Sports Clothing

During the 19th century living standards were improved and people actually had time to do things like leisurely activities, such as sports. Standard pieces of men’s clothing items were still used, but informally during sports and traveling. Clothing that women wore regularly was somewhat appropriate for their sports including, hunting, tennis and horseback riding. They did have different clothing items, it just wasn’t drastically different from everyday wear. They had bathing dresses that they used for swimming and some other sports but primarily swimming. For sports like golf and skiing new clothing items came into play. Things like knitted sweaters and there was a men’s jacket, the Norfolk jacket that was changed slightly to be wearable as women’s hunting wear. This is also where bloomers played a large part because for things like biking women needed to cover themselves. Bloomers were thought of by Amelia Jenks Bloomer who was a feminist during the mid-19th century. These bloomers, that were named after her, arrived during the same time as the women’s rights campaigns began.

FASHION: Revolutionary Period

During the French Revolution in 1789 there was a large change in fashion. Things like fabric changed from silk to cotton because of the failure of the economy. Fashion was also used rebelliously during this period, revolutionaries wore the clothing of lower classes to rebel and the people that were still wearing brightly colored, elaborate clothing were anti-revolutionary. The modernization of English clothing happened in a similar way, but more so during the Industrial Revolution.

The Bustle Style

In the 1860s women wanted their skirts to be larger in the back but more flat in the front. To get this look women wore bustles, which were “pads that were placed over the buttocks, framed and stuffed with various kinds of material.” under their skirts. On top of that women occasionally bunched up the back of their skirts for even more volume. This lasted from the 1860s to the 1880s with almost no change, only very minor ones. Eventually dresses became tight bodices with large skirts and style for everything was about volume, even hair; which can explain why this bustle style lasted for so long unchanged.

Fukai Akiko, Tamami Suoh, and Miki Iwagami. The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute FASHION A history from the 18th to the 20th Century. Vol. 1. TASCHEN, 2005. Print.

The Crinoline Style

The crinoline style of clothing was the primary style during the 1830’s and through the 1840’s. This style is a petticoat with a cage frame that was made out of steel hoops and then a skirt over it. Essentially, the style was very large stiff skirts and very fitted tops to make your waist look tiny. When the width of skirts was increased the length was as well which made women seem far more modest about. Basically it was more form fitting on top and then looser, and longer on the bottom which creates a nice shape. The crinoline style was beneficial to the textile industry because of the massive amounts steel wire that needed to be produced. It also created a need for looms and dyes to be improved because of how much fabric was needed for the skirts and because of women’s needs to look presentable. The word crinoline comes from the French; “In the 1840s, the term “crinoline” referred to petticoats made of crin (horsehair) interwoven with hard lin (linen).” This style lasted for a while but in the 1850s towards more of the 1860s the bustle style was more in.

Fukai Akiko, Tamami Suoh, and Miki Iwagami. The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute FASHION A history from the 18th to the 20th Century. Vol. 1. TASCHEN, 2005. Print.

Post Ideas

• Fashion during the Revolutionary Period
• Mourning Apparel
• different fashion regarding class
• wigs
• accessories
• comparing and contrasting French, English and American fashions
• day wear compared to evening wear
• "going out" outfits
• coats
• gowns
• shoes
• how often people had to change during the day
• bustle construction
• crinoline
• fabrics
• patterns
  

Waistcoats

A men’s waistcoat can also be called a vest, is a sleeveless garment worn over a dress shirt and tie. It is mostly worn as formal wear and often underneath a suit jacket. During the 17th and 18th century it was common to see men wearing brightly colored waistcoats; but in the 19th century it became more limited and were worn to match the colors of men’s suits. In the 19th century it went from being almost a second to an overcoat to more of a foundation to the clothing. It could also enhance men’s figures almost like a corset does for women. It created a cinched-in waist and because it was skin tight it emphasized broad shoulders and a pushed-out chest. This style became quite the popular fashion statement for men in the 19th century and waistcoats were largely used. But towards the middle and end of the century, around 1850 the look changed from being cinched-in to a more straight line. The waistcoat was then adapted to cause less waist restriction and the created a straight line up men’s torsos. Waistcoats were introduced by King Charles II from England, and they were also big in Scotland and Ireland at the same time. Waistcoats are still sometimes worn today by men for very formal events under their suits and are not very tight, they are more of the type that create a straight line up a man’s upper body.

"Waistcoat -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 01 Jan. 2010. .

