Elegant Victorian Gowns

Since Queen Victoria had been reigning the British Empire for a very long period of time, the women’s fashion in victorian period had been changing constantly. During the 1840s to 1850s, women's gowns developed wide puffed sleeves. Dresses were simple and pale. In 1860s, the skirts became flatter at the front and projected out more behind the woman. Up until 1870s, uncorseted tea gowns were introduced for informal entertaining at home and steadily grew in popularity. In the final years of 1890s, Women's wear in the last decade of the Victorian Era was characterized by high collars, held in place by collar stays, and stiff steel boning in long line bodices. By this time, there were neither crinolines nor bustles. Women opted for the tiny wasp waist instead.

Elegant Champagne Sleeveless Victorian Evening Dress

As a whole, women’s gowns during this period of time has its unique characteristics as being refined, elegant and classic.

How to Preserve Victorian Clothing?

It is a challenge to protect and preserve the antique clothing. Preserving is critical to avoid damage to the fabrics, trims and seams. While the specifics of care may depend upon the garment and fabric, some general guidelines can help you care for victorian clothing properly, preserving it to be enjoyed for years to come.

Champagne Off Shoulder Victorian Dress

First of all, you should decide how you wish to store your vintage and antique clothing. You will need flat, folded storage in a dry, acid free environment. The best option to preserve antique clothing is a custom made textile box; however, these are quite costly. Plastic boxes are more affordable and an acceptable choice in a dry environment.
Then decide wrap the antique garment carefully in acid free tissue paper or unbleached muslin that has been washed and dried. Be sure to carefully place layers of tissue or fabric in between the folds of the garment and lightly pad any fold lines to avoid creating wrinkles in the fabric.
It is better to add cedar blocks to prevent moths and insect damage. Be sure that the antique garments are fully wrapped and not touching the cedar block.
Store your antique clothing in boxes in a dry and dark space. This will prevent light damage. Label boxes thoroughly to make it easier to access a single antique garment.

Women’s Blouses in the Victorian Period

When it comes to the clothing fashion in the victorian period, most people may thing of the ball gowns and the bustle skirt. It is true women in the victorian period love to wear the dress. However, there are also the other types of clothes for women at that time. Here I will talk about the women’s blouses in the victorian period.
Blouses are historically a cask style, mostly mail-like garment, that were rarely part of the fashionable woman's wardrobe until the 1890s. Before that time, they were occasionally popular for informal wear by the peasants.

A simple blouse with a plain skirt was the standard dress for the newly expanded female workforce of the 1890s, especially for those employed in office work. In the 1900s and 1910s, elaborate blouses which were heavily decorated with lace and embroidery in a style became immensely popular for daywear and even some informal evening wear. Since then, blouses have remained a wardrobe staple.
Blouses are often made of cotton or silk cloth and may or may not include a collar and sleeves. They are generally more tailored than simple knit tops, and may contain feminine details such as ruffles, a tie or a soft bow at the neck, or embroidered decorations.
All above pictures I post are the most classic blouses for women in the victoria era. They look gorgeous on them with their almost white color and sleeves.

Victorian Corset Dress

Dressing up in uncommon clothes may draw others’ attention than the normal wear. One of the themes that people especially a women usually select is the victorian style. Have you ever attend a party wearing in victorian style? If not, you can get some inspiration from here.

Aristocratic Purple Cap Sleeves Gothic Victorian Dress

In selecting the dress that you are going to wear, you need to put your preference and taste up above everything. If you are a dynamic lady who are attractive in your youth, a short victorian corset dress is the best for you. It is such a modern Victorian dress by the way. Usually, in bottom part under the dress, there are layered laces. To emphasize the gothic style you bring up, black and red will be the best combination ever. Strapless dress is cool for the party. You can also wear black long gloves to be more stylish.
The corsets were firstly brought to be common clothes in the victorian period. So the match of dress with the corset could both show the women slim figure, the femininity and the elegance. All I want to express here is that the corset dress in the victorian style is perfect for women to attend some informal occasions. And at the same time it will make you the most attractive one among all.

