the fashion of Victorians evolved through a range of unique yet typically Victorian styles, which can be broken up into phases to make the understanding of the changing fashions more simple to understand.
During 1840 - 1855 The in style dresses during this 15 year time period would have been the crinoline period. this phase was named after the stiff rigid petticoats worn by women to shape out the bottom halves of their dresses. materials that would have been used to create this cage like petticoats included whale bone and metal so they would have been extremely uncomfortable to wear.
Bodices and corsets were also used as methods of giving shape to womens bodies and creating the desired waistline for the period. shorter corsets were used during this phase simply to allow women to be able to walk and move without to much restriction on the hips.
A crinoline cage petticoat, which would be worn as an undergarment to create shape in the wide bottomed dresses associated with the crinoline period.
This is what the dresses would have looked like with the cage worn underneath. the small waistlines would have been created using corsets although unlike later Victorian fashion it was not popular to have these corsets tied up very tightly. although they created shape it was more natural than the waistlines to come in later years.
First and Second bustle period 1870-1890
once again expectations of society dictated women's fashion, there was even a book written in 1872 called The Ladies Book of Ettiquette which enlisted the requirements of women's fashion according to the activities and social situations they should find themselves taking part in. Some of theses activities mentioned in the book include; going to market, visiting new brides and mourning. Queen Victoria herself was in a state of mourning for 10 years due to the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert in 1861.
Suddenly During the first bustle period the textile industry in Britain began to really take off and garments became more elaborate than ever before. Dresses began to become embelleshed with ruffles of excess fabric and colours became brighter and far more adventurous than in previous years due to the newly manufactured synthetic dyes which were available.
However the First Bustle Era gets its name from the Newly shaped cages that were worn. As women were becoming more society and embarking on new ventures such as travel which was becoming increasingly popular for the wealthiest of society they needed a solution for the now impractical shaped crinoline cages. Therefore the latest fad in Victorian fashion was the Bustle cage. Unlike its predecessor the new Bustle cage was much narrower with an extended curve at the rear, giving it a much more curvacious and elegant appearance.
Just as in the Crinoline phase corsets were still a popular undergarment however the length of the corset had increased allowing them to flatten the stomach and create a longer waisteline.
However the First Bustle Era gets its name from the Newly shaped cages that were worn. As women were becoming more society and embarking on new ventures such as travel which was becoming increasingly popular for the wealthiest of society they needed a solution for the now impractical shaped crinoline cages. Therefore the latest fad in Victorian fashion was the Bustle cage. Unlike its predecessor the new Bustle cage was much narrower with an extended curve at the rear, giving it a much more curvacious and elegant appearance.
Just as in the Crinoline phase corsets were still a popular undergarment however the length of the corset had increased allowing them to flatten the stomach and create a longer waisteline.
Some examples of the bustle shape
Typically dresses of this time would all be sleeved some wrist length and others which would end just below the elbow (3/4 length as known today) Necklines came in a few different variations such as rounded square and v-neck. As mentioned above dresses were becoming more and more extravagant with lace, trimmings, peplums and layers of fabric and trained follwing beind the bustle.
The second Bustle
By the 1880's women were becomg more and more frustrated with the equalities of society and were starting to take up activities which had previously only be carried out by men such as bike riding, and frequent travelling therefore they were in need of a dress which allowed them some freeddom in terms of movement and this became known as the Second Bustle Era. The second bustle allowed women to be much more flexible in terms of everyday activities whilst remaining elegant.
Turn of the Century Victorian to Edwardian 1890-1900
One noteable change concerning women and the new rights and expectations surrounding them was that women (working class) were more commonly expected to do just that and work. Women and children now held a vital role in the workplace most commonly in fabric/cotton factories in fact during this period more than 60% of work staff in the loom factories were women, thus fashion again had to adapt to allow women to carry out the everyday duties expected of them in the work place. bustles were not favourabvle due to impracticality in the workplace and were swiftly fazed out and replaced by more simply silhouette shaped gowns, and interchangeable bodices and skirts.
However the popular silhouette for the wealthy women of Britain at this time, was that of the hour shape. Whilst elegant and womanly eccentuating a woman's natural curves and femininity the hour glass shape did have less desirable long term effects that arose from wearing the tight lace and heavily boned corsets which forced the women into the upright, petite waisted hourglass form. Corsets during this period were so tight and restricting that they actually caused a malformation of the ribcage bones permanently changing the shape of the womens body, there have even been reports of digestive problems and restricted blood flow caused by overly tightened corsets which commonly resulted in women fainting.
