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Key
terms:
Aesthetic dress bicycle rationals department stores combinations bustle princess line Norfolk suit Little Lord Fauntleroy suit  Fazio's Mistress, 1863 D.G.Rossetti- pre-Raphaelite Artist (Tate Gallery)  The Martyr of the Solway, 1871 John Millais- pre-Raphaelite Artist (Walker Art Gallery)  1880s aesthetic dress (Ohio State University) |
Brief
overview of the time
period: During this period, England was in full fledged social reform. In the 1880s, a dress reform movement began as women rebelled against what they deemed the ridiculousness of modern fashion. "Any costumes which impair or contradict the natural lines of the human frame are to be rejected as ugly, injurious, or both; for they are the abuse of dress, not its proper use." -Mary Haweis, The Art of Dress 1879. Aesthetic dress, as it was called, had its origins in the pre-Raphaelite art movement of the 1840s, but did not truly gain notoriety until the 1880s. The movement mainly attracted artists, craftspeople, and writers- like Oscar Wilde. Women's aesthetic dress had no corseting. The sleeves were generally puffed and worn without petticoats. Also in England, the bicycle was all the rage. But in 1876, it was shown at the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition and captured American attention. By 1885, 50,000 Americans had taken up cycling and by 1896, over 10 million American men, women, and children were riding bicycles. Along with bicycling, sports of all types were becoming more and more popular.  Brooklyn NY Trolley, late 1880s carrying bicycles (Image courtesy Bicycle Federation)   1890s lady in cycling
costume Ladies tennis match-1880s
(Image courtesy The Detroit News)
(image courtesy The
Gallery of Costume)
As early as the 1860s, ready made clothing such as corsets, millinery, and outerwear were available to American women. But with more and more women moving into the work force, ladies no longer had time to stay at home and sew. Thus, the first department stores became more prominent in larger cities. At first, only underpinnings and wrappers were available. But by the 1890s, a variety of dresses, walking suits, shirtwaists, and skirts could also be purchased off the rack. And for the ladies who still wished to sew at home, a variety of standardized sized paper patterns were available both in the stores and via mail order catalogs like Montgomery Ward and the 1893 opening of Sears, Roebuck, and Co.  1875 Cover of Montgomery Ward Catalog (image courtesy Kingwood College) |
 1880s wire bustle, corset, and combinations (The Victoria and Albert Museum)  1880s photograph of Lady (Roger Vaughan Picture Library)  Photograph of Lady in her Evening Attire |
Effects
on Women's Clothing: In 1875, the corset changed from the earlier victorian silhouette to a longer, sleeker shape. This "new" corset was much longer than the latter corset and helped to flatten the stomach as new "snugger" dresses called for a much more controlled upper body. The combination chemise and drawers became popular during this period as the need for less bulky underclothing became necessary to achieve the desired look. During this period, a great deal of experimentation with the bustle occurred. The first bustles of this period ranged from padded/cushioned devices that sat just at the base of the waist to half wire hoops intermeshed together as shown to the left. From 1878-1883, the the bustle fell low on the derriere, creating a "mermaid tail" look but by 1889 had moved back to the base of the waist. Both one and two piece gowns were worn during this period. The princess line dresses were popular as were separate bodices with matching skirts. Bodices varied from short to long and had a variety of necklines. The cuirasse bodice, or long fitted bodice is synomymous with the beginning of this period. Sleeves set higher into the armhole and were generally close fitting. Skirts were rarely trained and ended several inches above the floor. Separate skirts and blouses were worn occasionally.  1880 visiting dress-
English (SSM collection)
 A variety of bustling techniques
and styles of the Second Bustle Period
(House of Worth, Centraal Museum, Musee McCord, Centraal Museum, Museum of Costume- Bath) From 1870-1890, shoes were more
popular than boots and oftentimes
matched their dresses. Black stockings were most often worn during the
day and white silk stockings in the evening. Rubber soled shoes with
canvas tops were worn for sporting.
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 Period photograph of children- *Note the boy's double breasted suit, knickers, and baseball bat (Museum of Early Baseball Memorabilia)  Period Photo of Young lady in sporting attire- *Note the seperate blouse and skirt ang glengarry type hat (Ontario Archives)  period photo of a young bustled Lady |
Effects
on Children's Clothing: Infants of both genders during this period were dressed quite similarly- in walking dresses or frocks. Dresses for young ladies followed the styles of their adult counterparts. Dresses usually fastened down the front and had a variety of sleeve styles ranging from sleeveless to long fitted ones. Skirt length varied from just below the knee to mid calf. Large round, square, pointed, or sailor style collars were an important accessory. Shoes were often dyed to match young ladies dresses as they were for adults. Patterned or plain stocking were worn also.  Young Lady's gown (private collection) Young men continued to wear the four button suit of the earlier period but omitting the vest. Other young men chose to wear the newer Norfolk suit, a yolk fronted jacket with pleats and a belt. Others wore double breasted jackets with caravans and knickers. Kilt suits were very fashionable for boys ages two to six. Knickers regained popularity among all boys for sporting activities and were worn with fancy socks. 
 Norfolk Suit Boy's Kilt Suit (Home Farm Antiques) But perhaps the most infamous style for boy's wear during this period was the Little Lord Fauntleroy suit. A brainchild of the Aesthetic dress movement and based upon the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett, only a few young men of the day were forced to wear the suit. It consisted of a velvet tunic and knickers and wide lace collar. It was a style that was not widely worn and disappeared as quickly as it appeared.   Period image of a Little Lord Fauntleroy Suit graces the cover of this modern Aladdin book cover and period photograph of 3 Boys in their Little Lord Fauntleroy suits Young ladies did not escape the Aesthetic dress movement either. Although much less radical than the Little Lord Fauntleroy suit, some little girls were dressed in Regency style dresses, an imitation of Kate Greenaway's characters in her children's books.  Greenaway Illustration from A Apple Pie, 1886 |