FCS 490R Fashion History. Terms and Definitions. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen: 1870-1900 Vocab

Art Nouveau - Jada Cordon 

Art Nouveau was an art movement that was an attempt to develop a new style that wasn’t rooted from earlier artistic forms. Most saw it as “a revolt against the eclectic nature of art.” The artistic designs of this movement “emphasized sinuous, curved lines, contorted and stylized forms from nature, and constant sense of movement.” Womens dresses also started to follow these style lines and patterns. Influences in the jewelry and accessories could also be seen. Art Nouveau was the bridge between styles of the 19th and 20th century. 

 “Survey of Historic Costume” by Tortora & Eubank 2011 

https://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Nouveau 

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/artn/hd_artn.htm 

 Boa- Lexy Holman 

A number of fashion accessories supplemented the 1890s wardrobe. The boa was a long, narrow tubular scarves of feathers or fur. An important and decorative accessory. 

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/169417 

https://www.uvm.edu/landscape/dating/clothing_and_hair/1890s_accessories_women.php 

Bust improvers- Lexy Holman 

Smooth long hips and a swelling chest was the ideal body shape for this time period. False bosoms or bust improvers were worn to help create the illusion of a fuller torso. Below is the 'lemon cup' bust improver. Each cotton cup was packed with a pad of horsehair containing a coiled spring. The springs were anchored onto horizontal whalebone strips so when the improver was worn, the breasts would push the pads out to create the impression of a fuller bust. 

https://maggiemayfashions.com/calicoball/fashionhistory/victorian-era-turn-of-the-century-1890-1900/ 

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/corsets-early-20th-century/ 

Bustle Wendy Triana 

https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/bustle/ 

“Thrusting out the skirt at the back of the waist.” It involved a lot of pads, cushion and steel to create the round bustle. 

 Camisole - Rebecca Odd 

A camisole is the garment / top that you put over the corset to stop the dirt and other soil form getting into your corset. This also hid those corset bones, to give a smoother look to your bodice. Some had short sleeves yet, most were sleeveless, since you had short sleeves on your chemise. The only reason I can think of for short sleeve, is in colder climate or if someone tended to sweat a lot. 

http://www.ushist.com/ladies_1800s_clothing/lfhp_ladies_camisole_corset-cover.shtml 

http://www.katetattersall.com/early-victorian-undergarments-part-3-chemises-and-camisoles/ 

Combination (undergarment) - Elizabeth Gibbons 

A form of undergarment combining the chemise and drawers from previously. The book suggests that its widespread acceptance after 1870 was probably related to the new dresses that fit more closely to the body and the desire to have less bulky underclothes as a result. They were usually made of a lightweight cotton material during the 1860’s-1870s, but silk versions became popular in the early 20th century. Some versions were also made from wool. 

https://blog.fidmmuseum.org/museum/2010/10/combination-undergarments.html 

https://www.fashion-era.com/drawers-pants-combinations-knickers-fashion.htm 

“Survey of Historic Costume” by Tortora & Eubank 2011 

Deerstalker cap - Rebecca Odd 

The deerstalker was a type of cap favored by deer hunters and other sportsmen in nineteenth-century England. The deerstalker became especially fashionable between 1870 and 1890. Also called a "fore and aft," the deerstalker was distinguished by its front and back visors. Large exterior ear flaps could be tied on top or allowed to cover the ears for warmth. The cap was usually made of checked material, typically sportsman's tweed or cloth. The crown was lined with scarlet poplin and was reversible. 

http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/fashion_costume_culture/European-Culture-19th-Century/Deerstalker-Cap.html 

https://fashionablehats.com/blogs/hat-articles/bbc-sherlock-hats 

 Dinner jacket- Angel Cooper

“According to Lord Dupplin, his ancestor the late Victorian Lord Dupplin was a good friend of the Prince of Wales and, after one Season, he was invited onboard the Royal Yacht. He consulted the tailor Henry Poole over what to wear and an early version of the dinner jacket resulted. Apparently, he was lightly ribbed over it – but the Prince of Wales adopted the style for informal events the next Season and so, naturally, it started to catch on.” “The dinner jacket has very largely superseded the dress-coat for home wear and at dinners in houses where one is a familiar guest. It is occasionally seen at the play, too, but it would be incorrect to wear it when accompanying ladies. Etiquette is not now nearly so strict as it used to be in the matter of evening dress in the stalls, private boxes, and dress circle of the theatres. I think this is rather to be deplored but the wave of democracy that has poured over society of late has left its impress in this as in other matters.” 

https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/tuxedo-black-tie-guide/black-tie-tuxedo-history/dinner-jacket-debut/ 

“Already at that time, the jacket had become similar to a well-known tuxedo. It was lined up in order to achieve a warming effect, as at the rural properties there were a rooms for smokers and the billiard halls where there was usually no heating. But it was customary to wear a dinner jacket at such places.​” 

https://www.fashionologiahistoriana.com/costume-history-legends-essays-in-english/category/tuxedo 

