The Victorian era refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), when this great woman set the style in everything from fashion to interiors. Ladies of high society tried to dress like her and behave the same way. Today, some details of that era are present in our lives. Sometimes fashionistas have no idea to whom they owe the style of their dress. Today we’ll take a closer look at how the Victorian style manifests itself in modern fashion.

Victorian style clothing

Since Victoria reigned for no less than 60 years, then, naturally, fashion was not the same all this time. She grew up with the queen, reflecting the happy and tragic stages of her life. The early period of Victorian clothing is characterized by romance and floral prints; medium - dark tones, luxury, chic, severity in combination with bustles; the later one is more elegant and noble, with hats and jackets.
Some dresses, almost exactly like those in England during the era of Queen Victoria, can be found on Taobao and AliExpress. You can, of course, find it in England itself or have it sewn to order, repeating the style of the Victorian era, but in China it will most likely be cheaper. Paradoxical as it may seem. The price depends on the quality.

Victorian style in modern fashion

It is not surprising that Victorian-style clothing appears in the collections of modern designers. This era is so inspiring! The flourishing of industry, literature, the appearance of couture outfits, gala receptions, balls - all this feeds creative people in the fashion houses of Dolce & Gabbana, Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen. And with the Victorian-style clothing from these fashion designers, the inspiration extends to everyone else.

Firstly, modern fashion has taken lace from those times. Although the Victorian style of clothing was quite strict in all its periods, women always loved lace. And now they love me too. Lace, on the one hand, emphasizes femininity, making you tender and fragile, and on the other hand, it looks very seductive due to its transparency. Such Victorian-style clothing, especially in black colors, will have a deadly effect on men. Well, if you don’t really care about the reaction of men, and you are really a suffragette of the era of Queen Victoria, then wear lace anyway, it’s just beautiful.

Also, the high collar is still in fashion. It suits women with long necks. The overalls look especially beautiful in the style of the Victorian era. It seems that everything is closed on top, almost in a puritanical way, if you don’t take into account the fact that the lace is transparent, and there are short shorts underneath. But this outfit is not vulgar. When a designer knows what lace to use and what length of shorts to keep, a woman looks chic. Without any hints. But this concerns outfits for the evening. And for a hot summer day, a light and airy white dress with Victorian-style sleeves is perfect. In that era, sleeves were sewn so long that it was difficult for women to move. Now it is a light decorative element that makes the image even more airy.

The Victorian style of clothing can be more modest - blouses with frills and a high collar, buttoned up with all buttons. Plus a knee-length skirt or slightly lower. This option is suitable for work. But here you have to be careful not to turn into a real puritan. Complete the look with a period-appropriate hairstyle, wearing your hair in a slightly messy braid or simply creating curls. Don't forget about makeup, only light one.

Young fashionistas can experiment with dresses and bare shoulders. Sort of like Turgenev's young ladies. Despite the fact that the brand that sews these dresses offers shoes to go with them with a clasp on a thick, stable heel, we still advise you to choose pumps like those from Olivia Le-Tan. It will be very interesting if you can complement your Victorian style of clothing with accessories in the form of a clutch with a literary work of that era.

By the way, Victoria was very fond of accessories. At that time, sets of jewelry, transformable jewelry, and jewelry, for example, with a lover’s hair, came into fashion. If you don't take into account the latest fashion trend, other period-inspired accessories can now be found on eBay.

In the Victorian era, casual clothing was much more formal than it is today. Victorian men's clothing had strict parameters. Any gentleman, unless he was a worker or craftsman, had to wear a jacket, waistcoat and hat. Appearing without a jacket or coat was equivalent to going outside in underwear today. Very indecent, and not at all gentlemanly.

If you're new to dressing in Victorian style, keep in mind that you'll first need a vest, coat and hat, perhaps with one or two accessories. Contemporary square-toe boots, black trousers and a modern white tuxedo shirt can complete a Victorian look and add some flair.

Victorian vests

When creating a basic Victorian wardrobe, the first thing to do is get a waistcoat. The Victorian waistcoat was the centerpiece of any outfit. Like modern ties, waistcoats helped create a distinctive fashion look, whether bold or conservative, and a gentleman owned several vests to wear with the same black suit.

Victorian gentlemen wore many different waistcoats, in almost every color, style and fabric. With the opening of China in the 1840s, silk became a ubiquitous and relatively inexpensive material, so that men often wore elaborate silk vests even during the daytime. Many men even buttoned their coat or jacket only at the top button to make the vest more visible.

