Historical Fashion: Victorian - Early Bustle (1865-1880)
Men's dress developed soberly along previously established lines. The cutaway, frock, and sack coats varied little from previous styles. A slim, vertical silhouette with less padding in the chest and a natural fit in the waist was fashionable. An ever-increasing interest in sports required development of new styles for both participants and spectators. The backward thrust of women's skirts in the late Crinoline period led to the development of the bustle skirt. When viewed from the front, the silhouette was narrow and vertical (especially in the 1880s). In profile, however, the lower half of the figure extended backward dramatically. Heavy drapery and carefully controlled ruffled adorned most versions of the bustle dress, and trains were common. 18th-C. details enjoyed a revival. Wool fabrics dominated menswear, although cotton, linen, and some silk were also used, especially for warmer temperatures or sporting wear. Women's fashions took advantage of a wide variety of fabrics, most of them with substantial heft in order to support and maintain the complicated tailoring and draping.
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Formal court mourning dress of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, made by Fanni Scheiner, dated after 1877. Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien / Wagenburg und Monturdepot. Photos: (Top): Joshua Greene; (Bottom): Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. Bodice of black satin trimmed with Chantilly lace and jet bead embroidery, black satin skirt with bustle and train, black lace bonnet and black velvet veil-mask edged with black lace.