Upper Class Victorian Era Fashion Quiz and Flashcards

Study Notes

Fashions and Trends in British Culture During the Victorian Era

Victorian fashion emerged and developed in the United Kingdom and the British Empire throughout the Victorian era, roughly from the 1830s through the 1890s.
Changes in styles, fashion technology, and the methods of distribution were observed during the Victorian era.
Upper-class women often wore a tightly laced corset over a bodice or chemisette, paired with a skirt adorned with numerous embroideries and trims; over layers of petticoats.
Middle-class women exhibited similar dress styles; however, the decorations were not as extravagant.
The layering of these garments made them very heavy, and corsets were stiff and restricted movement.
During the early and middle 1860s, crinolines began decreasing in size at the top, while retaining their amplitude at the bottom.
By 1890, the crinoline and bustle was fully abandoned, and skirts flared away naturally from the wearer's tiny waist.
Hats were crucial to a respectable appearance for both men and women.
Women's shoes of the early Victorian period were narrow and heelless, in black or white satin.
During the 1840s, men wore tight-fitting, calf-length frock coats and a waistcoat or vest.
In the 1850s, men started wearing shirts with high upstanding or turnover collars and four-in-hand neckties tied in a bow, or tied in a knot with the pointed ends sticking out like "wings".
In the 1860s, men started wearing wider neckties that were tied in a bow or looped into a loose knot and fastened with a stickpin.Victorian Fashion, Mourning Customs, Technological Advancements, Home Decor and Contemporary Stereotypes
Frock coats and top hats were popular business attire while sack coats were slowly becoming popular for less formal occasions.
Three-piece suits and patterned fabrics for shirts grew in popularity during the 1870s.
Formal evening dress remained a dark tail coat and trousers with a dark waistcoat, a white bow tie, and a shirt with a winged collar during the 1880s.
The mourning period and attire for men and women were rigid during the Victorian era. Black was the traditional color associated with mourning for the dead.
Technological advancements brought a major change in the fashion styles worn by men and women, and advancements were in favor of the upper class.
Charles Frederick Worth, a prominent English designer, became popular among the upper class, and Haute couture became popular at the same time when sewing machines were invented.
By the 1860s, tailored looks improved posture and were more practical for women, leading to women's liberation.
Home furnishing was not necessarily ornate or overstuffed, but those who could afford lavish draperies and expensive ornaments would often do so.
There is no actual evidence that piano legs were considered scandalous, and discretion covered a multitude of sins in Victorian manners.
Women's evening gowns bared the shoulders and the tops of the breasts, while corsets exaggerated hips and bust by contrast with a tiny waist.
The Victorian era was based on the principles of gender, race, and class, and advancements were in favor of the upper class.
Synthetic dyes were introduced that added new bright colors to garments, and by the 1850s, more fashion technological advancements were made.

Description

Do you consider yourself a history buff? How about when it comes to fashion? Take our quiz on the fashions and trends in British culture during the Victorian era and test your knowledge. From corsets to crinolines, top hats to tailcoats, this quiz covers it all. Learn about the changes in styles, fashion technology, and the methods of distribution during this era. Discover how mourning customs and contemporary stereotypes influenced fashion. Take the quiz and see if you're a fashion history