… Victorian fashion required different ensembles for different occasions. Designer Charles Worth, an Englishman-turned-Parisian-designer, introduced the word “costume” at this time, and Victoria expanded upon the concept for her country.
“Costume” meant there was morning and mourning dress, walking dress, town dress, visiting dress, receiving visitors dress, traveling dress, shooting dress, golf dress, seaside dress, races dress, concert dress, opera dress, dinner and ball dress.
Fashion plates were hugely successful in this era giving ladies supposed to women visual clues on how to dress for their new found status. New activities were invented just to show off status through “costume”, such as parading around city parks in carriages.
(Sketch: a typical 1868 Victorian fashion plate which shows women how to dress in Costume)