Fashion Facts about the 18th Century! French Court continued to be the center of fashion in the 18th century

Keeping up with fashion was important, especially for British dandies called Macaroni’s whose
styles were subject to Italian influences. Trade with the far east brought Asian textiles, providing luxurious silk and printed cottons for garments. In Europe and American the Industrial Revolution made possible the production of a wide range of domestic textiles. Fashion changes for men in the 18th century were not extreme. Toward the beginning of the century, men wore white shirts with a ruffled frill at the front under vests that were sleeved or sleeveless. The vest was only a little shorter than the out coat which had become wider. Breeches reached to knee. Throughout the century coats for formal wear were lavishly embroidered or made of luxurious silks. If the coat, vest, and breeches were made of the same fabric, the suit was known as ditto suit. For less formal occasions, a frock coat, which was more casual coat with a flat, turned down collar and a looser fit might be worn.
By the second half of the century, vests had grown shorter, breeches were more closely fitted,
and the jacket had narrowed and curved back, away from the front below the waistline.
Both frock coats and more formal coats continued to be worn. Loose colorful dressing gowns called banyans were worn at home and also on the street. When relaxing, men might take off their wigs and wear an embroidered nightcap. Important accessories for men -- Three corned hat, Pocketbook, Wigs & Shoes with gold buckles.

For women previous styles continued until 1720. In this century, as in the 16th, hoops became important as wide skirts were worn throughout the century. The wide skirts of the dress are supported by a frame called paniers. Typical undergarments for the 18th century were a chemise, over which were  placed the stays and undergarment petticoat and a hoop. Styles changed several time. 1715-1730- wide gowns, relatively simple hairstyles. Fitted gowns were also worn, as were loose hip-length, tops and skirts. Skirts became less round and were wider from side to side. Gowns fitted in the back were called l’Anglaise and those with full unfitted pleats at the shoulder back and fitted fronts were known as robes a la Francaise Gowns had square necklines. Many had a V shape inset at front called a stomacher (often high ornamented with embroidery, lace, and ribbons)
Hair continues to grow higher. Except for formal dress, dresses become less wide polonaise- puffs. Hairstyles grew enormous at the end of the century. Expensive soft cotton muslins from India were made into dress cut similar to the chemise. Fullness in skirt gradually shifted to the back, and the bodice front took on a puff appearance, as soft scarves were tucked into necklines. Working class women slaves and the poor wore petticoats with straight unfitted silhouettes. With the wide skirts, the most practical outdoor garments was a cape, tie pockets worn for carrying items around, parasols, shoes & fans to keep cool.

Fashion Facts about the Bustle Period & the Nineties

The Bustle Period and the Nineties (1870-1900)

This period was named after the Bustle, the prominent feature of women’s dresses
The way clothing was produced and sold began to change
-wide use of sewing machines
-development of sized paper pattern
-technology allowing the cutting of many garments pieces at the same time

Department stores and mail order catalogs provided new ways of selling clothing

The undergarments worn to support the new silhouette of the 1870s continued to include the same elements of the previous time period
-under drawers
-chemise
-corset
-corset cover

An alternative for underwear became available; the combination which combined drawers and chemise
The new element was the bustle, a structure to support a skirt with a full back
In fashion for twenty years
The earliest bustle created by manipulating the full skirt in a waterfall like effect
The second type was called a sheath or crass bodice, which dropped fullness to below the back of knee
The final bustle type was rigid and shelf like and rarely had a train

The nineties
Around 1890, the bustle lost it’s prominence
As back fullness diminished, sleeves grew larger, skirts more circular, and an hour glass shape silhouette came into fashion
even two piece “tailor made” suits for women had popular leg of mutton sleeves
Outdoor garments had to accommodate larger sleeves

-Women began working in factories
The availability of ready made blouses called shirtwaists made a shirtwaist and skirt ideal for work

Women began to take part in sports; cycling became popular (bloomers were popular cycling outfit)

The Aesthetic Movement in the arts encouraged a rejection of the current bustle fashion in favor of what its proponents calling a ‘Medieval” look
Art Nouveua design motifs appeared in jewelry, as patterns in textiles, and were reflected in the S-Shape curves of garments at the turn of the century
Additional Accessories
-gloves
-capelet
-fan
-parasol
-watch
-glasses
-mourning brooch

The change in menswear was more subtle
Men, too, could wear combinations of mourning suits
Men could choose from more types of jackets. Generally the type of jacket worn related to the formality of the occasion
An innovation in evening wear was the tuxedo, made with a sack jacket, and first worn in the 1880s
For golf and other sports activities, knickers were worn
The basic styles, such as Chesterfield and the frock coats, changed little, but lengths varied. More exotic styles included Inverness and the Ulster
-shoes
-different collars
-Pince Nex
-Walking stick

Young girls wore bustles as well
Little boys wore skirts, then graduated into suits