Women needed to be dressed for the occasion in this period of time, and there were many different dresses for different occasions. The house dress was worn by women at their own home and it was very simple and sensible. It was a made for comfort and sometimes was even shapeless. The visiting dress was made for women to wear when visiting people during the day. It was seasonal and they were worn with a bonnet usually. These dresses were made as to not outdo the hostess. The walking dress is for exactly what the name states. It’s like the carriage dress which was made for traveling in coaches and trains. They were made easy to clean and in colors that didn’t show dust very bluntly. A riding dress was worn for riding horses and was only worn up until the late 19th century; it was very similar to a male’s outfit. A dinner dress was worn to show off the woman’s great taste and was very elegant. An evening dress was worn for formal dinners, concerts, parties or theatre shows. These were worn to show off and emphasize a woman’s beauty, wealth, and elegance. Unlike some of the other dresses these were more colorful and more decorated. A ball dress, it was very similar looking to an evening dress. It was a lady’s best dress that was worn for dancing and courtship. It showed off beauty and wealth to attract a man. Finally a wedding dress became popular when women realized it was fashionable to wear white to be married if it was affordable. Women were to be married in their best dress (but not a ball dress), and they could be worn for dinner dresses afterwards because of their sensibility.
"The Parts of a Late 19th Century Lady's Dress." La Couturi. Web. 04 Feb. 2010. http://www.marquise.de/en/1800/glossar.shtml.
