skin), then drawers which were long knickers, next stays, that were a softer version of a corset for young girls, stockings and finally at least a couple of petticoats to complete the outfit.

Also the most popular fabrics for girls’ dresses were cotton, wool and silk. Just like women girls learnt to be modest in the way they dressed.

BoysBoys had many fashionable suits that were popular among rich and wealthy male children. Boys actually wore dresses up until they were about 5 years old apparently because it was easier to change nappies for younger boys at that stage.

Examples of boys’ outfits: Hyam and Co. suit

The Hyam and Co. suit was a popular boys’ suit that had rosebuds, pansies and forget-me-nots embroidered all over it. It was possible that it was originally made for a young man and then miniaturised to the size of a young boy. These flowers represented an aspect of love and romance so it wasn’t very likely at all that the suit was made for older men. Unlike in the present day, flowers on a boy’s clothing looked stylish and trendy.

Scotch SuitScotch suits were worn from 1850 to the 1870s and were probably the most popular fashion of that time. The Scotch suit was Highland dress or Scottish suit, hence the name, and mothers loved to dress their boys in them. The Scotch suit was made up of: a waistcoat and a jacket of velvet with a kilt of tartan poplin, a brooch, a scarf, a sporran (which was a small pouch that hung on the front of a kilt) and a Glengarry cap.

These two examples were very popular but only rich and wealthy families could afford to buy their boys brand new suits that were always in fashion.

Boys fashion changed a lot more than men’s fashion did.

Here are some poorer Victoian boys. Their clothes are much simpler, less stylish and made from cheaper fabrics.

Victorian Interior DesignVictorian interior design, for the rich, had to be kept in line which all the latest fashion just like clothes did. There were certain features of a fashionable room that gave it the ‘look’. Patterned carpets and wallpaper were the essential first step to make the room take shape. By 1840 there was a mass production of wallpaper and the wealthy simply had to get their walls redecorated! An alternative for carpets in less grand rooms was a floorcloth, which is a canvas painted with oils. Ruby reds and forest greens were popular colours in the Victorian era. The colours used were usually rich and dark because the chemical processes of making other colours were still being developed. Paint effects in a room were popular amongst the Victorians. Faux marbling, stencilling and stippling

surfaces were 3 techniques used to create cutting edge looks.

Fireplaces were not only ornate, elaborate and looked splendid in a wealthy family’s house; they also gave warmth and a source of light. 2 in 1!! The fireplace could also be filled with dried flowers for a

certain look. Victorian furniture was generally quite big, plump and overstuffed. Couches and armchairs had buttons at the back

and were very comfortable because of the soft stuffing that was crammed within them. Dining chairs were the same, overstuffed and usually quite elaborately designed. The seats became rounder and

wider and this was actually because fashionable women wearing crinolines could sit down easily, comfortably and securely rather than them fussing over when they were going to fall off the chair and disappear under the dining table! These features were the pieces of the puzzle and when put altogether they make the most perfect picture. Rich Victorians would often have guests to their houses for dinner or maybe just tea parties. They wanted to keep their houses spick and span and up-to-date for a few reasons. Firstly, if any guests visited a wealthy person’s house they would be impressed as they all loved praise and pride. Also, as a fashion something would spread widely and everyone would have it. If you left your interior unchanged for years and years, unless you wanted to keep everything very traditional, it would soon seem ancient and considered boring or unfashionable, unacceptable!!

Victorian Interior Designers

All rich Victorians adored the beauty of interior designs. But who were the brains behind it and who started these wonderful crazes? Interior designers spent their time designing and organising the decorative elements and the essential elements of a Victorian room. Without these designers, gifted with an eye for beauty, none of the designs could have actually become reality.

William Morris

William Morris was probably one of the most famous interior designers of all time. He was born on March 24th 1834 in Walthamstow, London Borough of Waltham Forest and he died on October 3rd 1896 in London. William Morris was born into wealthy middle class family as the son of a city stockbroker. He was provided with an all-round education at Marlborough College. After that he proceeded to Exeter College in Oxford at the age of 19 to study theology. He intended to enter the High Church Oxford which impressed him when he saw its movement whilst at Marlborough College.While Morris was at the church, he met a man named Edward

Burne-Jones who was following Holy Orders. With this friendship William was able to come in contact with Pre-Raphaelite

painters like the amazing Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Rossetti had founded the Pre-Raphaelite ‘club’ along with two others. Edward Burne-Jones would actually would become a Pre-

Raphaelite painter and all the same he remained Morris’ closest and best friend for life.

In the year 1859, Morris married Jane Burden. Straight away he commissioned Philip Webb, a friend of his that was an architect, to build Jane and himself a new house on William’s land in Bexleyheath, Kent. The house was named Red House and the couple moved in in 1860. For the next two years Jane and William decorated the house in ‘Morris Style’. His artist friends helped as William did do most of the work himself.

Inspired by the success of his new house, Morris started a new company named Morris & Co. that is still running today! They produced fashionable and up to date, decorative material that all Victorians loved.Furniture and tiles were popular items that the company produced.

