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)
development of mass production techniques which focused on uniformity. Women, previously hating to look like anyone else, embraced the new armoured “cuirasse” look like they were a part of a military regiment more and more as the century progressed. (Early 1870’s (estimated 1872) tightly fitted bodices)
From about 1875-1900, Europe would again be at war (in South Africa), so military uniforms would again affect women’s fashion. The long, well fitted and superbly tailored woolen tunic with gold trim guided fashion houses to build women’s costumes based on these types of garments. (1870 Men’s Russian military uniform …
lined in white cotton. Coutil was a special, very densely woven fabric that had little to no stretch in any direction. It is still the preferred fabric for today’s corset construction and is very expensive in the US has there are few sources for it. Companies in Canada and the …
white corsets were considered ladylike, although gray, putty, red, and black were worn more often as they were economical. (1865 extant white and red reproduction corsets show a wide variety of period correct colors)
the bottom of the 1850-1860 corset was of little concern, so there was a wide variety in fit, shaping, boning, and seaming into the 1860’s as the crinoline grew in popularity. (1860’s corset varied quite a bit and accommodated the crinoline which hid the hips)
