The 1860s were a part of the extensive Victorian era, spanning from 1837 to 1901. This period was characterized by its strict adherence to social conventions and a deep appreciation for modesty and decorum.
Victorian fashion was no exception, with each decade bringing its own distinctive trends and nuances.
The fashion of these decades in European and European-influenced countries is characterized by extremely full-skirted women’s fashions relying on crinolines and hoops and the emergence of “alternative fashions” under the influence of the Artistic Dress movement.
Moreover, the popularity of the newly invented sewing machine made possible the expansion of women’s wardrobes.
Aniline dyes (made from coal tar) were new and produced brighter colors than natural dyes (made from plants) and did not fade as quickly.
Bright colors and complex designs that appear strident and rather wild to our modern tastes were popular. Skirts were wide, which made waists appear tiny.
Corsets contributed to this effect by establishing trim lines over which close-fitting bodices could sit smoothly. Women wore more layers underneath their outfits than in earlier times.
By the early 1860s, skirts had reached their ultimate width. After about 1862 the silhouette of the crinoline changed and rather than being bell-shaped it was now flatter at the front and projected out more behind.
This large area was largely occupied by all manner of decoration. Puffs and strips could cover much of the skirt. There could be so many flounces that the material of the skirt itself was hardly visible.
Lace again became popular and was used all over the dress. Any part of the dress could also be embroidered in silver or gold.
Day dresses featured wide pagoda sleeves worn over undersleeves or engageantes. High necklines with lace or tatted collars or chemisettes completed the demure daytime look.
Gowns had low necklines and short sleeves, and were worn with short gloves or lace or crocheted fingerless mitts. The voluminous skirts were supported by hoops, petticoats, and or crinolines.
As skirts became narrower and flatter in front, more emphasis was placed on the waist and hips. A corset was therefore used to help mold the body to the desired shape.
This was achieved by making the corsets longer than before, and by constructing them from separate shaped pieces of fabric.
To increase rigidity, they were reinforced with many strips of whalebone, cording, or pieces of leather.
As well as making corsets more constricting, this heavy structure helped prevent them from riding up, or from wrinkling at the waist.
Hair was worn parted in the middle and smoothed, waved, or poofed over the ears, then braided or “turned up” and pinned into a roll or low bun at the back of the neck.
Such styling was usually maintained by the use of hair oils and pomades. Styled hair was often further confined in decorative hairnets, especially by younger women.
Fashion bonnets for outdoor wear had small brims that revealed the face. Earlier bonnets of the decade had lower brims.
However, by mid-century Spoon Bonnets, which featured increasingly high brims and more elaborate trimmings, became the vogue. Bonnets were made specifically to accessorize a dress.
Other less common variants, such as the Marie Stuart Bonnet, with its heart-shaped brim, and the fanchon bonnet, with its very short brim and back curtain, made appearances in the realm of fashionable headwear.
(Photo credit: Pinterest / Flickr / Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons).