MMy Art Nouveau era hat with it’s goofy silk poppies makes me smile.
Victorian Fashionista
New Corsetry
Settling into a new pattern shape here in the work studio…the fashion geometry changes so much every few years! This feels different from my “usual” 1880s style, but somehow I have better posture. Late Victorian, not quite Edwardian…definitely: “transitional”.
1880s Style – The Walking Dress & Walking Suit – Fashion Evolution
O
ne of the more interesting styles to develop during the 1880s was the walking suit/walking dress and they were both practical and stylish, incorporating both a wide variety of cuts, fabrics, and colors and were intended for wear while out in public. Just to preface, from what we’ve seen in the research we’ve done, the terms “walking dress” and “walking suit” seemed to be used somewhat interchangeably and it doesn’t appear that the concept was fully formed until the early 1890s with its characteristic jacket-waist-skirt combination. However, looking at this style in the 1880s, it would appear that first and foremost, the skirt was untrained and the hem tended to be a off the ground. Also, to a great degree, the bodice tended to be styled as a “jacket-bodice” in which the bodice was constructed to mimic a jacket over a visible vest or some sort of decorative treatment- often shirred chiffon. But, as mentioned above, the concept doesn’t seem to have been fully formed and the boundaries could get hazy at times (no doubt influenced by marketing concerns since much of the fashion press of the times was owned by various pattern-making concerns such as Butterick).
The walking dress in action…
What ultimately became the distinct walking suit style of the 1890s seems to have gotten its start by 1884 as a walking dress that was meant as a more practical garment. Below is some commentary from the December 1884 issue of Demorest’s Family Magazine:
In opposition to these dazzling house toilettes are the sober, neat street costumes which are almost universally worn. The material is usually some dark shade of cloth. Heavy serge and bure, a thick worsted goods with a coarse, shaggy surface, are especially popular for walking suits. The skirt is almost plain, simply a plaiting around the bottom, but a broad band of fur encircles it about a quarter of a yard from the bottom. A full overskirt drawn up high over the hips, and a little tight fitting fur-trimmed jacket complete a costume rich in its quiet simplicity. To be worn with it is a little bonnet fashioned from the same material, with plume 3 or tips of some contrasting color and velvet strings.
One suit is of dark-brown cloth, the skirt consisting of bayadère stripes {fabric]1A fabric with bayadère stripes is a fabric with horizontal stripes in strongly contrasted colors. of a lighter hue mingled with a grayish blue traversing the ground. No trimming except the foot plaiting of plain brown. Drapery and corsage are also of plain brown. The latter opens at the side beneath the full plaits of the waist proper so as to leave the striped vest unbroken in front. Cuffs and close collar are of the striped goods, and a band of the same about two inches wide reaches down the shoulder seam from the collar to the insertion of the sleeve.
The above passage defines the walking outfit as streetwear that is plain with an emphasis on darker colors and plain woolen fabrics. Skirts are meant to be simple and untrained with a minimum of gathering. At the same time, it’s noted that that the underlying vest is somewhat more colorful and loud and that the bodice is to be arranged to show it off to the best advantage. Finally, it must be noted that the skirt could be in a contrasting material, striped in the above example. The above points are further discussed in this passage below from the same issue:
The newest winter walking suits consist of skirt, jacket basque, and vest, real or simulated, and street-coat or cloak. The walking-jacket is not at all so indispensable a part of them as formerly. The jacket-basque, with vest, is cut in such a way that it completes a dress fit for the street; and when the temperature demands additional clothing, a longer, more protective. and adjustable garment is found necessary to meet varied requirements.
This is really an improvement, but a greater one is the getting rid of looped and bunched-up drapery from heavy cloth materials. “Tailors” proper—what are known as “ladies’” tailors—would have served a really good purpose, if they had strictly adhered to the original idea, maintained a certain standard, and not endeavored to copy the follies of tulle in solid cloth.
Redfern, the great Isle of Wight tailor, has done this less than others. He gets up astonishing contrasts in colors; his “yachting ” suits, his “men of war” costumes for girls, and his cloth “gowns,” are original and striking, but they are useful and suitable; his coats are full of inside pockets, and his traveling costumes seem made for the “road” and to have a satchel, or lorgette slung across them.
The above comments on Redfern are also interesting in that we see tailors trying to incorporate elements in their work that are more in the area of dressmaking, much to Demorest’s disapproval. Below is an illustration from the April 1885 of Demorest’s that illustrates some of the ideas expressed in the above passages in regard to the utility of the walking suit/walking dress. In the right figure, the skirt is simple with a minimum of gathering and the pattern provides a nice contrast to the solid colored skirt front and bodice sides and back. The jacket/bodice is also faced in the same material as the underskirt and helps create the appearance of a long waistcoat reminiscent of early 18th Century styles.