By the end of the century, wool and cotton vests in more conservative colors became more typical for casual wear, and the three-piece suit was gaining popularity. But silk vests continued to dominate evening fashion, just as they do today.

Victorian men's hats

Like vests, hats came in different styles.

Top hats were common headdresses throughout the century. at holidays and official events, but wealthy gentlemen wore them during the daytime.

Other styles of hats were seen throughout the Victorian period, including wide-brimmed fedoras and flat-topped pie hats.

Bowler hats, hats with narrow brims and a round crown, became increasingly popular, and by the mid-1890s they had replaced almost all other styles.

Victorian jackets

In the second half of the 19th century, frock coats prevailed - men's double-breasted jackets, fitted in front and back, which reached almost to the knee. In the 1880s, frock coats were worn both during the day and in the evening. The frock coat was the most practical item in the Victorian wardrobe.

Tailcoats - jackets, the length of which at the back reached to the knee, black , have been popular for almost a century. They were often worn for holidays and official events. As today, tailcoats were single-breasted or double-breasted, with straight or pointed front flaps.

With straight-cut tailcoats, gentlemen often wore longer waistcoats, the edges of which were visible from under the tailcoat.

In the 1870s and later, the men's suit gained popularity with a spacious jacket. It was originally cut as a large, square-shaped jacket without a center seam, allowing the suit to fit loosely on the figure.

By the 1880s, more fitted jackets with a center seam just above the pockets became more common.

Victorian trousers

The biggest difference between modern pants and the pants of the mid-1800s is the waistline. Victorian men wore trousers with a higher waist that sat at or just below the navel.

Men wore striped and sometimes checkered trousers, and often combined them with different patterns, stripes and checks. This may seem quite strange to modern people, but to Victorian gentlemen it seemed fashionable.

Also note that men did not wear trousers with ironed pleats, but even ones. The length of the trousers has varied slightly over the decades. The trousers were either very short, due to which the trouser legs were completely straight, or very long, in which the trouser leg completely covered the heel.

They didn't wear belts back then, and trousers didn't even have belt loops. Pomochi or suspenders made of leather or canvas were common.

Victorian Men's Shirts

Although Victorian shirts resembled modern ones in many ways, they were much looser cut because sewing and cutting technology was limited.

In addition, since there were no washing machines then, shirts were washed much less often than today. As a result, men wore shirts with stand-up collars and separate collars and cuffs for special occasions. Some shirts also had a bib that could be turned over to hide the stain. This allowed me to maintain a neat appearance without washing the entire shirt.

Victorian ties and men's accessories

Apart from clothing, the most basic accessory for any Victorian gentleman was a tie. Ties varied in width and style, from the usual thin strip of fabric to an intricate scarf with decorative patterns, and a wide black tie.

Also, almost everyone wore a pocket watch with a chain that was visible hanging from the front vest pocket.

Most men also carried canes of various styles, and often wore gloves if they needed to dress smartly. Some etiquette books stated that it was inappropriate for a man to touch a woman's skin, so gloves were a necessity.

Fashion trends of the late Victorian period

The 60s of the 19th century became a turning point in the history of the development of world fashion, turning it into a real industry. Such significant changes occurred largely due to the invention of the sewing machine, as well as the advent of artificial dyes. At the same time, one of the main directions of development of modern fashion - haute couture - arose and took institutional form. From now on, fashion trends have ceased to be some kind of frozen and slowly changing form, turning into something much more dynamic and creative.

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The famous dome-shaped crinoline skirt has sunk into oblivion, replaced by a much more elegant elongated shape. However, the very concept of “crinoline” lingered in fashion for quite some time.for a long time thanks to the extraordinary popularity of the creator of haute couture, Charles Worth. Worth himself considered the crinoline to be a rather bulky and unattractive structure, but since his name was firmly associated with this accessory, he continued to experiment with the form, creating an increasingly sophisticated image. As a result, after a few years, the overskirt rose significantly and was gathered into elegant pleats just below the waist.

Common men's shoes in the second half of the 19th century were boots and boots with buttons or laces. Open shoes were worn only at balls. Only black or patent leather shoes or low shoes were worn with the business card. Felt leggings were often worn on patent leather low shoes. In the 50s men's shoes were pointed, and in the 60s, blunt toes and high heels came into fashion.
In the 50-60s. women wore high-heeled shoes and lace-up boots.
Casual women's shoes from the 70s-80s. there were high boots, laced or with buttons, with high or medium heels.

Speaking of crinoline. The crinoline acquired its true meaning only from 1850. It was then that it took the form of a gathered, domed skirt, the shape of which was supported by numerous petticoats. Until 1856, six more petticoats were worn under the overskirt, most of them handmade, and very complex. Making them was difficult and took an infinite amount of time. This was due to the fact that improved sewing machines began to be used in Parisian salons, at best, around 1850. These machines were introduced everywhere only in 1857.

Since 1859, artificial crinolines were introduced, where elastic steel hoops - a technically modernized memory of the former rifrock with its hoops - supported the lighter modern material as if by springs. This change affected not only the external outline of the dress, but also changed the very nature of the clothing. The skirt took on a new, unexpected movement. The former petticoats disappeared and the faux crinoline became a machine-made product. As soon as the skirt expanded to a crinoline, the sleeves of the bodice, which in the 40s were already tightly fitting the arm, narrowed, and the bodice itself began to be complemented by a wide frill at the collar, called “berte”.

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Small hats decorated with feathers and fascinators came back into fashion; Ladies preferred modest hairstyles - a bun or curls tied on the sides in French braids. Particularly relaxed ladies also experienced the first model haircuts, but they have not yet become widespread.

By 1867, crinoline had completely disappeared from the fashion horizon and was replaced by bustles, about which caricaturists did not fail to make evil jokes, comparing fashionistas to strutting geese. Experiments with overskirts and petticoats literally captured almost all layers of English society. As a result, by 1878 the ladies very vaguely resembled their predecessors of the early Victorian period. A thin, graceful silhouette with a long train finally defeated massive forms. From now on, designers began to pay special attention to the figures of customers, giving the latter the desired grace, which meant further improvement of the craftsmanship of the couturier, who often had to turn the ugly duckling into a real princess.
Examples of the use of lace in Dresses of the 1900s.

This type of lace was known in Ireland as early as the sixteenth century. At that time it was called "Nuns Work" because it was woven by nuns in monasteries. Later, the lace was slightly improved by Mademoiselle Riego de Blancardier, the daughter of a Franco-Spanish nobleman and an Irish woman. She really liked Venetian lace and figured out how to make something similar with crochet.

The main motifs of such lace are flowers, leaves, insects.

Victorian men's fashion:

It is characteristic that men's clothing from the beginning of the 19th century. almost unchanged. Only the details and materials changed, but not the cut. After 1875, the type of men's clothing that we know now was established - trousers, a vest and a jacket, all made of the same material - solid English fabrics.
The tuxedo is coming into fashion. Initially it was worn in smoking salons, and then when visiting theaters and restaurants. Tuxedos were worn predominantly by young people. The cuffs were starched so that one could write on them.

The previous forms of tailcoats and frock coats were preserved, but the waist in them began to be greatly underestimated. The sleeves of the garment were moderately wide, tapered towards the wrists and were trimmed with cuffs. Not only jackets and coats had pockets, but also frock coats and business cards - something between a frock coat and a jacket with beveled, rounded or flat-cut hems.

An ordinary day suit consisted of a jacket or frock coat, trousers and a vest. If the trousers and jacket were made from one material, then the vest was made from another. But the jacket and vest made of the same material were paired with striped, checkered or lighter trousers. With a black frock coat and business card, they wore trousers with black or gray stripes in the evening, and light gray or small black-gray-white checkered ones during the day. A large check, especially on jackets, was a sign of cheapness and bad taste of a man.

For ways to tie ties, see HERE

Jackets and frock coats were single- or double-breasted, with a flat collar and lapels, and were fastened only with the top buttons. The most elegant clothes were black frock coats, single-breasted coats with rounded hems and double-breasted ones with straight-cut hems. The vests were made single-breasted, and either a white or a black vest was worn under the tailcoat. Closer vests were worn with a jacket and frock coat, and with a tailcoat - with a deeper neckline. Collars were made with lapels or shawls. The tailcoat was sewn deeply cut on the chest, the fronts were cut straight, the waist was lowered, and the tails did not reach the knees. Pockets were placed on the tails, the sleeves were made narrow with cuffs.

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In the 70s The trousers were moderately wide at the top, narrowed at the knees, and also tapered at the feet. The trouser pockets were made in the side seams. In the late 70s - early 80s. They began to make cuffs on trousers, but initially this fashion was not successful. Stripes were in fashion. In addition, to prevent trousers from wrinkles, they began to be lined with silk lining. For trousers and suits they used fabrics with a smooth texture and with oblique thread - the so-called diagonal.

