Clothing in the Victorian era was constantly changing. Three of the most common fabrics used, were cotton, flax, and silk. Women’s clothing was changing more often than men’s and different materials were used for each gender. Victorian clothing was different for each social class; to say nothing of, types of clothing and materials also differed by gender. In the first place, cotton became a growing industry during the 1920’s; furthermore, cotton mills were used to spin or weave cotton. Used for both men’s and women’s clothing, cotton was an overall universal fabric that was “worn by all social classes.” Because cotton was so similar to silk, it was considered, “an affordable alternative.” As silk was a high demand, and cotton was a valuable …show more content…
Additionally, cotton and silk were used for women’s clothing more often than men’s. Women’s clothing trends are broken into three categories— rich, poor, and children's. Above all, rich women’s clothing was the most over the top clothing of the Victorian era. Rich women always followed the “unspoken rules of etiquette.” Throughout the 19th century, rich women’s clothing became more and more sexualised; by the same token, fancy dresses “exaggerated the breasts and hips while minimizing the waist.” Distinguishing one’s social class was generally identified by the type of clothing they wore. Rich women’s clothing, in a way, made a statement, “no labor for me” (‘How the Other Half Lived”). Further, poor women’s clothing was very ragged and most likely ripped all over. General clothes worn by the less fortunate were almost always hand me downs during the Victorian era. Moreover, cotton and wool were cheaper materials that were still durable and could handle the labor that the poor endured, “clothes they bought were made of wool or cotton,” (“How the Other Half Lived”). Since the poor worked a lot they needed durable clothes that would not diminish over time. Unfortunately, clothes for poor women especially were put to use until they could not be used
The attire of the period had variants sometimes when it came to age, social class, economic position, and even job placement. These factors made a difference in style of clothing, style of sleeves, choice of fabric, and amount of fabric used in a garment. A rich woman might buy very expensive brocade for her dress where a poorer woman might simply buy a singular colored wool or cotton. When the war arrived, cotton and silk increased, making it harder to obtain (Mitchell 4). It was these fabrics; wool, silk, muslin, linen, etc., that made the weight of the whole outfit so heavy and awkward.
The early nineteenth century which was in the Regency Era consisted of harsh judgments towards what was believed to be a “wealthy” look and what was considered to be “proper.” In Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the clothing is more than just a fashion statement, it determines how they are perceived and their overall rank and social class in society. Therefore, fashion represents the importance of self appearance during that time.
Clothing for both men and women initially was deerskin for shirts and skirts. The men later wore cotton or velvet shirts with no collars, breeches below the knee, and moccasins. Women gradually wore the "squaw dress", made of plain dark blankets.
Throughout history, there were many things that influenced fashion and the ideal body image of the time. Things such as politics, and changes in social roles were some things that had an influence on the fashion of the day. One particular shocking thing that had influenced on the fashion around the 1800s were sickness and diseases. Not only were diseases and sickness caused by different fashion trends, but it set the tone for certain ideal body images and also influenced the fashion of the time.
The 18th century fashion for men and women was influenced by the royal court and Puritans. Women’s fashion was very elegant and colorful, more so than the men’s fashion. The shoes worn by the women of the 18th century were made of silks and satin. They were decorated in laces and had a square or round shape. They also began to wear shoes of different and vibrant colors with higher heels. A majority of the time their shoes were not shown because of their extravagant skirts and petticoats. Lace was a stylish detail to women’s fashion during that time. They wore lace gloves and their petticoats were trimmed in lace. Men wore knee high boots that were either high-heeled or flat along with their knee length trousers. Their shoes were often neutral colors dark brown, light ...
Peasant women wore the cote of the earlier period and handkerchiefs or collars around their neck, to what we call the dress of the Puritans. Renaissance dress makers considered the human form in two parts-- hips and shoulders. The clothing was made to fit the wearer, yet on the outside it was padded to show the body in a completely different form than the natural one. Being the first, lace was woven into dresses. Women wore the low-crowned hat in the same fashion sense as men.
