Period. 3 Mrs.

Abbott
Alondra & Andrew
21 January 2015

Fashions of the Victorian Era1837 - 1901

Detachable collars and cuffs

enabled a woman to change
the look of a garment for a bit
of variety. Of course, wealthier
women owned more garments
made of finer fabrics using
more material and
embellishments

Victorian Clothing - Prim and

Proper Yet Outrageous
Styles:
Despite the prim and proper
feminine ideal of the day,
fashions of the Victorian period
created an often exaggerated,
ostentatious look. Tight corsets,
gigantic hoop-skirts, and
outrageous bustles make
today's fashion trends look
steady by comparison. Clothing
styles were dictated by
propriety, and stylish garments
were a sign of respectability.
The copious amounts of fabric
used in the creation of Victorian
skirts usually meant that most
women owned few outfits.

The Victorian Period in Fashion

Historical
Background

The Victorian period, generally the time between 1837

and the 1890's, is named after Britain's Queen
Victoria, a long lived and highly influential monarch in
an era when women had little power or opportunity.

More on the Victorian

Period in Fashion
Historical
Background : In those

Employment opportunities
were limited to teaching
young girls, being a
governess, domestic
servitude, and later to factory
or mill work. Of course, rural
women had plenty of work if
they lived on a farm. Some
women earned money from
cottage industries but the the
Industrial Revolution put an
end to enterprises such as

days, women lived at the

largess of men first their
fathers or guardians, then
their husbands. A young lady
was expected to be meek and
mild, to acquiesce to her
father's or husband's wishes.
A woman's intelligence and
wit were restricted to social
events and amusing
conversation.

During the 1840s men wore tight fitting, calf length frock
coats and a waistcoat or west. The vests were single with
shawl or noticed collars, and might be finished in double
points at the lowered waist. In the 1850s, men started
wearing shirts with high upstanding or turnover collars and
four in hand neckties tied in a bow. In the 1860s, men
started wearing wider neckties that were tied in a bow or
looped into a loose knot and fastened with a stickpin.

Throughout much of the Victorian

era most men wore fairly short hair.
This was often tag along with by
various forms of facial hair
including moustaches, side-burns,
and full beards. A clean shaven face
did not come back into fashion until
the end of the 1880s and early
1890s.

Starting from the 1890s, the

blazers was introduced, and
was worn for sports, sailing,
and other activities.
Distinguishing what men really
wore from what was marked to
them in periodicals and
advertisement is problematic.

Children's clothing during the Victorian era varied according

to their station in life and by whether it was toward the
beginning of the era or during the latter part. Wealthy
children in the early part of this time were frequently
dressed like miniature adults. As a more modern era
approached, styles specifically designed for comfort and
play began to emerge. Despite this, children wore many
more layers and more complicated pieces of clothing than
are seen today.

Outdoor Wear

Clothing Worn
by the Poor

Poverty was rife

Both boys and girls wore during the Victorian
hats. Girls' hats ranged era. Many children
from narrow-brimmed
were employed in
pillbox styles to bonnets
factories or were
that framed their faces.
street beggars.
Boys' hats might range
from shallow-crowned, Families made use
of cast-offs from the
wide-brimmed straw
wealthy or used
boaters to cloth caps.
Capes had shortened to inexpensive fabrics
waist-length, and by the cut to imitate the
costumes worn by
end of the era were
giving way to jackets
the moneyed class.
and coats. Boys and girls The costume
wore gloves. Girls
traditionally worn by
carried muffs.
Alice in Wonderland
is a good example of
an inexpensive dress
for girls. Pictures in
vintage copies of
Tom Sawyer give us
a good look at

Boys Clothing
During the early part of
the Victorian era,
pleated skirts were
popular for young
boys. This style shortly
gave way to
knickerbockers or
square-cut knee pants.
Wearing long pants
was a sign of a youth
becoming a man.
Tartans were popular,
as were frilled shirts.
Toward the end of the
era, tall starched or
celluloid collars
replaced the wide
frilled collars on boys'
shirts.

Work Cited:
Mitchell, Sally Daily Life in Victorian England English,
Book, Illustrated
edition: Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1996.
Thomas, Pauline W. "Early Victorian Costume History
1837-1860."Fashion History Costume Trends and
Eras, Trends
Victorians - Haute Couture. Web. 23 Mar. 2011.
<http://
www.fashionera.com/early_victorian_fashion.htm>.