Elegant Discomfort

English 11; Ch.4

Fashionable women wore large-brimmed hats, full-length dress. Formal occasions required the women

to wear a painful corset.Clothes were meant to show ones social class. If

your clothes were finally made your social invitations would increase as much as your

marriage prospects {Titanic anyone?}.

The Corset

Corsets were not just practiced as a form of fashion; they were deeply embedded in the morality of the Victorian period. A woman without a corset was nothing more than a harlot. Girls as young as 3 were placed in sleeping stays and loose corsets while older girls corseted tighter as they grew.

An excerpt from a young Victorian-era girl’s diary gives some insight into the place that corsets had in her life. "This morning was wonderfully exciting as mother laced me down another inch ... I was startled how harshly she had to pull to obtain this and how tautly it binds me, but love the sight of my waist now ... We went to breakfast at a neighbor's house and I was honored by the comments of my mother's friends about my lady like appearance and poise."

1830s

The simpler style of 1838

Notice that these “well-bred” girls have very waspish waists and are entirely

covered….hint hint Ms. Hilton.

Lengths of skirts were

monitored at every age so that young

girls would not be improper.

Oh My!

The family that dresses together probably– well, goes to the same clothes maker.

1855

Skirts held out by a crinoline.

1865 1876

Stiff material that holds up the shape of a skirt.

1885 1893

                                                           

        

This black silk and velvet evening cape is decorated with jet beading and silk

and lace motifs. Four layers of black lace form ruffles which start on the collar and continue down the front ending in a bow.

1884

This black cotton and velvet day dress is trimmed with black satin. It has a bustle swag at the back and fastens down the front with thirteen buttons.

1890

Young ladies’ dresses 1890

A well dressed man wore a derby hat and a lined suit. His shirt had a long tail and a

detachable collar with a high buttoned coat. {comfy}

Boys were often dressed the same

as girls until 5 years old.

Boys were often dressed

in ‘Little Lord

Fauntleroy’ suits.

Do you think children had a choice in what they wore?

1871

Children in large families, both boys and girls, might be dressed in matching smocks.

Blurring gender roles isn’t uncommon

Victorian Fashion making a come back?

Does fashion truly represent reality?

Fashion whether we like it or not is symbolic of the person we are or want to be. I mean let’s face it --jerseys aren’t worn just because they look good. We (I’m using the universal conscious ‘we’ here) dress like players we admire or want to emulate.

Think about the types of clothing women wore during the Victorian period---how they conformed, changed and gave a false appearance of what a woman should look like (an ideal we still use today--- ).

Stop. Think about fashion. How is fashion symbolic of society?

1. Clothes were supposed to:

A. Keep you dry

B. B. Ward off evil spirits

C. Show your social class

D. D. Cover your nudity

2. Corsets were symbolic of:

A. Men’s oppression over women

B. a young girl’s coming of age

C. The style of the Victorian age

D. An hour glass so they could tell time

3. Boys under five were dressed like?A. Boys, because they are boysB.Small adultsC.As impressionist paintersD.As girls

4. Clothing was always store bought. True

False

Clothes don’t always make the man.

                                                           

        Ladies, be thankful that the Gap is in business.