What Are The Five Layers Of Clothing In Victorian Era

women on the other hand, often had the stays as part of the outfit themselves(Rose). The jackets were aimed at the triangular shape as well. As said in the article Ruffled Shirts and Tailored Jackets.”Women commonly wore riding habits with what could be considered a precursor to the modern work-suit: jackets that cinched at the waist and form-fitting skirts. Victorian jackets also were often trimmed with fur or other sorts of piping.”(Rose).

Clothing was also an important part in men's lives. The Sumptuary laws implied to not only the women, but to the men too. Men also wore many layers, some similar to the women. According to Linda Alchin, "The fashions were designed to give the impression of a small waist-especially desired by the women but also emulated by men" (Elizabethan Upper Class Fashion). They wore most of the following under layers: a shirt, stockings, a codpiece, and a corset. Then, most of the following over layers: a doublet, separate sleeves, breeches, a belt, a ruff, a cloak, and boots or flat shoes. Men's clothing fashions were related to those of women's due to the similar, and many layers.

Today, the word “beautiful” is often replaced by words like “hot” and “sexy” (theevolutionofbeauty.com). The colonial Americans believed that the more clothes one wore the more attractive they looked, while modern Americans believe that fewer clothes make one more attractive. This relates to both men and women because at that time both genders wore many clothes while today both genders are free to wear whatever they want, with the exception of very few articles of clothing. In colonial America, clothing depended on lifestyle and status. If the family status was wealthy they often wore softer, lighter clothes made from satin and silk while middle class people wore clothes made up of cotton, linen, or wool.

The corset was of course associated with high society and was an important signifier of social class. For example in the grand balls that often featured in Victorian novels, a restrictive corset was part of the essential uniform – Becky Sharpe in Vanity Fair for example. It also became associated with the ‘dandy’ aesthetic of the late Nineteenth Century (Oscar Wilde being an example) when it was worn by men.

In the Victorian era, the people have to uphold their reputations to be accepted by society. Women, especially have harder expectations to live up to. Women are told to stay home and take care of the family. Women are meant to be at home in the kitchen, waiting to serve their husbands. Society also expects women to follow the

“These scholars note that Victorians often bowed to conformity, concealing their true natures and tastes and pretending to adhere to social norms. Some Victorians passed themselves off as more pious or moral than they really were. But in reality, pornographic literature and prostitution were common phenomena during the late nineteenth century, showing that some Victorians only pretended to lead chaste lives.”(Joyce Moss)

Depending on their job, wealth, and other factors, clothing people wore may have varied. But it was not uncommon for women to wear dresses(Some more high end than others ) or cotton print shirts and skirts. It was common to see a man in a bit more casual clothes rather than suits almost all around like previous decades.

Imagine a woman rising from bed wearing heavy bedclothes of wool or cotton. Underneath she would be wearing a corset for sleep, made of cotton, wool or a mix of heavy linen. After brushing out long hair, which was rarely washed, she would be wrapped in a light cotton garb that would protect her skin from actually touching her formal corset. Often corsets would stretch from the mid-hip region to the breasts. Corsets were constructed of whalebone and metal stays, which shaped the ribs and stomach to form a fashionable waist of approximately eighteen inches. After the corset was tightly laced (which required assistance of at least one other person), then heavy wool or cotton stocking would be pulled on. Stockings were held up ties, girdle-like bloomers or special buttons in the petticoats. At this time, a woman would put on six to eight petticoats . She would put on a special top to keep the corset from touching her dress. At this point, a woman may have worn a large hoop skirt. The large metal device would allow the woman to keep proper social distance from her guests and potential suitors. Often the woman would have to be lowered into the hoop skirt. If the hoop was too heavy, a woman would be placed in the parlor room and she would remain there until after a dinner party or until such a time she could remove the hoop because it could render her immobile. In some rare cases, small rolling wheels were attached at the bottom of hoop skirts to aid women in moving

The young Victoria is a drama film based on the early life and reign of Queen Victoria. In the movie, women wore peculiar dresses akin to the dresses worn of the Victorian Era. They wore corsets, puffy sleeves, and crinolines during the the Victorian era. For example, throughout the movie, Victoria is seen wearing dresses with puffy sleeves and wearing corsets underneath them. Additionally, in the movie, men wore coats, vests, and hats which were considered suitable to wear at the time. Not only that, the movie describes the accomplishments of Queen Victoria during her reign. Thus, this movie connects to the Victorian era because it shows some customs followed during this period and even describes Queen Victoria's contributions.

In the Victorian era, corsets became longer and became not only about supporting and lifting the breast, but creating a tiny hourglass waist. ‘Women were so tightly corseted that they could not bend over’ but to add to the strain ‘the corset was hung with an extraordinary amount of gear, a combined system of garters and suspenders.’

The Victorian Era depicted a traditional woman. Women were expected to be beautiful but conservative. A notable fashion piece to mention is the notorious corset. Krystal D’Souza states that corsets were meant to, “… accentuate a woman's breasts and hips, while cinching the body at the waist, and dramatically curving the back” (D'Souza). The corset was created to slim the waist and make the hips and bottom larger. This was meant to create the ideal, “Hour glass shape,” women were expected to have. In the Victorian Era, dresses were worn all the time and the skirt length had to be passed the ankles. Pagoda sleeves were essential to dresses to cover shoulders and high necklines were made to cover the women’s neck and décolletage. If the skirts were not touching the floor, skirts were closely worn over the hip and flared out just above the knee. (Joshi). The Victorian Age signifies a time period where women had to follow stringent dress codes. The thought of showing any feminine flesh was un-lady like and unrespectable. (Alchin “Women

Womens Clothing Wear During the late 19th century women usually wore separate tops and skirts. As fashion making developed, there was a change between someone supplying/making your clothes to the clothing department store. Wealthy women would still have high fashion dressmakers continue to provide them with the clothing they want, and to have the perfect fit.

After woman were done with the chores around the house such as vacuuming, laundry, and dishes, they would go run arrans while their husbands were at work. Before going out to do the arrans they had for the day they would change into a walking suit. A walking suit would be higher quality than than the casual clothes paired with surdy low heels. For a walking suit it was also appropriate/ accable to wear a tailored dress. In the afternoon the most common thing women would do is have tea with their friends, and would be semi-formal or formal. Women would wear lighter or bright colored clothing with more trim. The shoes and accessories for tea parties were more elegant as well compared to casual clothing. Shoe lengths would be medium to high, with sheer tights to match the color of the women’s dress, and gloves to match the color of the dress or white. Their hats would be anything to assinchuate the dress such as feathers or a sun hat. The host of the party would be required to wear a long more elegant dress than her guests and is to wear no hat. Working women who had jobs suited for women such as teachers or secretaries wore day dress or skirt and blouse set for their work attire. For the lower class the cotton dress that would be considered a simple dress that was only appropriate for at home with just their family might be there only dress that they wore the whole

Throughout the Victorian era, a woman’s sole purpose was to marry, produce children, keep the house clean and have dinner on the table by the time their husband returned from work. They were restricted to working tedious jobs at minimum wage until they were married and were not allowed to receive a real education. Once married, a woman was expected to become a fulltime mother and house wife tending to the needs in the home on command. All these lovely skills were that of the traditional Victorian women. They were pressured to express their femininity through their dainty attire, gentle mothering, social order and expressing the manners and obedience that was expected of them. All in all it was required that they be as little of an

At the end of the 18th century there was one of the most significant events in the history of dress. Men gave up their right to all the bright, more elaborate, and more varied forms of clothing. They left all that to the women. Men abandoned their claim to be considered beautiful. They, instead, aimed at being useful in society.