Victorian dress

Fibres such as cotton wool and silk were considered to be natural. Tight bodices and sleeves required more skill than the making of a straight seamed skirt. During the late 1860s, the fullness of a large crinoline was moved to the back of the skirt and trailed behind the person wearing it. The skirt at the back was swept up in a bustle in the 1870s and held out over a pad or frame which allowed it to flow into a short train. Making this type of skirt required hours of skilled work. During the last decade of Queen Victoria's reign, women's clothes became much plainer and the bustle became smaller ( V & A, 2015:2).



http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/v/victorian-dress-at-v-and-a/The day dresses show that women were leading active lives. During the 1890s, the dresses that women were wore showed off their small waists and need for tight bodices which restricted movement. The bodices and blouses had high necks stiffened with bones or wire. The chin was held up and the hair was puffed out with a large hat on top which was secured with a hair pin. Evening dresses were made from luxurious heavy silks which had boned bodices and trains ( V & A, 2015:2).