Riding Habit

In the 18th and 19th century a lot more women were taking up riding so they needed something they could wear riding sidesaddle. The tailors and dressmakers of course made something that would go with the mainstream of fashionable clothing. In the 1850’s and 1860’s the habit was a jacket style bodice that went up high on the neck with a long basque and peplum. A peplum was a sort of ruffle at the waist and a basque was a jacket extension and was almost like a corset. In the 1860’s another part of the riding habit was a very large, long, full skirt. True sidesaddle riding was done with a full skirt that reached the ground. Since women could not put hoops and cages under their skirts while riding they wore stretched petticoats to add fullness to their skirts. Also, they also wore breeches underneath all that, these breeches were usually made of wool or leather, they didn’t add much volume but they still added some. Even though women took precautions while riding by not wearing hoops there were still so many accidents caused by their skirts and their large outfits they had to wear to look proper. The bottoms of their outfits got get tangled in the horses feet or could get tangled in the saddle horns when women fell off. In the 19th century a safety apron was created to try to stop so many incidents, but because women were so concerned with looking proper riding their outfits, including the riding habit were just too much to ride with.

"Victorian sidesaddle riding habit 1 - Corsets and Crinolines." Vintage Clothing & Antique Fashion - Corsets & Crinolines UK. Web. 01 Jan. 2010. .

Parasols

Parasols were accessories for women in the 18th and 19th century. It was created in Italy to protect people from the sun. It is basically an umbrella but it is made of lighter, less stable material. They were also not strong enough to protect from the rain only the sun. They became popular in the mid-18th century but really took off in the 19th century to help women keep their pale faces. Eventually it became so impractical it was just a fashion statement. It soon was made out of fabric such as satin, silk or lace and they became very small, which did almost nothing to create shade. They became a show for social status and display and were used to draw attention to themselves, especially when they did the classic twirl of it. Men did not carry them because they were so dainty and it was also not very manly to carry an umbrella. It was only acceptable for men of lower classes to use them because if wealthy men used them it implied that they couldn’t afford a carriage for themselves. Eventually people realized that instead of looking fashionable keeping yourself dry was far more sensible.

"Parasols - Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages." Contemporary Fashion. Web. 01 Jan. 2010. .

The Spencer and The Pelisse

The spencer (left) was a close-fitting, waist length, tight sleeved jacket. It’s said to be invented by Lord Spencer as an accident. It is very similar to a man’s riding coat but it does not have tails. They were very tight to the body like a bodice and could be worn open or buttoned. It can be worn inside or outside but was usually a dark color so it wouldn’t blend with whatever dress was underneath it. Early in the 18th century it had no color or sleeves and would usually be made out of black or white lace. After 1804, it developed a color that would be high so you could fold it over of line it with fur for warmth. The pelisse (right) was a better choice to wear outside in colder weather. It was essentially an over dress or a coat dress. It was close fitting but not tight and they were often lined with fur. In the spring it could have been made from silk, satin or light velvet. In the summer they were made with sarsnet or light silk and in winter they were made with fur lined velvet and wool. The spencer and the pelisse were more so created because women were freezing to death, and in 1803 women who were fashionable were dying from “muslin disease”. Muslin disease was like a nick name given to an flu epidemic that often resulted in death for women who went out into the cold in their normal clothes; this was when the spencer and pelisse became crucial.

"Women's Fashion|Costumes|historical clothing | Spencers, Shawls, Pelisses and More." Jane Austen Centre|Festival|magazine|Tearoom|Bath UK England. Web. 01 Jan. 2010. .

Bedgown

The bedgown was essentially a nightgown, but it didn’t always have to be worn that way. They were more popular right before the period of the Revolutionary War. Working women and non-working women had different types, mainly just the material they were made out of was different. Bedgowns for non-working women are made out of quilted silk or linen and the ones for working women were made out of cotton or wool depending on the climate. For example some women who were married to fisherman wore dark plain ones that were made out of wool. The prints were usually striped or none, women were very cautious of making it look like they were wearing furniture covers. They have no collars but a round cut neckline and at the end of the 18th century it changed to have longer, more slender sleeves. Some were pleated but that wasn’t the case with everyone’s, there were some with no pleats as well. It always came below the hip down to at least the mid-hip but it could be longer. It should close easily in the front at the center, a perfect reason for it not to be worn with a stomacher and open.

"The Short gown and Bed gown." Battle Road Clothing & Accoutrements. Web. 01 Jan. 2010. .