US Clothing Styles for Women of the 1860's

Evening dresses were elaborate in 1860's America.

Fashions for American women varied in the 1860s, depending on their proximity to and role in the Civil War. The war raged throughout the first half of the decade. Although Victorian fashions were in style at the time and ladies dressed in an elaborately genteel manner, women could only work with what they had access to because of the war.

Work Clothes

Other than the wealthiest women in the country, most women in the 1860s performed manual labor during the day. While their men were off at war, women wore work or camp dresses while farming, cooking, cleaning and raising children. These dresses were made of a lightweight but sturdy material like cotton and were cut for comfort. Some styles had a gathered waist while others hung straight down. Women wore full-length or half aprons over these dresses to help keep them clean.

Day Dresses

Even when work was not called for, a lady's daytime dress in the 1860s was a more simple garment than the dresses she wore to an evening affair. Daytime dresses were more attractive than camp dresses. They were softer, with prettier colors or patterns such as small flowers. Some women's wardrobes were severely limited during the Civil War and they had to mix and match pieces. To this end, full-length skirts were paired with modest, high-collared blouses. Different blouses were worn for variety and bolero jackets were worn over them to further change the look.

Tea Dresses and Ball Gowns

Tea time was an important social occasion during the 1860s and ladies needed the proper dress for visiting or receiving guests. Tea dresses were still made from rather simple materials like cotton in summer or wool in winter, but they had fancier design elements like tiered, layered skirts or pagoda sleeves which were wide like bells. Ball gowns were the dressiest pieces in women's wardrobes. During the war, many women only had one or two of these gowns. They were made of silk, had grand huge skirts, off-the-shoulder necklines and ribbons, bows and piping everywhere.

Undergarments and Accessories

Undergarments were modest and covered quite a bit. The more formal a woman's outfit, the more undergarments she needed. Underneath work clothes, women on a farm wore a camisole made of basic cotton along with bloomers to cover their legs. When women dressed up they wore corsets and layers of petticoats beneath their dresses to make the skirts full. For the most formal events they wore hoops beneath their skirts. Women wore capes as opposed to coats to stay warm. They wore nightcaps to cover their hair when they slept and bonnets which tied beneath the chin to go to tea or church.

References

• U.S. History: American Civil War Ladies Clothing
• Lavender's Green: American Civil War Fashion
• Garments By Glenda: 1860s Dresses and Gowns