Bustle apparatus (1881)

A bustle is a type of framework used to expand the fullness or support the drapery of the back of a woman's dress, occurring predominantly between the mid- to late 1800s. Bustles were worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped Garment that hangs from the Waist and covers all or part of the Legs In European culture, skirts are usually Heavy fabric tended to pull the back of a skirt down and flatten it. Thus, a woman's petticoated or crinolined skirt would lose its shape during everyday wear (from merely sitting down or moving about). A petticoat or underskirt is an article of Clothing for Women; specifically an Undergarment to be worn under a Skirt, dress or The word "bustle" has become synonymous with the fashion to which the bustle was integral.

History

Transition from crinoline (1867-1872)

A US patent illustration of a concept crinoline/bustle. 1867

As the fashion for crinolines wore on, their shape changed. Crinoline was originally a stiff fabric with a Weft of Horse-hair and a warp of Cotton or Linen thread. Instead of the large bell-like silhouette previously in vogue, they began to flatten out at the front and sides, creating more fullness at the back of the skirts. One type of crinoline, the crinolette, created a shape very similar to the one produced by a bustle. The excess skirt fabric created by this alteration in shape was looped around to the back, again creating increased fullness.

Early bustle (1869 - 1876)

The bustle later developed into a feature of fashion on its own after the overskirt of the late 1860s was draped up toward the back and some kind of support was needed for the new draped shape. Fullness of some sort was still considered necessary to make the waist look smaller and the bustle eventually replaced the crinoline completely. The bustle was worn in different shapes for most of the 1870s and 1880s, with a short period of non-bustled, flat-backed dresses from 1878 to 1882.

In the early stages of the fashion for the bustle, the fullness to the back of the skirts was carried quite low and often fanned out to create a train. The transition from the voluminous crinoline enhanced skirts of the 1850s and 1860s can be seen in the loops and gathers of fabric and trimmings worn during this period. The bustle later evolved into a much more pronounced humped shape on the back of the skirt immediately below the waist, with the fabric of the skirts falling quite sharply to the floor.

Late bustle (1881 - 1887)

It reappeared in late 1881,^[1] and was exaggerated to become a major fashion feature in the mid-1880s, and ended in December 1887. ^[2]

1888-1913

It then survived into the 1890s and early 1900s as a skirt support was still needed and the stylish shape dictated a curve in the back of the skirt to balance the curve of the bust in front. The bustle had completely disappeared by 1905, as the long corset of the early twentieth century was now successful in shaping the body to protrude behind. 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

Fashion

The bustle was a typically Victorian fashion. The term " Victorian Fashion " refers to Fashion in Clothing in the Victorian era, or the reign of Queen Victoria (1837&ndash1901 Although most bustle gowns covered nearly all of a woman, the shape created by the combination of a bustle and corset (accentuating the rump, waist, and bosom) resulted in a highly erotic and idealized conception of femininity, possibly inspired by the exaggerated images of the South African woman known as "Hottentot Venus" exhibited throughout Europe in the first part of the 19th century. 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 Saartjie "Sarah" Baartman ( 1789 &ndash December 29, 1815) was the most famous of at least two Khoikhoi women who were exhibited

Bustles and bustle gowns are rarely worn in contemporary society. Notable exceptions occur in the realm of haute couture and bridal fashion. Haute couture ( French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking" oːt kuˈtyʁ refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted fashions A wedding dress or wedding gown is Clothing worn by a Bride during a Wedding ceremony A dress in the bustle style may be worn as a costume. For example, in 1993 Eiko Ishioka won an Academy Award for her costume designs from Bram Stoker's Dracula. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Bram Stoker's Dracula (aka Dracula) is a 1992 horror - Romance film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola The film features several extravagant bustle gowns created for female leads Winona Ryder and Sadie Frost. Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29 1971 better known under her professional name Winona Ryder, is an American actress Sadie Frost (born June 19 1965 in London) is the co-owner of Frost French and an actress.

Gallery

Mid-1880s fashion plate	1870 walking dress	The crinolette	An 1887 Japanese print depicting two women dressed in the Western fashion.
A criticism of the bustle fashion.	Satirical image comparing the look of a woman wearing a bustle to that of a snail wearing a dress.	Caricature of Charles Darwin contemplating a bustle as a curiosity of natural history, from Fun, 16th Nov, 1872. Fun was a Victorian weekly Magazine, first published on September 21 1861.

References

See also

• 1870s in fashion
• 1880s in fashion
• Crinoline
• Corset