And just to show some of the variations in jacket/bodice styles, here’s another illustration, this time from the May 1885 issue of Demorest’s:
And lest we think it was just Demorest’s that was presenting this style to the public, below is an illustration below from the October 1886 issue of Peterson’s Magazine:
Below are some extant walking dresses from the 1880s, starting with this one from circa 1885:
Walking Dress, c. 1885; Metropolitan Museum of Art (1978.295.8a, b)
And below is another example from circa 1884-1885; and yes, it’s labeled as being a day dress and that’s true but it also encompasses elements of the walking dress style.
Day Dress, c. 1884-1885; Museum of London (32.26/2a)
Finally, we have this circa 1885 walking dress from Worth:
Worth, Walking Dress, c. 1885; Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009.300.771a, b)
Late 1880s Style – The Flower Pot Hat
During the late 19th Century, hats were considered to an essential fashion accessory for both women and men and as such, you were not considered to be completely dressed for leaving home unless you wore one. While hats had their origins as a practical means of protecting the head against the elements, it didn’t take long before hats also became to be considered as more of a fashion accessory rather than a practical item of apparel. Naturally, there was a bit of overlap between the practical and the aesthetic and this was reflected in the variety of hat styles that developed during the late 19th Century.
Edgar Degas, The Little Milliners (1882)
One of the most common “signature” hat styles during the late 1880s was the flower pot hat which was a high-crowned hat with a silhouette that resembled an upside-down flower pot (hence the name 🙂 ). Typically made from either blocked or sewn straw, or in some instances from buckram and wire, this hat created a high profile upon the wearer’s head, creating a large canvas for decoration. Decoration ranged from simple ribbons or feathers to more elaborate flowers and in some instances, a millinery birds (stuffed birds). The brim could be shaped in a number of different ways and even the crown could take complex shapes.
Below are a few examples of the flower pot hat in its many styles, both in portraiture, fashion plates, and advertising:
Der Bazar, August 1, 1885
Godey’s Ladys Book, May, 1886
La Mode Illustree, April 1885
1885
La Mode Illustree, September 12, 1886
La Revue de la Mode, March 15, 1885
As can be seen from the above, there was a lot of variation and in some instances, the “flower pot” profile is somewhat obscured in the more extreme hat styles. Also, decoration and trim could be taken to extremes as in the case of the millinery birds (a style that eventually fell out of favor during the 1890s due to public reaction to the widespread depletion of bird species due to over-hunting).
Now let’s look at some extant examples:
Woman’s Hat, Straw, c. 1884 – 1886; Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009.300.5912)
View On Mannequin.
The above example is a very basic style, made from straw. The trim is fairly restrained, some ribbons and flowers. What is especially interesting is that there is a brown velvet underbrim whose color complements the color of the straw hat body.
Women’s Hat, c. 1890s; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (41.11.16)
And another basic straw style, this time the straw has been dyed black. The trim is fairly minimal, consisting of black ribbon and some artificial fruit. The colors of the artificial fruit provide an interesting contrast to the black hat and ribbon; black was a common color for the straw hat body. Below is another example of a decorated black straw flower pot hat:
Women’s Hat, American, c. 1886; Metropolitan Museum of Art (C.I.41.148.1)
Women’s Hat, Mme. Mantel, French, c. 1886; Metropolitan Museum of Art (2009.300.1415)
While straw was the predominant material, other materials could be employed such as silk plush (the museum caption mentions that it might be either beaver or silk plush, we suspect that silk plush is the more likely material given the late date of the hate; the numbers of beaver had been severely reduced by the 1850s). Here, the trim is even more restrained,consisting of some large silk ribbon. The contrast in textures between the silk ribbon and the silk plush is remarkable.
And now for something a bit more over-the-top:
Women’s Hat, Modes du Louvre , France, c. 1885; V&A Museum (T.715:3-1997)
This is definitely a more extreme style of flower pot hat to include a millinery bird with feathers that have been dyed to create a pink color effect combined with, what appears to be painted details. As can be seen from the above example, hat trimming was only limited by the imagination of the milliners and their clients.
One final thing to note is that these hats were intended for wear with a variety of daytime outfits as opposed to one specific dress. While there were examples of flower pot hats that were deliberately made to match a specific dress, this was not a universal practice in spite of what the fashion plates would portray; for those women of lesser means, the cost was simply prohibitive.
