2. Evolution of the Fashion
in the 19th to 20th
Century
Steve Roland Cabra
Grade 10
3. Fashion in the 19th Century
The fashion of the 19th century is renowned for its corsets,
bonnets, top hats, bustles and petticoats. Women's fashion
during the Victorian period was largely dominated by full
skirts, which gradually moved to the back of the silhouette.
5. Fashion in 1800 s
They often featured deep flounces or tiers.
Long bloomers and pantaloons trimmed
with lace were popular. Tiered cape-jackets
were fashionable, as were paisley
patterned shawls. Deep bonnets were
worn and hair was swept into buns or side
coils from a centre parting.
6. Fashion in 1810 s
The high-waisted neoclassical
silhouette continued to define
womenswear of the 1810s, as
fashion remained inspired by
classical antiquity. However, the
purity of the line was increasingly
broken by trim, colors, and a new
angularity as tubular skirts were
gradually replaced by triangular ones
by the end of the decade.
7. Fashion in 1820 s
Fashions of the 1820s
favored lightweight silks and cottons
in increasingly bright patterns and
colors as the decade continued
(Byrde 38). Saturated hues such as
“Turkey red” and richly printed
calicoes were in vogue (Bassett 38-
39).
8. Fashion in 1830 s
In the 1830s, men wore dark coats,
light trousers, and dark cravats for
daywear. Women's sleeves reached
their ultimate width in the gigot
sleeve. Here, the boys (on holiday in
the mountains) wear buff-colored
belted knee-length tunics with yokes
and full sleeves over trousers.
9. Fashion in 1840 s
People of the 1840s wore more
clothing than we do – high necks, long
sleeves, long trousers for men and
long skirts for women. Because there
was no sunscreen and most people did
not own sunglasses (although some
early versions did exist), men wore hats
and women wore bonnets to protect
themselves from the weather.
10. Fashion in 1850 s
In the 1850s, women's skirts were
domed and bell-shaped, supported by
crinoline petticoats. They often
featured deep flounces or tiers. Long
bloomers and pantaloons trimmed with
lace were popular. Tiered cape-jackets
were fashionable, as were paisley
patterned shawls.
11. Fashion in 1860 s
In the 1860s it was fashionable
for men's coats and jackets to be
single-breasted and semi-fitted,
extending to the mid thigh. Waistcoats
were often collarless and single-
breasted, and trousers were
occasionally cut from a narrow check
cloth. High, starched collars were worn
with cravats and neck-ties.
12. Fashion in 1870 s
The early 1870s were characterized
by bustles, square necklines, sleeves
that flare at the wrist, jacket-style
bodices, the appearance of aprons,
asymmetry, and flounces, frills, and
ruffles. This ca. 1872 silk day dress
designed by Mon. Vignon is the perfect
example of a fashionable early 1870s
garment.
13. Fashion in 1880 s
Necklines were high and sleeves were
form-fitting and tight. To top it all off,
women's fashion in the 1880s was
highly decorative. Ruffles, pleats, and
draped fabrics were staples in
fashionable dresses. Accessorizing the
dresses, women typically wore boots,
bonnets, and hats, often decorated
with lace and ribbon.
14. Fashion in 1890 s
Dresses and blouses typically had tight
bodices with high necks and were
often worn with jackets. They also
featured wrist-length sleeves. In the
early 1890s, a puffed sleeve known as
the “leg-o-mutton sleeve” was
popularized.