The Significance of the Victorian Style Clothing

Victorian period is one of the most well know and successful period in the history. So does the victorian style clothing. The technological invention did not only do good to the development in the technology but also in the clothing field. The result of this era of technological innovation is more plentiful textiles, the growth of cities, and with modern conveniences the time for yet more technological innovation.

Black and Blue Lace Gothic Victorian Dress

Purple and Black Puff Sleeves Gothic Victorian Dress

There are recreations of clothing in the long span of history other than the victorian period, but we see far more echoes of the styles of the victorian era in current fashion and fascinations than in the times that went before.
So many styles absorb the elements and inspirations from the victorian style clothing. Take the lolita style for example. The new trend of the lolita clothing is started from Japan. And we can clearly see the elements of Victorian details in ball gowns. The steampunk creations, both real and fictional, take from the style and technologies of the victorian period.
The clothing in the victorian style is gorgeous and special. It sparkles so many ideas in today’s clothing world. So we should not neglect its significance.

Guide to Silhouettes During Victorian Period

The Victorian Era was the time from 1837 to 1901 which under reign of the Queen Victoria. During her 64 year reign women's dress styles changed to some degree. And the most representative feature lies in the difference is the silhouette. So here I would like to talk about the silhouettes of women’s dress during the victorian period.

Champagne Embroidered Steampunk Victorian Dress

There were mainly three kinds of silhouettes in the victorian period: the ball gown, the bustle skirt and the draped skirt. The ball gown is the most outstanding silhouette in the victorian period. The design of fitted upper bodice and the ball gown shows a very classic image of victorian women. Women love this silhouette because it reveals both the slim waist and the wealthy fullness of the wearer. The bustle skirt placed a much more emphasis on the back part of the dress. It was prevailing in the middle of the victorian age. And in this period of time, women worshiped the fullness in the bottom part to show a extremely curvy figure. The draped skirt was appeared in the late victorian age. Women begun to focus on the natural beauty and figure of themselves.
The tracing of silhouettes can be seen the changes in people’s idea on clothing. And all above pictures illustrate the differences in Victorian dress change, most notably the shape of the skirt.

Mourning Dress in the Victorian Age

In the long history of the mourning dresses, the Industrial Revolution affected the practice of wearing mourning dress. It created the new rules of fashion especially in the middle class which was brought by the technological advances. By the mid 19th century, the wearing of appropriate mourning dress was a sign of respectability.

Navy Blue Victorian Mourning Dress

Queen Victoria had an influence on this fashions of mourning dress from the mid to the late 1800's. After the death of her husband, Queen Victoria wore clothes in black color until her own death in 1901. During Victorian times, the type of mourning dress and the length of time one wore it was circumscribed by etiquette instead of sumtuary laws. A widow wore mourning dress for more than two years.
Full mourning lasted a full year and consisted of clothing made of dull black fabrics without embellishment or jewelry. A women in full mourning wore a veil to cover her face when she left the house. She avoided balls and frivolous events during that time.
After a year had passed, the widow added small trimmings and simple jewelry. Later, that second year, the widow would add some color. Gray, mauve, and duller shades of purple and violet were suitable at that time. But in most cases, the mourning dresses are in the black which would show the solemnness and the respect.

How to Dress as a Modern Victorian

The clothing style in the victorian period could be classified into the vintage clothing style. There exists a way for the people in the modern world to dress in the vintage style and also be modern: to modernize the vintage clothes to suit your fashion needs and personal style. During the victorian period, the women’s dresses were fitted on the waist and bust, and flowed throughout the length of the skirt. Victorian dresses were heavy and uncomfortable due to many layers and the material of choice. Victorian dresses are characterized by their feminine appearance with ruffles, lace and ribbons.

