1830s fashion in European and European-influenced clothing is characterized by an emphasis on breadth, initially at the shoulder and later in the hips, in contrast to the narrower silhouettes that had predominated between 1800 and the 1820s. Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather
Women's costume featured larger sleeves than were worn in any period before or since, which were accompanied by elaborate hairstyles and large hats.
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In the 1830s, fashionable women's clothing styles had distinctive large "leg of mutton" or "gigot" sleeves, above large full conical skirts, ideally with a narrow, low waist between (achieved through corseting). Sleeve ( O Eng ''slieve'' or ''slyf'', a word allied to slip, cf A corset is a Garment worn to mold and shape the Torso into a desired shape for Aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or The bulkiness of women's garments both above and below the waist was intended to make the waist look smaller than it was — this was the final repudiation of any last lingering aesthetic influences of the Empire silhouette of ca. An Empire silhouette is created by a woman wearing a high-waisted dress gathered near or just under the bust with a long loose Skirt, which skims the body 1795-1825. Heavy stiff fabrics such as brocades came back into style, and many 18th-century gowns were brought down from attics and cut up into new garments. Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven Fabrics often made in colored Silks and with or without Gold and Silver threads The combination of sloping shoulders and sleeves which were very large over most of the arm (but narrowing to a small cuff at the wrist) is quite distinctive to the day dresses of the 1830s.
Pelerines, or lace coverings draped over the shoulders, were popular (one of several devices, along with full upper-arm sleeves and wide necklines, to emphasize the shoulders and their width).
The ca. 1835 fashion plate (right) shows both male and female styles (note that it may not be obvious on first glance that the woman has a small waist, because of her large sleeves).
The fashionable feminine figure, with its sloping shoulders, rounded bust, narrow waist and full hips, was emphasized in various ways with the cut and trim of gowns. To about 1835, the small waist was accentuated with a wide belt (a fashion continuing from the 1820s). Later the waist and midriff were unbelted but cut close to the body, and the bodice began to taper to a small point at the front waist. The fashionable corset now had gores to individually cup the breasts, and the bodice was styled to emphasize this shape. A gore is a segment of a three-dimensional shape fabricated from a two- Dimensional material A bodice is an article of Clothing for women covering the body from the neck to the waist
Evening dresses had very wide necklines and short, puffed sleeves reaching to the elbow from a dropped shoulder, and were worn with mid-length gloves. A glove ( Middle English from Old English glof) is a type of Garment (and more specifically a Fashion The width at the shoulder was often emphasized by gathered or pleated panels of fabric arranged horizontally over the bust and around the shoulders.
Day dresses generally had high necklines, and shoulder width was emphasized with pelerines or wide collars that rested on the gigot sleeves. Summer afternoon dresses might have wide, low necklines similar to evening dresses, but with long sleeves. Skirts were pleated into the waistband of the bodice, and held out with starched petticoats of linen or cotton. A petticoat or underskirt is an article of Clothing for Women; specifically an Undergarment to be worn under a Skirt, dress or
Around 1835, the fashionable skirt-length for middle- and upper-class women's clothes dropped from ankle-length to floor-length.
Early 1830s hair was parted in the center and dressed in elaborate curls, loops and knots extending out to both sides and up from the crown of the head. Braids were fashionable, and were likewise looped over either ear and gathered into a topknot.
Bonnets with wide semicircular brims framed the face for street wear, and were heavily decorated with trim, ribbons, and feathers.
Married women wore a linen or cotton cap for daywear, trimmed with lace, ribbon, and frills, and tied under the chin. The cap was worn alone indoors and under the bonnet for street wear.
Women's undergarments consisted of a knee-length linen chemise with straight, elbow length sleeves. Undergarments are clothes worn under other clothes often next to the skin Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum. The term chemise can refer to the classic smock or shift, or else can refer to certain modern types of women's undergarments and dresses Corsets compressed the waist and skirts were held in shape by layers of starched petticoats. A corset is a Garment worn to mold and shape the Torso into a desired shape for Aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or Starch, CAS # 9005-25-8 Chemical formula (C6H10O5n is a Polysaccharide
Riding habits consisted of a high-necked, tight-waisted jacket with the fashionable dropped shoulder and huge gigot sleeves, worn over a tall-collared shirt or chemisette, with a long matching petticoat or skirt. A riding habit is women's Clothing for Horseback riding. Since the mid-17th century a formal habit for riding Sidesaddle usually consisted of A Chemisette (from French "little Chemise " is an article of women's Clothing worn to fill in the front and neckline of any garment Tall top hats with veils were worn.
