The Victorian era was well known for its extravagance and decorative touches. England at the time was ruled under Queen Victoria who played a big part in Victorian fashion and art. During her ruling, England’s technological advances from the Industrial Revolution helped fashion spread across the country. As big advocates of the arts, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria created the Great Exhibition, an international art exhibition that stretched eight miles. It was at the exhibition where textile designers were able to showcase their designs to the world. This created a major shift in fashion. Fashion no longer belonged exclusively to the upper class. Due to the great technology at the time, the mass production of fabrics allowed the middle class to become big consumers of these decorated fabrics. The list of fabrics highly consumed by the middle class included patterned cottons and woven silks.

The Great Exhibition in 1851 led to fashion’s role distinguishing people of certain social classes. The dress, for example, was an essential piece found in every woman’s wardrobe, despite their social class.

There were certain types of dresses dedicated for occasions and certain classes. For example, women of the upper class were expected to wear more conservative dresses compared to women of the middle class. These dresses were stiff as “dropped shoulder lines and corsets” were restrictive. Women in the middle class wore petticoats, corsets, or chemises under their gowns and dresses.

The dresses we associate with the Victorian era were actually skirts with a bodice. The skirt itself was what made the Victorian fashion so remarkable. Skirts at this time were shifting away from the traditional dome shape frame to a more flared silhouette. Flared skirts began to overpower the women’s fashion industry because it accentuated the woman’s waist size, creating an hourglass illusion. This illusion was so idealized by fashion designers that crinoline, a thick type of fabric made of horsehair, was used to help add the needed volume for this skirt. Although elegant looking, the “multi layered petticoat” skirt was not the most comfortable piece of clothing to wear. It no longer made sense to create an article of clothing that was not comfortable to wear for long periods of time.  In the 1850’s “hoop skirts” made designers rethink the construction of the skirt. The hoop skirt provided a nice shape without the weight, unlike the crinoline. The hoop skirt consisted of steel rings of various sizes that was held together by fabric tape. This new innovation enabled skirts to eliminate the amounts of fabric that was used before.

Sources:

https://bellatory.com/fashion-industry/Fashion-History-Victorian-Costume-and-Design-Trends-1837-1900-With-Pictures

http://www.gogmsite.net/early_victorian_-_1837_-_18/queen_victoria/1851_dress_worn_by_queen_vi.html

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/txtn/hd_txtn.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_fashion

https://www.royal.uk/queen-victoria

https://sites.google.com/site/thevictorianmiddleclass/clothing-and-fashion

Though harshly criticized for being one of the main causes of climate change today, it is no doubt that the Industrial Revolution was the peak of technological advancement, but more specifically fashion. Even with the era gap of over three hundred years, the Industrial Revolution still has a major influence on fashion in the twenty first century. This period in time was what enabled the possibilities of fast fashion. Before this time, clothing was seen as nothing but an expensive necessity. In the 1600’s, Britain’s fashion was seen to be very stiff and conservative. By having the tools such as the “Spinning Jenny” which was a multi-spindle spinning frame, people were able to wear looser and breathable clothing made of cotton. Thinner fabric was achievable through cast iron technology, a highly malleable iron with a low melting point used in a lot of factory machines today. The power in machinery had the capabilities to weave and knit breathable fabrics such as cotton. 

Fashion played a big role in distinguishing the social classes in this time. Unlike the periods before, the clothing made during the Industrial Revolution was a form of self expression and identity.  Anything from colours to patterns, to accessories helped people break free from previous periods of tense and traditional wear. Women started to reject the idea of wearing a tight, structured corset and began to wear a corset that was made of a more flexible material. Some women even freed from the concept of wearing a corset and instead chose to embrace their curved bodies through the lightness of their clothing. Women at the time were beginning to branch away from tradition and explore new ideas with fashion.

In similarity, men’s fashion started to evolve from the influences of the French Revolution in 1789, where Napoleon and Beau Brummell were idolized for their fine tailored suits. Despite the lack of fashion knowledge that these two men had, Napoleon and Beau Brummell were two men who knew how to make an appearance. Napoleon, known as the man who led the French Revolution influenced men’s fashion by dressing him and his army in uniforms that showed nationalistic pride. As for Beau Brummell, he was a dandy who loved wearing tailored suits, linen, and trousers. He did not work directly in the fashion industry but maintained a sharp appearance which changed fashion for most men during the Industrial Revolution. 

It is interesting to see that lots of trends seen in stores today were actually trends that had originated during the Industrial Revolution period. In my personal opinion, I think the Industrial Revolution was one of the best periods in time. Not only were people exploring with ideas of science and technology, people were also exploring new ways of self expression. For me, clothing is a piece of my identity. I dress accordingly to how I feel and it makes me feel confident in knowing that I can show others my personality through another medium other than speech.

Sources:

https://www.blankstyle.com/articles/clothing-and-textiles-industrial-revolution

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1795%E2%80%931820_in_Western_fashion

How did Napoleon Change Fashion?

http://www.ooshirts.com/guides/The-Clothing-and-Textile-Revolution.html