Pink Victorian Ball Gown Prom Dress

Red and Black One-Shoulder Victorian Evening Dress

The first step is to choose a ball gown. This silhouette is most classic in the victorian style. Brighter colors are perfect to match the victorian style. You can also choose a petticoat in a contrasting color under your Victorian dress. White will look dramatic, but brighter colors such as red and pink can be used by those who are brave enough.
The second step is to accessorize your outfit with jewelry. Gold jewelry will work best for a Victorian look. Wear a large locket around your neck or pearl beads. Loose and long curls or a small bun at the nape of the neck will complete your look. Any shoes will work, since a Victorian dress is long. However, the shoes should be elegant.
Some people may love the vintage clothes but will not wear it. Here I just focus on how to dress both in the vintage and modern style.

Victorian Women and Women's Clothing

Women in the victorian age were totally different from women in nowadays world. Women’s social status at that time was very low. And it was a striking illustration of the discrepancy for that the Britain at that time was powerful and wealthy and the social conditions were appalling. Women did not have the suffrage rights, the right to sue, or the right to own property. There was a concept called “pater familias” which meant that the husband as head of the household and moral leader of his family. Women was to love, honour and obey her husband, as her marriage vows stated.

Though the status was not high, the victorian clothing had been a prevailing and significant milestone. The clothing trend in the victorian period were focus on the elaborate dresses, skirts with wide volume created by the use of layered materials and heavy fabrics. Through such clothing designs, women could show their wealth and elegance to the other people. Besides, the fitted waist design at that time was one of the most prominent characteristics in women’s clothing. And this narrow waist was achieved by constricting the abdomen with a laced corset. While the silhouette was striking, and the dresses themselves were often exquisitely detailed , the women really had to suffer a lot. This is one aspect that they are different from women in today’s world. Because the dresses in modern fashion keep the good designs of the victorian clothing and discard the bad ones. The dresses still look great but women do no have to suffer when wearing the dress any more.

Elegant Copper Victorian Masquerade Dress

Elegant Champagne Victorian Masquerade Dress

Victorian Christmas and Victorian Dresses

When we celebrate Christmas with family and friends, we have the Victorians to thank for many of its joyful festivities and delightful customs. It is the people lived in victorian age that revived the old traditions to Christmas, such as caroling, and invented new ones such as decorating the Christmas tree and sending Christmas cards. Most of all, the Victorians made Christmas a family celebration, with its primary focus on the Christ Child and children. A Victorian Christmas entailed the exchange of gifts between parents and children; attendance together at Church services; a multi-course family dinner; and visits with friends, relatives, and other families.

Royal Red and Gold Victorian Costume Dress

The normal Christmas may make people even children feel boring for the setted form of the Christmas. What about a victorian Christmas? It is not only a Christmas that family getting together, but also a themed party that everyone may wear a victorian costume. This may make the Christmas much more fun and leave a much deeper impression to the family and friends.
Sometimes, people forget the tradition and just follow what most people will do. The Christmas is a good example. Anyhow, people should know what the traditional Christmas is and may change some bit to a more impressive celebration for Christmas.

Gothic Victorian Fashion and Clothing

It is easier to define gothic victorian fashion and clothing than the gothic fashion and clothing for the gothic fashion and clothing is a large and overall concept. The gothic victorian style clothing is a subgenre of the gothic style clothing. From the name we can know that it is a mixed style combining both the gothic and victorian element.

Vintage Black Gothic Victorian Dress

As Goths like to say about themselves, "I want to be left alone but I want to be seen. I want to see the shock on other peoples' faces." As a branch of gothic style, gothic victorian clothing of course follows suit. The shock always comes from the colors that applied in the clothes. The most outstanding one is the color of black. Although there there are many more colors worn than it would appear, it will usually keep some of the darkness and black as part of the mixture.

Green and Black Gothic Victorian Dress

The colors serve as an factor to achieve the gothic element in the gothic victorian fashion and clothing. The style and the pattern show the victorian part. A women’s dress is usually in the ball gown silhouette. The style is the classic victorian style except the colors.
It is a nicely try to fuse both the gothic and victorian style together. And the look of such dresses is fantastic and dramatic.