Later on wallpaper was produced, actually because William Morris couldn’t find any he liked that would look good in his house! After that though, Morris wallpaper was mass produced and one of the most popular items you available for interior design.As mentioned previously, Morris and Co. is still running today but also the William Morris Gallery. It was his house when he lived in Walthamstow and is crammed full of all William’s designs and interior material. It’s a great day out and there is so much to see and do there.

Red House

William Morris Gallery

Morris changed the History of interior designing and today is very well known for his great styles. People today still have William Morris wallpaper and/or Morris furniture.

William De MorganWilliam De Morgan was born on the 16th November 1839 and he died on January 15th 1917.He was also a lifelong friend of William Morris and he produced tiles, stained glass and furniture for Morris and Co. William De Morgan tiles were elaborately created with such

intricate designs like the picture below.

This tile was used for the fireplace and in that position, it would look perfectly ornate and really quite grand. De Morgan spent lots of time and care to create these tiles for Morris and Co. He

made sure that all of his work was perfectly flawless and there were no little slips or fault, he took his work very seriously indeed. Tiles were De Morgan’s speciality and they looked so beautiful.William De Morgan was noted mostly for his amazing ceramics that looked splendid in a wealthy house. The picture below shows the drawing room in Wightwick Manor.

Wightwick Manor is a Victorian house in the style of Morris. It was opened in 1887 and is few of surviving houses built and also furnished with influence from the Arts and Crafts movement. There are several William De

Morgan ceramics including in this room, specifically the fireplace where there are 3 ceramic squares that are created with no errors.

Victorian ArchitectureVictorians clamoured to get all the magazines so they could check out all the latest household goods. They also crowded in colossal numbers to see exhibits on these household goods that would give their houses style and make them look fabulous.Flowers, birds and animals were portrayed a lot more realistically in the Victorian era and not fancy with certain types of painting tricks to change its look. These started to feature more in architecture too.

Gothic style was popular in libraries and billiard rooms. The first person who used Gothic style in their house was Horace Walpole who started building this house in 1749. It was named Strawberry Hill House and Horace transformed it to a spectacular Georgian gothic house.

Victorian houses had Bay windows which were windows that stuck out as shown in the picture. Sash windows were also used, they were windows that opened by sliding vertically.

Iron railings were common and were used in most houses. Flemish brick

bond was used and is still used in houses today. Brick patterns were popular and Victorians used different coloured bricks to

make patterns on their houses. In doorways and windows stained glass looked beautiful especially when it was a sunny day and sunlight shone through the dazzling artwork. .

For most of the Victorian period there were two conflicting influences on building design, the Classical style derived from ancient Greek and Roman, and the Gothic style taken from Medieval design.

The Great ExhibitionThe Great Exhibition was opened on the 1st of May 1851 and it drew to an end

on the 15th October 1851. This meant it was open for approximately 6 months.

Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, organised the event to be held in Hyde Park in a huge and beautiful glass structure named the ‘Crystal Palace’. The building of it began in 1850 and it took 1 year to be completed and opened. Its architects were Joseph Paxton and Owen Jones. Constructed from panes of glass, Crystal Palace measured 564 metres by 138 metres. It cost £150,000 to build but the end result was spectacular and unlike any other construction created previously.

In August 1852 Crystal Palace was rebuilt but in 1861 strong winds damaged the beauty. Unfortunately, 5 years after that, a fire broke out and destroyed the North End of it as well as several natural

history exhibits.

Countries including France, the United States, Russia, Turkey and Egypt all attended the exhibition each with their own exhibits. There were four main categories that the exhibits fell into and they were: Machinery, Fine Arts, Manufacturers and Raw Materials.

2 million people each year came to visit The Great Exhibition and each person took their turn to marvel over the amazing architecture of it.

The central aim of The Great Exhibition was to show off Britain’s inventiveness and its modern industrial designs. This aim shows, not only its ery buiding but what it took so much pride in showcasing demonstrated that designs and inventions were very important to the Victorians and they most surely took pride in them.

ConclusionVictorian fashion and design can still be seen around us on a daily basis.From buildings standing in their Gothic elegance to the insides of modern homes featuring soft furnishings in fabrics influenced by this intriguing era. The very latest Fireplaces, mouldings, wallpaper and tiles show clear traces of features that became popular during the Victorian period. Our own school, Snaresbrook Prep, is an example of a Victorian building and helps us understand how living spaces were thought about at that time.

Victorian patterns and designs also feature heavily in the designs of modern companies today such as Laura Ashley and Cath Kidson loved and desired by many,

Fashion designers still use some of the ideas from the Victorian period when thinking about form and structure aswell as fabrics when producing items for the catwalks of London, New York, Paris and Milan. Even hairsyles and shoes bear the trademarks of ths era.

Despite some of the impractical creations, the ideas behind Victorian design have certainly stood the test of time and will

most likely continue to influence British thoughts on what design is pleasing to us generations to come!