The women on the trail, though it shows, had little time to care about mending clothes, “The majority of the overland women wore what clothing they had and prayed that what they wore would not tear. They were too preoccupied with the necessities of the day to consider fashion at all (Schlissel 105). ” I would be happy if I were these women because that just means one less chore that was their “duty” to perform. In conclusion, the woman of the Victorian Era had her role in life planned out from before she was born. Although it was a dreadful role, these women carried it out in a way that shows their purity of the heart and willingness to do so many things for others and for little return.
The Victorians' obsession with physical appearance has been well documented by scholars. This was a society in which one's clothing was an immediate indication of what one did for a living (and by extension, one's station in life). It was a world, as John Reed puts it, "where things were as they seemed" (312).
The attire of men and women in the eighteenth century cemented the roles they were supposed to play. The style of made dress belied his nature as somewhat more free from restrictions whereas the woman, bound by corsets and strict dress-codes found herself held back in clothing as in society. A sphere of influence, behavior and conduct was assigned to both sexes; each was valued for different qualities. These gender distinctions do not allow any overlap between the two sexes. (Marsden, 21) In light of this, society viewed cross-dressing (the practice of one gender dressing themselves in the attire of the other) as a threat to its own structure. For a woman to forsake the clothes and character of women for that of men sounded monstrous. Such a practice would create sexual ambiguity - a woman would assume the clothes of a man and thus the manner and actions of a man, yet her physical nature denied her that right. Cross-dressing creates monstrations - a woman ceases to be a woman after she has assumed male garb and can never hope to be a man.
Clothing affected the lives of women greatly. Women wore many layers of clothing that could be hot and tight, making them uncomfortable. Different types of clothing were also used to make women seem more petite than they actually were (History of Fashion - Elizabethan). Many outfits included most of the following under layers: a smock, stockings, a corset, a farthingale, a rowel, a stomacher, a petticoat, a kirtle, a fore part, and a partlet. Then, most of the following over layers: a gown, separate sleeves, a ruff, a cloak, and shoes. Shoes were often a flat, Mary Jane style, or had a platform to keep one's feet dry. The biggest influence on woman's clothing during the Elizabethan Era was actually Queen Elizabeth I herself.
Weaving is a common thread among cultures around the world. Weaving is a way of producing cloth or textile. Today we have machines that weave large-scale textiles at cheap prices. Production of cloth by hand is rarely engaged in today’s Westernized societies. Not many people are thinking about how the fibers are actually constructed to make their clothes. However, in other cultures across the world the tradition of weaving still exists. By comparing three cultures that continue weaving as a part of their tradition we can see similarities and the differences between them. The reasons that each culture still weaves vary, as do the methods and materials. The desired characteristics of the cloth also vary around the world as each culture values different aesthetics.
Thomas, Pauline W. "The Victorian EraFashion History." Victorian Era 1837-1901 Victorian Fashion History, Costume Social History. Fashion-Era.com, 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. .
Everyone in the age would always wear extremely modest clothing. The common garment for a man was the robe gathered at the waist, completed by hose and soft sandals. The same was for the woman, except their dress extended to the feet. The most common materials used to make clothing were linen and woolens, though...
“For as long as men and women have been wearing clothing, there has been a hierarchy based on garments. The clearest example arose when the sexes were segregated into skirts and pants: women would only wear dresses (a symbol of submission) and men would only wear trousers (proof of domination). Women’s clothing was created to impede and hamper movement (through tight or many layered skirts), while men enjoyed the ease and comfort of pant legs.” (Meza, Echazarreta) Women’s fashion throughout the ages can be used to trace the history of equality between men and women. As women achieved greater independence, they claimed the right to choose what they wore, and that included women being able to wear pants. There are three things that were instrumental in making it socially acceptable for women to wear pants, they include: the invention of the bicycle, WWII, and influential women.
After the early nineteenth century children began to have more identity in their clothing. The styles were changing more rapidly and the difference in clothing between boys and girls were greater. Children were not forced to grow up as quickly for medicine was improving and they were not need to procreate sooner. Their clothes were not adult like as soon as possible like before.