The Role Of Clothing In The Victorian Era

“The clothes make the man”(Twain Alexander Atkins).The clothes showed how rich they were and who they were. Victorian clothing from rich to poor displayed how clothing was important to society.

What you wore in the eighteenth century meant a lot. It could tell you things about a person like they were rich or poor, cared for fashion or not, and their culture and religous groups. The men and womens clothing was heavy and there were many articles of clothing to put on.

In this essay I want to examine how the corset evolved from a staple of the British feminine wardrobe of the Nineteenth Century into a symbol of an outmoded tradition – only to later return as a statement of female liberation. I am going to look at different aspects of this development including technological advances, economic facts, external events, particularly the First World War and changes in social, political and aesthetic attitudes. I will also look briefly at the role of Chanel on the silhouette and how this impacted on the corset: focusing on the trend to towards ‘opulent androgyny’ in the 1920’s. Finally I will examine the resurgence of the corset

Queen Elizabeth was one of the biggest impacts on fashion in that time. She was mostly the one who set the trends. She also determined the laws about fashion. Many times people would just copy what she would wear. She impacted both women and men's clothing. "Naturally, what the Queen wore greatly influenced those close to her, her ladies in waiting wore her old dresses; other women strove to imitate the style of the Queen and her ladies" (Leed). In the Elizabeth Era the designs and trends came from Queen Elizabeth. Many people looked up to her as a role model for fashion and considered her the image of

The Victorian era refers to the time period in which Queen Victoria reigned in England. It is often known for having strict rules stating what is proper and what is off color. “The term Victorian morality is often used to describe the values of the period, which includes sexual proprietary, hard work, honesty, thrift, sense of duty and responsibility towards the less well off” (“Victorian Era Morality”). This standard worked well for the

Of all aspects of Elizabethan culture, the most distinctive is probably the clothing and fashion. A lot of the clothing varied to whether they were a member of the nobility, upper class or the poor. But even if a women or man was wealthy or poor, they were not allowed to wear whatever they wanted. It was a highly fashioned age that prized a look that was artificial, elaborate, and striking. The style of clothing of the Elizabethan Era are easily recognizable today and popular with designers of historic costume.

Regardless of class, there were several basic fashions that were popular among women during the Elizabethan era. Perhaps the most widely worn piece of clothing among Elizabethan women was the kirtle. Women at all levels of society wore the kirtle, a long fitted dress of simple design. However, while lower class women often wore kirtles alone, higher class women usually only wore them underneath more elaborate garments. Women of all classes also typically favored the combination of a bodice and numerous skirts called petticoats.

Women's fashion had undergone many characteristic modifications prior to 1750 and more so into the eighteenth century. Fashion trends were being set in the Old World, from France to England, and Colonial women were all too painfully aware of the need to adapt towards a sophisticated and up-to-date appearance.

In the Elizabethan period, the law on what clothing people wore was so strict that people could have penalties such as fines, the loss of property, and even life (www.elizabethan-era.org.uk)! Clothing was very important to people in the Elizabethan period, and regardless of what social class people where in, what they wore mattered a lot to them and defined them. This applies to younger girls and younger boys, who spent a lot of time dressing nice. Young girls spent their morning putting on their many layers of clothing.

During the years of the 1910s, the silhouette became much more graceful and soft than in the 1900s. One of the radical styles from this period was the hobble skirt. While people were used to seeing women’s bodies enwrapped in fabric, these skirts reminded people that women had ankles and legs. Asymmetrical designs were featured and the preferred fabrics were silk, satin, chiffon and cottons. World War I had an impact on style in the 1910s and fashion was now a necessity. More and more women were forced to work and were in demand for clothes that would suit their activities. These clothes included shirtwaists and tailored

At the beginning of the 1800’s the standard for men’s wear still was influenced if the 18th century. With knee-length breeches worn over stocking, 2tail coats cut high over the top of the breeches, their collars turned up and ruffled cravats worn at the neck. As for what they wore on there head they wore usually a top hat also most men carried a walking stick with them. Also cloaks were still in fashion but by the 1820’s this gave way to the more practical and easier manageable overcoat. 3As far as woman from the beginning of the 1800’s Europe still had a very large influence on people everywhere and this included America.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

The neckline of the corsets ranged from high neck to very low.” It goes to show the extent of craftsmanship that took place in creating the ‘perfect’ body for women. This fashion trend was seen all throughout Western Europe during the 17th, 18th and 19th century, today through paintings one can see that even some of the most aristocratic women of the time such as Queen Mary II, advocated for a

The Victorian Era is a remarkable time in history with the blooming industries, growing population, and a major turnaround in the fashion world. This era was named after Queen Victoria who ruled United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from June 1837 until she passed away 64 years later in January 1901.When Victoria received the crown, popular respect was strikingly low. The lack of respect for the position she had just come into did not diminish her confidence. Instead she won the hearts of Britain with her modesty, grace, straightforwardness, and her want to be informed on the political matters at hand even though she had no input. She changed Britain into a flourishing country. She also impacted how women interacted

The Renaissance period was an exciting time, which had some beautiful clothing for men and women. As we know the Renaissance period is known as “rebirth” because it was a period full of innovations and creations; it was a turning point for fashion. It was tending towards wealthy designs, and quite simple shapes and the use of silks and hides were very common.