Victorian Fashion

Grace, Taylor, Michael, Sofia

Was Victorian fashion modest?

Consider:
- societal modesty of the time
- significance of ones social status
- role of fashion in society

Victorian clothing acted not for the purpose of

warmth or comfort, but for ornamentation

Tight-laced corsets displaced internal organs

either below or above the corseted midsection
tight-lacing endangered the health of both fetus
and female.

"The Weight of Fashion." Off the Pedestal.

Comic Almanack For 1874, n.d. Web. 3 Dec.
2015.

Physical + social weight of fashion

-crushed ribs and
internal organs
-displayed self
control and
femininity
-instrument of
torture
-caused tuberculosis
and pneumonia

Women's fashion
-

how a woman dressed reflected their social class and financial standing

used to show off ones wealth

clearly separated rich from poor- apparent

Queen Victoria: switched gender roles (women replaced men in terms of displaying wealth and
social status )

vs

Childrens Fashion
Wealthy Girls: somewhat mirrored adult
styles of the era
-

young girls wore shorter skirts than

adults
girls wore corsets until the late 1800s
girls were aware of how their
appearance reflected their status of
wealth

Wealthy Boys: young victorian

boys dressed like girls
-

wore frocks and pleated

skirts until age 3-4
Scottish Highlander and
plaid skirts look became
popular
Knickerbocker suits (borrowed
from Americans)

Victorian Dress Reform Movement

The Rational Dress society protests against the introduction of any fashion in dress
that either deforms the figure, impedes the movement of the body, or in any way tends
to injure the health. It protests against the wearing of tightly fitted corsets, of highheeled or narrow toed boots and shoes; of heavily weighted skirts, as rendering
healthy exercise almost impossible.
-Rational Dress Society Manifesto

From 1850s to 1890s, reformers proposed and wore more practical and
comfortable clothing
Rational Dress Society formed
Influenced adoption of simpler clothing for athletic activity

V
ictorian fashion was not modest
Modesty:
the quality of not being too proud or confident about yourself
freedom from conceit or vanity

In dress, the wives of wealthy industrialists were clothed in conspicuous finery

as they were the social representatives of their soberly dressed husbands
(Pauline Weston Thomas).

Showing off social status using fashion: not modest

Modesty: regard for decency of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

The gowns which women wore in this era comprised of several pieces worn
under the dress. Those dresses and stockings were cut in different styles to flaunt
the figure in a modest way (Lopa Mohanty).

Wearing layers of clothing to preserve image of innocence and purity:

modest
BUT

This image was never preserved, so: not modest

Sources
"Fashion." Off the Pedestal: Images of Women in Victorian Broadsides, Ephemera and Fast Literature. Indiana University Libraries,
Bloomington, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
"The Weight of Fashion." Off the Pedestal. Comic Almanack For 1874, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
"What Victorians Wore." The Victorian Web. Scholarly Technology Group, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
"Men's and Women's Costume, 1850-1900: The Cultural Context." The Victorian Web. Scholarly Technology Group, n.d. Web. 03
Dec. 2015.
"The Rational Dress Societys Gazette." The British Library. British Library Board, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
"Victorian Dresses." Fashion Plate Collection. University of Washington, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
What Victorians Wore." What Victorians Wore. The Victorian Web, n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.