We hope you have enjoyed our brief excursion through the world of flower pot hats of the 1880s and in future posts we hope to expand further the discussion of Victorian Era millinery. 🙂
Some Early 1880s Style
Today we take a look at some extant examples of early 1880s styles from various collections with an emphasis on bodices- our newest fixation. 😉 First up is this circa 1881-83 day dress from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET Museum):
Day Dress, c. 1881-1883; Metropolitan Museum of Art (C.I.43.44.4a, b)
This dress rather closely follows the early 1880s silhouette with a short bodice combined with an over/underskirt combination. The bodice is constructed of a burgundy-colored silk velvet. The overskirt is also constructed of the same burgundy velvet that divides into two sections: one loosely covering the hips and extending down in point, down almost all the way to the hem and the other creating a long tail. Unless one looks closely, the bodice and overskirt appears as one, creating the illusion of a polonaise. The underskirt is constructed of a multi-colored vertically striped fabric with insets of the burgundy velvet- it’s hard to determine just what it is and the description on the MET Museum website offers no clues. The striped fabric is in several colors in various shades of brown along with ivory.
The bodice front is trimmed with jewel appliques on both sides of the front opening, suggesting that this dress was meant for visiting or formal daytime occasions.
Here’s a side profile view and unless one looks closely, it would appear that the bodice is a polonaise style.
The rear view is interesting in that the overskirt draws up shorter than the underskirt. Also, in the rear, the underskirt hem is the same burgundy velvet as the overskirt and bodice. Finally, note that the cuffs and the rear bows appear to be an olive-colored silk moire. Overall, it’s an interesting dress with some design features although the color combinations aren’t really optimal, in our opinion.
Next up is this circa 1882 day dress that, like the first dress, features a faux polonaise bodice style effect:
Day Dress, c. 1882; The Sigal Museum (164.v.1)
This dress appears to be constructed of a combination of gold/champagne color silk satin and a silk brocade with a purple-gold-silver pansy pattern. The brocade is a very busy pattern and from a distance appears more of a black and green (of course, it could also be the lighting and appearance on a computer monitor). The bodice is cut so that the solid champagne/gold satin is featured prominently, making up the main front and back panels with the back panels descending downwards mimicking a tail coat. The center fronts and the upper sleeves are made up of the brocade and provides a harmonious contrast. The neckline is trimmed in a combination of ivory lace, silver satin ribbons and dags of the brocade- it’s an interesting style effect.
Here’s a close up of the bodice and it’s obvious from the seaming that the bodice is actually joined to the rest of the dress- it’s subtle but easy to miss at a distance. The dress itself continues with this solid and brocade fabric theme with a ruched solid front combined with side panels and train in the brocade. The dress is layered but not in the usual over/underskirt manner but rather with vertical draped layers. Finally, the train the brocade is also used for the train.
Here’s some views of the side profile and one can see the vertical draping which emphasizes vertical lines, a characteristic of Mid Bustle style. Moreover, the pointed draping at the sides mimics the points usually associated with many polonaises; in the rear we can see some fullness leading down to the demi-train.
Ths dress is an interesting example of Mid-Bustle Era style, combining the Mid-Bustle aesthetic of vertical lines while at the same time drawing upon the use of two somewhat contrasting fashion fabrics- in this case, a solid paired with a brocade with a small, busy pattern. While there’s some contrast, the colors themselves harmonize well.
Finally, no examination of early 1880s fashion would be complete without this dress, immortalized by the artist Albert Bartholomé in a portrait of his wife (who soon after tragically died):
This dress is interesting in that it takes the polonaise bodice style to an extreme: in the front, we see a tightly sculpted profile that extends a third of the way down the body, ending in a “v” and drawn towards the rear with increasing fullness culminating in a large pouf of material topped with a large bow. One could argue that with this style, we see a hint of the return to the large bustle style that was to occur in the late 1880s. But, nevertheless, at this point, the train is only a minor distraction from the tight cylindrical profile of early 1880s fashion- it was all in flux and sometimes various elements of early and later styles were intermixed in varying degrees.
And the portrait in which the dress appears…today this is on display at the Musèe d’Orsay in Paris. It’s far more powerful viewing it in person- the photo doesn’t do it justice.
Albert Bartholomé (French, 1848–1928)
In the Conservatory (Madame Bartholomé), ca. 1881
Oil on canvas; 91 3/4 x 56 1/8 in. (233 x 142.5 cm)
Musée d’Orsay, Paris, Gift of the Société des Amis du Musée d’Orsay, 1990
The above three dresses illustrate some interesting aspects of early 1880s fashion, especially with the use of draping and harmonizing materials to create faux bodice effects. If it’s one thing that we’ve learned examining fashion plates, illustrations, and pictures of extant garments, it’s that there were an infinite variety of styles out there and certainly a lot of food for thought for those seeking to recreate their own garments of the era. Stay tuned for more! 🙂