grow larger and had more pads that had strings and ruffles. (1870 crinolette was the first step out of the crinoline and into the bustle. By the mid-1870’s, there were many elaborate and decorative pads and structures considered to be early bustles like this “horsehair pad”. They were named for …
slimmed down into a vertical shape, and were fitted all along the body and over the hips. Dresses were two parts; skirt and bodice, and the bodices elongated with the skirt. (1879 afternoon dress with 1879 fashion plate)
more fitted and the back became elongated into a large curve. (1874 afternoon dress with fashion plate from 1874)
moved towards the front of the skirt like an apron. The “polonaisse” drape was invented and worn over increasingly tighter and more fitted skirts. (1871 maternity polonnaise and fashion plate from 1871)
straight in front although not fitted, and flared towards the back. A bodice had a peplum or little skirt in back to emphasize the shape. (1871 afternoon dress and 1871 fashion plate shows the still somewhat loosely fitted front of the skirt with fullness behind typical of this transitional period …
about the bustle by cartoonists and serious fashion experts as it was a very notable feature of fashion. The real fashion statement defining the mid 1870’s though was the amount of trim, ornament, and “things” piled on top of “monuments known as bonnets” according to a fashion magazine of the …
and huge skirts was replaced by the first bustles or “tournures” (“turning bustles” – softer versions of full padding over the rear end) and the ideal silhouette became a long, molded sensually curvaceous figure down the legs and hips. (Cartoon showing 1870’s full back draping becoming the 1880’s large bustle …
around their necks with needles sticking out to train them to hold their heads high and straight while wearing collars so the collars would not bend or roll. (High collars and fitted bodices of the late 1870’s demanded postural changes started at a young age)
a “Hauteur” to women’s dress, which led to special blouses and shirts which required special training to get them on and off, and to prevent the neck from being crushed. (Photo: 1870 women with “haut couteur” and “haut” (high) collars)
. This was the characteristic stiff necked style that continued until and marked the end of the 19th century and the Victorian era. (Left: man’s Prussian collar reproduction; right 1876 fashion plate incorporating similar collar)
