… drastically with the Princess Line, where the dress and bodice were cut as one. This demanded very wide and durable fabrics to sustain both the elaborate draping of the skirt, and the heavy built in structures like a corset into the bodice. They also had to be draped on the body to get the exact fit, making this a hard to reach fashion ideal, worn best by royalty and those with the means to pay for it.
(Example: cuirasse bodice of 1879-80 switches suddenly to the Princess line in 1880-82)