Shawls were worn with short-sleeved evening gowns early in the decade, but they were not suited to the wide gigot sleeves of the mid 1830s. A shawl ( Persian شال Shāl from Sanskrit: साडी śāṭī is a simple item of Clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders upper body and arms
For evening, especially in very cold climates, voluminous coats like opera coats with fur trim or fur linings were worn with the evening gown. An opera coat is an ankle- or floor-length loose-fitting coat of luxurious fabric such as Velvet, Brocade or Satin, to be worn over an Evening gown
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1 - 1830 |
2 - 1831 |
3 - 1831 |
4 - 1831-32 |
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5 - 1832 |
6 - 1834 |
7 - 1834 |
8 - 1835 |
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1 - 1830s |
2 - 1835 |
3 - 1834-36 |
4 - 1837 |
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5 -1837 |
6 - 1837 |
7 - 1838 |
8 - 1838 |
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1 - 1830 |
In this period, men's fashion plates continue to show an ideal silhouette with broad shoulders, and a narrow, tightly cinched waist.
Shirts of linen or cotton featured tall standing collars, increasing worn "spread" and later turned down rather than turned up over the chin, and were worn with wide cravats tied in a soft bow; dark cravats were popular for day wear. A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body Originally an item of underwear worn exclusively by men it has become in American English a catch-all term for In Clothing, a collar is the part of a Shirt, Dress, coat or Blouse that fastens around or frames the Neck.
Frock coats (in French redingotes) increasingly replaced tail coats for informal day wear, and might be double-breasted. A frock coat is a man's coat characterised by knee-length skirts all around the base popular during the Victorian and Edwardian period The redingote is a type of coat that has had several forms over time Shoulder emphasis fell lower on the arm; shoulders were sloped and puffed sleeve heads gradually shrank and then disappeared. Waistcoats or vests were single- or double-breasted, with shawl or notched collars, and extremely tight through the waist. A waistcoat (sometimes called a wescot, Vest or a vestee in Canada and the US) is a sleeveless upper-body Garment Corsets or corset-like garments were worn by many men to draw in the waistline.
A cutaway morning coat was worn with light trousers for any formal daytime occasion; evening dress called for a dark tail coat and trousers.
Full-length trousers began to have the modern fly-front closure, replacing the earlier fall-front. Trousers are an item of Clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth stretching across Breeches remained a requirement for formal functions at the British court (as they would be throughout the century). Breeches continued to be worn for horseback riding and other country pursuits, especially in Britain, with tall fitted boots.
Cloaks were worn with evening wear. A cloak is a type of loose Garment that is worn over indoor Clothing and serves the same purpose as an Overcoat &mdashit protects the wearer from the cold Overcoats with wide sleeves were worn with day wear. The term Overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment
The crowns of tall hats were less curvy than in the previous period. For the item of clothing see Top hat. For the fictional TUGS character see Top Hat (TUGS. Hair was generally parted to one side. Curled hair and sideburns remained fashionable, along with moustaches.
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1 - 1830s |
2 - 1832 |
3 - 1833 |
4 - 1834 |
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5 - 1834 |
6 - 1838-40 |
7 - 1838 |
In this period, small boys wore sashed tunics over trousers, sometimes with a round-collared shirt underneath. (In Sketches by Boz, 1836, Charles Dickens described the earlier skeleton suit as ". Sketches by Boz is a collection of short pieces published by Charles Dickens in 1836. A skeleton suit is an outfit of Clothing for small boys popular from about 1790 to 1830 consisting of a tight short- or long- Sleeved coat or jacket . . one of those straight blue cloth cases in which small boys used to be confined, before belts and tunics had come in. . . . " [emphasis added]). Older boys wore short jackets and trousers with round-collared shirts.
Girls wore simplified versions of women's fashion.
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Spanish boy, 1830 |
German boy, 1830 |
Austrian boy and girl, 1834 |
France, 1834 |
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Germany, 1836 |
Germany, 1837 |
Young girl's frock with pantaloons, 1838 |
Young boy's suit, 1838 |
Ashelford, Jane: The Art of Dress: Clothing and Society 1500-1914, Abrams, 1996. The term " Victorian Fashion " refers to Fashion in Clothing in the Victorian era, or the reign of Queen Victoria (1837&ndash1901 ISBN 0-8109-6317-5
Goldthorpe, Caroline: From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 1837-1877, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, ISBN 0-87099-535-9
Tozer, Jane and Sarah Levitt, Fabric of Society: A Century of People and their Clothes 1770-1870, Laura Ashley Press, ISBN 0-9508913-0-4