Shirts were worn white, linen, with a starched chest, collar and cuffs. The latter were more likely to wear seat belts. A tie was mandatory. Ties were worn black and colored, smooth and with narrow stripes or with a small pattern. Only with an evening tailcoat was a cambric tie with a small bow - a butterfly - required. They also wore ready-made ties with a knot, similar to modern ones, plastrons pinned with a pin, and tie scarves threaded through a ring.


In the 80-90s. men's fashion evolved by simplifying lines. The cut of the trousers gradually became closer to modern ones, they became quite loose, with ironed folds, there were no stripes or even cuffs at the bottom. Jackets also began to resemble modern ones, they were worn as casual wear for visits, receptions and the street. By the end of the century, a frock coat began to mean an official suit; people wore it to institutions. Tailcoats could be used as a professional suit, but they were still more formal wear. A man’s personal taste could manifest itself in the choice of material, vest, tie. A man who is not conspicuous and does not stand out is considered well dressed. The one who still drew attention to himself became a fop.

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Transformable dress by Charles Frederick Worth
Charles Frederick Worth (born England), 1825-1895 Paris.

During the late Victorian period:

Industrialization is progressing across the planet by leaps and bounds: the telephone and telegraph have already been invented, experiments are being carried out with computers, the Kodak camera has appeared, the luxurious World Exhibition has died down. Life has become dynamic and hasty, which is reflected in fashion trends. It was at this time that the famous “bloomers” were invented - wide trousers similar to the clothes of harem slaves, skirts became narrower, and the silhouette began to take on the shape that is familiar to us today. The bustle and crinoline, although worn everywhere, are gradually going out of fashion, giving way to practical formal dresses (most often from the atelier), Amazon cut suits and mermaid skirts (narrow top and fluffy bottom). Women are starting to cut their hair; Curls and bangs are in fashion.

But all this concerns mainly wealthy women, representatives of the aristocracy and bourgeoisie. For ladies from the lower classes, clothing remains unchanged - a closed dark dress with a closed collar of the most simple cut, a rigid bustle made of cheap materials, mercilessly rubbing the skin even through undershirts, rough (“goat”) shoes or low-heeled shoes.

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The Victorian era refers to the reign of Queen Victoria, who ascended the throne at a very young age in 1837 and passed away in 1901.

During this time, many changes have occurred in the world, many of them affecting fashion. For example, in the mid-19th century, dyes were invented to add vibrant colors to clothing.

The first sewing machines appeared, which made the process of making outfits faster.

At this time, the fashion was thin waists, cinched in corsets, an hourglass silhouette, crinolines, pale aristocratic faces, sophistication and exceptional manners (books on etiquette were in the top sales!).

In the mid-nineteenth century, ladies of high society often had to sacrifice health in the name of beauty, or rather, the current idea of ​​it. Freckles were literally erased, ladies swallowed vinegar to make them look pale, to achieve the effect of dilated pupils, and dropped belladonna drops into their eyes. An electric corset was even invented, which, with a light shock of electricity, reminded the wearer that she needed to straighten her back.

The corset is a real symbol of the Victorian era. It’s easy to find a lot of pretty scary facts about corsets. The ladies were so keen on tightening them that they damaged their internal organs, and fainting was so frequent that it surprised no one.

The woman wore an impressively sized crinoline, which was wrapped in several meters of fabric. The waist was pulled into a corset, so that it seemed that the lady's head and bust were resting on a pedestal. Such was the task: it was easy for the monumental Victorian lady to keep her distance.

The main fashion designer of the Victorian era was Charles Frederick Worth. He dressed the French Empress Eugenie, the Austrian princess, Sarah Bernhardt and many famous ladies in luxurious outfits. Worth also sewed outfits for Queen Victoria, but with a “secret”: many of the Queen’s dresses were very similar to each other, with only minor changes, because Victoria advocated modesty. Worth's dresses had the sweep that can be created with crinoline. The frame of three or four hoops created such volume that the lady found herself captive of her dress: she might not fit into the carriage, not enter the door of the room and, alas, the hem would often hit the fireplace.

The outfits have improved over time. To prevent the skirt from sticking out, weights were sewn into the hem. Over time, Worth came up with a special mechanism with which a Victorian aristocrat could change the volume of her crinoline herself.

Théophile Gautier said that the crinoline indicated the false modesty of its era, which was “excited at the sight of a protruding leg or a tight-fitting glove.”

