.. and how the Mid-Victorian Fashion changed drastically between the early 1870’s and the early 1880’s, covering the 1st bustle era with its various shapes and drapes and structures, then no bustle (Natural Form), and now as the bustle reappears larger than ever.
To figure out the date on a historical garment, the best clues are:
- location and type of draping
- seam construction of the bodice
- shape, especially symmetry or assymetry of the skirt
- the corset (what does it DO?)
(Sketches: review of the Silhouettes we’ve been discussing, and are headed for)