I’ve always been intrigued in the history of fashion, especially the amount of layers that were worn in previous centuries. From my understanding, women had a strict form of dress in the 19th century. Had you not worn layers of garment and cloth, you were violating what was deemed socially acceptable. With social acceptance came discomfort, for many of the garments were painful to wear.

I decided to focus on  the female undergarment, which was not just an impressionable fashion statement but a social construct used to manipulate what women were expected to look like. I find that these examples truly emulate the saying beauty is pain.

I chose corsets, bustles, and crinolines:

I knew little of the terminology behind 19th century clothing so I researched ’19th century fashion’. The corset, probably the most notable article of the three, was worn consistently throughout the century but in different adaptions. The invention of the steam-moulded corset became popular between 1860-1880, created by Edwin Izod (a big surprise that it was developed by a man) (Victoria and Albert Museum, “Crinolines, Crinolettes, Bustles and Corsets from 1860-80”). The rise of corsets during that interval on the graph is presumed to be because of the steam-moulded corset popularity.

From 1890 and beyond, the percentage for corsets shows an increase. Although the garment was still a social construct, the stiff, discomfort of the corset came into question. After the 1890s, more corsets were made with wool and cotton, adjustable straps, and without whalebone, “a sensible rather than attractive image” (Victoria and Albert Museum, “Corsets and Bustles from 1880-90 – the Move from Over-Structured Opulence to the ‘Healthy Corset'”).

The bustle, which is otherwise known as a tournure, was used as an extension of the skirt to create a full silhouette. The graph shows a fairly steady percentage from 1800-1900. Like the corset, the bustle varied in design throughout the century. In the mid-1800s, the bustle was more plump. By the end of the 19th century, clothing was becoming more slender. Some bustles had trains extending from the dress as part of the fashion. The declination of bustles on the graph could be due to the removal of layers and drapery in fashion (Thomas, “Bustles”).

The crinoline was another garment designed to fill out the dress. The cage crinoline was popularized in “the late 1850s and early 1860s,” but because of difficulty with the spring steel and immobility, the design was no longer favorable (Victoria and Albert Museum, “Corsets & Crinolines in Victorian Fashion”). There is clear indication of this decline around 1865 on the graph.

I wanted to continue with a Victorian England setting, but I was curious what another corpus would show. The German percentages were far more drastic. Bustles showed no popularity, while corsets appear to have had rising popularity in the 1890s and the crinoline shows fluctuation but was not introduced until 1860 on the graph. While I did no research on German garments during this era, I found the differences interesting! 

 

Works Cited:

Thomas, Pauline Weston. ” Bustles.” Bustles. Fashion History. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.

“Crinolines, Crinolettes, Bustles and Corsets from 1860-80.” , Online Museum, Web Team, Webmaster@vam.ac.uk. Victoria and Albert Museum. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.

“Corsets and Bustles from 1880-90 – the Move from Over-Structured Opulence to the ‘Healthy Corset'”, Online Museum, Web Team, Webmaster@vam.ac.uk. Victoria and Albert Museum. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.

“Corsets & Crinolines in Victorian Fashion.” , Online Museum, Web Team, Webmaster@vam.ac.uk. Victoria and Albert Museum. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.