By the end of the 60s of the 19th century, the crinoline was replaced by a bustle, the idea of ​​which belonged to the same Charles Worth. Dresses of this period were distinguished by an abundance of draperies and rich decor. By the 90s, outfits became narrower and more formal: deep necklines began to be covered, bare arms were covered by sleeves, and a strict collar framed the neck. Only the corset remained unchanged...

On October 10 in Riga, at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, the exhibition " Victorian era fashion", costumes of the 1830s-1900s from the collection of fashion historian and collector Alexander Vasiliev.

50 mannequins, more than 200 accessories in 36 display cases, the backdrop of which was enlarged vintage photocopies, watercolors and paintings. The amount of insurance for exhibits is > 500 million euros (!!!).

The President of Latvia was present at the opening of the exhibition, and during the entire period of operation (August 15 - October 10, 2009), the exhibition was visited by 25 thousand visitors. Absolute record. On some days there were as many people at the exhibition as no Riga exhibition had seen for many years. I was there a week before closing, stood in line at the ticket office and pushed my way between vintage exhibits amid Russian-Latvian-Spanish-German speech. Filmed 10 minutes before closing, people don’t even think about running away, thoughtfully peering at the luxurious outfits -

Venue of the exhibition - Decorative and Applied Art Museum in West Riga

Exhibition poster.

Well, let's start the inspection.

House dresses from the mid-19th century.

Far right - moire dress (waist 58 cm), England, 1840s.

How did they, poor people, relax at home in such dresses?

Women's accessories in the style of sentimentalism: bonnet, Adelaide walking shoes size 32, smelling salts bottle, tortoiseshell comb, bracelet, wallet embroidered with metal beads, album for poetry (1849), England, Germany, France 1840s.

Two fashions, two worlds.

An elegant dress made of cashmere with a printed floral pattern (more than 30 colors were used for printing), fabric from France, sewn in Russia.

Summer dress made of cambric with stripes and crinoline. Handmade shawl, Brussels lace, France, 1860

Women's accessories from the era of aniline dyes: embroidered umbrella, hat, 3 wallets, hair clip, bracelet. England, France 1860s.

The lady's portrait in the background is larger. Good, no words!

Carmine striped wool dress (Italy), cross-stitched traveling bag (France), 1860s.

Bolero made of panne velvet, embroidered with beads and glass beads in the Garibaldi style. Italy, 1860s

Photo for a long memory

Men's accessories: Turkish slippers, embroidered fez, suspenders, ladies' medallion with her husband's silhouette, tin snuff-box. Europe 1850-70s

Travel and walking dresses and dresses for visits.

Signature dress with gigot sleeves and embroidered appliqué, Miss Lever Fashion House, England, 1892

Floral Art Nouveau ceta ecru ball gown with pink muslin and silk flowers applique. Fashion house Worth, Paris. From the wardrobe of Princess Stroganova, née Branitskaya. France, 1900.

Rear view of the train. Simply incredible luxury.

Ballroom accessories: mother-of-pearl and silk fan, Brussels lace border, kid glove. France, 1890s. Notice how incredibly long the fingers of the glove are!

What caught my attention the most were the trains.

Visitors

There is something to think about when looking at this...

Ivory duchesse satin ball gown with balloon sleeves, Carney Fashion House, Geneva, 1894. Tulle scarf machine embroidered with chain stitch and appliques, Russia, 1890s.

Embroidery is closer

Summer walking dress made of rep and machine-made lace. France, 1886

Future fashion historian?

Violet panvelvet ball gown bodice, Worth Fashion House, Paris, 1887

Girl's corset, cotton fabric with bones (!), handmade lace. Waist 56 cm. France, 1880s.

Women's toilet accessories: 5 boxes of powder, a bottle of perfume and soap, shoes, 2 buckles. Europe 1890s

Ecru ballgown with train, trimmed with Blonde lace, France and sortie de bal cape, satin brooch with mutton wool trim, ermine muff, Russia, 1880s.

From an interview with Alexander Vasiliev 10/14/2009:

Baltic Course: Are you satisfied with the results of the Riga exhibition?

A.V.: This is brilliant! The exhibition in Riga was visited by more than 25 thousand people in less than two months. An undoubted record! For comparison, a similar exhibition in Istanbul was viewed by 30 thousand in four months. Do the math yourself, a ticket to the exhibition in Riga cost 3 lats, multiply by the number of visitors, you get approximately 75 thousand lats.And this is in an era of crisis!

BC: What's ahead, where will the collection from Latvia go?

A.V.: From Riga, the Victorian exhibition travels to Vilnius, where from November 21 to the end of January it can be viewed at the Museum of Western Art in the Radziwill Palace.