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Victorian Fashion

Victorian fashion developed from the 1830s through the 1890s in Britain and the British Empire. Fashion trends were influenced by changes in styles, technology, and distribution methods. Queen Victoria's influence defined women's fashion of the time as dressing modestly and focusing on home and family. Under her reign, mass production and new technologies like synthetic dyes and sewing machines made clothing cheaper and more accessible. Advances in printing and fashion magazines allowed trends to spread more widely. By the late Victorian era, clothing was increasingly factory-made and sold in department stores, fueling consumerism among the growing middle class. Fashions created exaggerated silhouettes through tight corseting and large skirts, in contrast to more relaxed styles

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328 views1 page

Victorian Fashion

Victorian fashion developed from the 1830s through the 1890s in Britain and the British Empire. Fashion trends were influenced by changes in styles, technology, and distribution methods. Queen Victoria's influence defined women's fashion of the time as dressing modestly and focusing on home and family. Under her reign, mass production and new technologies like synthetic dyes and sewing machines made clothing cheaper and more accessible. Advances in printing and fashion magazines allowed trends to spread more widely. By the late Victorian era, clothing was increasingly factory-made and sold in department stores, fueling consumerism among the growing middle class. Fashions created exaggerated silhouettes through tight corseting and large skirts, in contrast to more relaxed styles

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Manolache Ana
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Victorian fashion

Victorian fashion comprises the various fashions and trends in British culture that emerged and
developed in the United Kingdom and the British Empire throughout the Victorian era, roughly
from the 1830s through the 1890s. The period saw many changes in fashion, including changes
in styles, fashion technology and the methods of distribution. Various movement in
architecture, literature, and the decorative and visual arts as well as a changing perception of
the traditional gender roles also influenced fashion.
Victorian prudery and decorum were the rules of the day. Fashion, then as now, took its cues
from society. Queen Victoria greatly influenced how women perceived themselves and how
men perceived them. A woman's "job" was in the home, as wife and mother. Wealthy women
of the time followed Victoria's lead in dress and leisure pursuits. These are typically the women
who defined Victorian fashion history, as the poor female laborers had no access to the genteel
trappings of the upper classes.
Under Queen Victoria's reign, England enjoyed a period of growth along with technological
advancement. Mass production of sewing machines in the 1850s as well as the advent of
synthetic dyes introduced major changes in fashion. Clothing could be made more quickly and
cheaply. Advancement in printing and proliferation of fashion magazines allowed the masses to
participate in the evolving trends of high fashion, opening the market of mass consumption and
advertising. By 1905, clothing was increasingly factory made and often sold in large, fixed-price
department stores, spurring a new age of consumerism with the rising middle class who
benefited from the industrial revolution.
Despite the prim and proper feminine ideal of the day, fashions of the Victorian period created
an often exaggerated, ostentatious look. Tight corsets, gigantic hoop-skirts, and outrageous
bustles make today's fashion trends look sedate by comparison.
Clothing styles were dictated by propriety, and stylish garments were a sign of respectability.
The copious amounts of fabric used in the creation of Victorian skirts usually meant that most
women owned few outfits. Detachable collars and cuffs enabled a woman to change the look of
a garment for a bit of variety. Of course, wealthier women owned more garments that were
made of finer fabrics and used more material and embellishments.
Throughout women's fashion history, societal roles had a great impact on clothing. As the
Victorian era ended, a new style silhouette quickly moved in, which was more suited to
women's burgeoning freedom and new movements designed to secure more rights for them.
Looking back at earlier periods can give today's woman an idea of just how far the fairer sex has
come.

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