When creating film and television series in todays world it is extremely important for the costume designers to be as historically accurate as possible to give the production a feel of authenticity. One of todays popular television series set in the Vitorian Era is that of Sky Atlantics horror themed Victorian drama Penny Dreadful. This series however is not meant to be a true reflection of the era which should be pretty obvious considering it features an expansive range of Ghouls and Demons, Zombie like/other earthly like, non human entities, many of the characters throughout the series have been based on either real life Victorians such as Jack The Ripper or famous characters from Victorian Gothic horror literature such as Mary Shelly's Dr Victor Frankenstien and Dorian Grey. So it is fair to say that the costume department wanted to be as authentic as possible when creating the wardrobe for the shows characters as the story is set in 1981 and features Vanessa one of the lead female roles sporting a smaller Second Bustle style gown embellished with an intricate lace design. Another character whos fashion sense reflects true Victorian accuracy is that of Brona Croft a Victorian prostitute, who is often seen wearing low cut, cleavage revealing, neckline dresses and heavier brighter pigmented make up typically associated with "unfortunates" to which prostitutes were commonly referred to at the time. In addition to this, although the wardrobe department aim to create historically precise garments for the period in which the tale is set, they also make slight adaptations to the attire to reflect each characters personality, which aids in re-telling their individual and personal stories in a visual sense. For example the character of Vanessa, whom has the ability to see into the world of the supernatural through visions which frequently feature spiders. To reflect her supernatural abilities her garments have been tailored to include subtle decoration using web like patterns within the lace trimming, along with orb shaped designs.
Turn of the Century Victorian to Edwardian 1890-1900
One noteable change concerning women and the new rights and expectations surrounding them was that women (working class) were more commonly expected to do just that and work. Women and children now held a vital role in the workplace most commonly in fabric/cotton factories in fact during this period more than 60% of work staff in the loom factories were women, thus fashion again had to adapt to allow women to carry out the everyday duties expected of them in the work place. bustles were not favourabvle due to impracticality in the workplace and were swiftly fazed out and replaced by more simply silhouette shaped gowns, and interchangeable bodices and skirts.
However the popular silhouette for the wealthy women of Britain at this time, was that of the hour shape. Whilst elegant and womanly eccentuating a woman's natural curves and femininity the hour glass shape did have less desirable long term effects that arose from wearing the tight lace and heavily boned corsets which forced the women into the upright, petite waisted hourglass form. Corsets during this period were so tight and restricting that they actually caused a malformation of the ribcage bones permanently changing the shape of the womens body, there have even been reports of digestive problems and restricted blood flow caused by overly tightened corsets which commonly resulted in women fainting.
This image shows the malformation of the ribcage
as result of wearing and over tightened and stiff corset
When creating film and television series in todays world it is extremely important for the costume designers to be as historically accurate as possible to give the production a feel of authenticity. One of todays popular television series set in the Vitorian Era is that of Sky Atlantics horror themed Victorian drama Penny Dreadful. This series however is not meant to be a true reflection of the era which should be pretty obvious considering it features an expansive range of Ghouls and Demons, Zombie like/other earthly like, non human entities, many of the characters throughout the series have been based on either real life Victorians such as Jack The Ripper or famous characters from Victorian Gothic horror literature such as Mary Shelly's Dr Victor Frankenstien and Dorian Grey. So it is fair to say that the costume department wanted to be as authentic as possible when creating the wardrobe for the shows characters as the story is set in 1981 and features Vanessa one of the lead female roles sporting a smaller Second Bustle style gown embellished with an intricate lace design. Another character whos fashion sense reflects true Victorian accuracy is that of Brona Croft a Victorian prostitute, who is often seen wearing low cut, cleavage revealing, neckline dresses and heavier brighter pigmented make up typically associated with "unfortunates" to which prostitutes were commonly referred to at the time. In addition to this, although the wardrobe department aim to create historically precise garments for the period in which the tale is set, they also make slight adaptations to the attire to reflect each characters personality, which aids in re-telling their individual and personal stories in a visual sense. For example the character of Vanessa, whom has the ability to see into the world of the supernatural through visions which frequently feature spiders. To reflect her supernatural abilities her garments have been tailored to include subtle decoration using web like patterns within the lace trimming, along with orb shaped designs.
The character of Vanessa from Sky Atlantic television series Penny Dreadful. Wearing a typically Victorian style garnmentdecorated with spider web patterned lace and orb shape designs
Bibliography
Jarrett, S. and M.Ed (no date) History of Fashion and Dress- The Bustle Era. Available at: http://www.maggiemayfashions.com/secondbustle.html (Accessed: 26 February 2015).
Bibliography
Exploring the Myths of Corsets II | Yesterday’s Thimble (no date). Available at: http://yesterdaysthimble.com/articles/corset-myths-ii/ (Accessed: 20 March 2015).
Laverty, L. C. (no date) Penny Dreadful: Dressing the Monsters of Victorian London |. Available at: http://clothesonfilm.com/penny-dreadful-dressing-the-monsters-of-victorian-london/35116/ (Accessed: 20 March 2015).
Legacies - Work - England - Lancashire - Factory work in Victorian Lancashire - Article Page 1 (no date) BBC undefined. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/england/lancashire/article_1.shtml (Accessed: 20 March 2015).
Citation
(Legacies - Work - England - Lancashire - Factory work in Victorian Lancashire - Article Page 1, no date)
(Exploring the Myths of Corsets II | Yesterday’s Thimble, no date)
(Laverty, no date)
Citation
(Jarrett and M.Ed, no date)
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