Victorian Costume History
Victorian fashion, though a logical continuation of Regency designs and often derided as prudish, has had a lasting impact on modern society. Victorian styles reached into the early years of the 20th Century, directly affecting the ideas that would develop into contemporary fashion. Hollywood costume dramas often mine the Victorian era for source material, winning Oscars for costume design in the process.
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Time Frame
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The Victorian era coincides directly with the reign of its namesake, Queen Victoria, who served as Great Britain's monarch from 1837 to 1901. Having ascended to the crown at age 18, Victoria reigned for her entire adult life.
History
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The proliferation of row houses and apartment complexes arose from the Industrial Revolution. The Victorian era was the beginning of modern times. The Industrial Revolution radically revised the makeup of class and society. The influx of millions of people to industrialized cities such as London necessitated changes in living conditions and education. Queen Victoria dramatically reshaped British society by constructing cheap housing for the poor and overhauling government-subsidized education. Notable historical figures from Victoria's reign include Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx. In fashion, the advent of sewing machines made haute couture--another Victorian development--imitable by people of lesser means, while the advent of factory-produced dyes made clothing more colorful and diverse.
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Women's Fashion
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Victorian women's fashion was marked by a juxtaposition of increased prudishness and lowering necklines. During the period, women's sleeves became tight and slim, restricting mobility. This gave women an air of primness. Bonnets were popular headwear throughout the Victorian period. Meanwhile, eveningwear came off women's shoulders to reveal more flesh than was previously appropriate. Skirt designs bulged ostentatiously during the early Victorian period, slimmed considerably during the mid period, and reached a happy medium during late-Victorian fashion.
Men's Fashion
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Men wore top hats during the Victorian era. Throughout the Victoria era, men's fashions became slimmer and more svelte. By the end of the period, men's clothing closely resembled the modern suit. Men's fashion consisted of trousers, a shirt, a vest, a coat and a hat. The beginning of the Victorian era saw longer coats, larger hats and more ostentatious shirts and vests. Toward the end of the period, popular hats were small and rounded--men favored derbies and bowlers--while the cuts of coats and shirts had come to better fit the male form, resembling modern formal wear.
Significance
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By the end of the Victorian era, thanks to mass communication and production resulting from the Industrial Revolution, styles were changing on an annual basis. Previous to this, stylistic changes gestated gradually, over the course of a decade. This sense of an endlessly morphing fashion realm led directly to contemporary seasonal lines by designers.
Popular Film Applications
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Victorian costume dramas occupy a special place in Hollywood's landscape. In 2010, "Young Victoria," about Queen Victoria herself, won the Oscar for Best Costume design. The film joins a long list of fellow Victorian period pieces to take the award, including "The Age of Innocence," "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and "Tess."
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Victorian village image by Steve Thompson from Fotolia.com old pocket watch image by Aleksandar Radovanovic from Fotolia.com black and white row houses beacon hill boston image by Stephen Orsillo from Fotolia.com easter bonnet image by leafy from Fotolia.com Top Hat image by Wingnut Designs from Fotolia.com fashion model image by Paul Hill from Fotolia.com Woman in Victorian dress image by Steve Thompson from Fotolia.com
