Fashion In The Victorian Era

Victorian fashion comprises the numerous trends in British culture that developed in province throughout the Victorian era and the reign of Queen Victoria. As quoted from a Victoriana magazine, “The fashion conscious Victorian lady created this appearance with a mysterious combination of the ‘uncomfortable and inconvenient’ with the ‘frivolous and decorative.’”. Starting with undergarments to her dress, evening gowns to bonnets, and Victorian hats trimmed with feathers, flowers and ribbons; fashion from the Victorian Era helped dress the part of the elegant Victorian lady. Stylish and ‘covered’, the outfit consisted of many layers, lots of ruffles and decorative features. Comfort was simply not considered in the designing process. The corset …show more content…
This suggests that women were not expected to participate in anything other than reproducing for the men. Women were only considered important for their sexual functions; hence “the nineteenth century society came to regard them as ‘The Sex’.” (Kent 32) This outfit was soon challenged. Charles Worth, a designer who dominated fashion, believed that crinoline skirt was unattractive. He manipulated the style and altered the skirt to a new trained, softer bustled version. This was the beginning of the change of Victorian fashion, in where clothing was worn for not only the aesthetics but the function and comfort as well. The suffragettes fought tor equal rights and the right to vote. They attempted to achieve change not by challenging contemporary fashion and ideals of femininity, but by conforming to them. Technological change in the late 19th and early 20th led to new designs in underwear which made life easier for women. There were new attitudes towards health and comfort in fashion, in which meant that women were gradually becoming aware of their bodies and the harm that could be done by restrictive