Fedora- Amber Davidson 

Textbook: Low soft hat with crown creased front Fedoras have teardrop shape indentation in the crown which allows for a more pointed and narrow front profile and side indentations. The fedora was worn further toward the front of the head and helped shape the wearer’s face, and was made out of felt. It was most popular in the 1930s and 40s. 

https://detroithistorical.wordpress.com/2020/07/02/know-your-hats-a-quick-history-of-mens-hats-1790-to-present/ 

http://www.historyofhats.net/hat-history/history-of-fedora/ 

Homburg- Amber Davidson 

Textbook: A variant of fedora made popular by Prince of Wales Made of a more rigid felt so their brim is locked into the “gutter curl” configuration shown below. It shares traits with the fedoras, but they can be easily distinguished by the brim and v-shaped top divot. There are some stories of him just wearing it to what was a spa at the time in Germany called Bad Homburg spa bringing visibility to the style. Some suggest he might have invented it as well. Some have also suggested that it could have been invented in Ecuador by Kaiser Wilhelm who made it and wore it as an informal country hat, but later becoming a big success across Europe. 

https://detroithistorical.wordpress.com/2020/07/02/know-your-hats-a-quick-history-of-mens-hats-1790-to-present/ 

https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/homburg-hat-history-style/ 

Kate Greenaway styles- Maggie Morton 

Based on illustrations by Kate Greenaway, an aesthetic movement illustrator of children’s books. Her illustrations depicted little girls in styles derived from the Empire period. Greenaway paid particular attention to the clothing of her characters and rather than sticking to the fashion of the time, she chose to revive the styles of the early 19th century. Her styles became very popular and were imitated in girls’ dresses in the 1880s-90s. 

https://ilab.org/articles/kate-greenaway-legendary-illustrator-childrens-books 

https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/kate-greenaway 

“Survey of Historic Costume” by Tortora & Eubank 2011 

Leg-o-mutton sleeves McKelle Marshall 

Leg-0-mutton Sleeves Gigot or leg of mutton sleeves were first seen in the sixteenth century. They became fashionable again in the late 1820s and early 1830s (approximately 1824 to 1836) and then once again in the 1890s. Gigot is French for an animal’s leg, particularly a sheep or a lamb, and as that was what the sleeve resembled it acquired that name and when translated into English became leg of mutton or leg o’ mutton. Although the gigot or leg of mutton sleeves were eye catching, the bigger they became the more impractical women found them. It became difficult for those who embraced the fashion to use their arms because the armholes were tiny and tightness of the lower portion restricted movement. In addition, sometimes the sleeves were so large women could not enter or exit through doorways without turning sideways. Just like the sleeves had been popular for a short time years earlier, the enormous gigot or leg of mutton shapes of the 1890s didn’t last long. Sleeves transitioned to puffs and then to even sleeker, smaller forms. Popular sleeve lengths continued to vary at this time from full-length to elbow-length to short, depending on the occasion, season, and dress style. Additionally, wide shoulders became fashionable and horizontally decorated bodices emerged that exaggerated the broad shoulder effect. Thus, as the 1890s rolled into the 1900s, the gigot or leg of mutton sleeves deflated and soon they were no more. 

https://www.geriwalton.com/gigot-or-leg-of-mutton-sleeves-of-the-1800 

As the bustle made its final decline at the end of the 1880s, a void was created. What would the next fashion trend be? As is typical with fashion, old became new again. The 1890s saw a resurgence (or recycling!) of the Leg o’ Mutton sleeve. As the bustle began to decrease, fashion shifted from an exaggerated posterior to an extreme expansion of shoulder girth. A cursory glance through fashion journals shows the absence of the Leg O’ Mutton sleeve in 1891. By 1893, sleeves had begun to inflate. The peak of the sleeve appears to have been the years 1895 and 1896, and by 1897, the style was on the wane. 

https://genealogylady.net/2015/07/12/fashion-moments-leg-o-mutton-sleeves/ 

Little Lord Fauntleroy suit- Maggie Morton 

Consisted of a velvet tunic, ending slightly below the waist, tight bottoms, a wide sash, and a wide, white lace collar. This outfit was based on clothing worn by the hero of the children’s book of the same name, Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The suits appeared right after the publication of the story and were a major fashion for boys until after the turn of the 20th century. It was most popular for boys about 3-8 years old, but some older boys wore them as well. With this suit, some boys wore long, curling locks. Many children’s books of the time characterized the wearers of Fauntleroy costume as “mama’s boys” or “sissies,” while boys forced to wear the costume are depicted as hating every moment and longing for the day when the barber would relieve them of the long curls. The suits were a symbol of status. Velvet was quite expensive and the mothers at the time had a lot of free time so they sewed the suits themselves. 

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2001706354/ 

https://www.sarahalbeebooks.com/2012/06/little-lord-flaunt-your-boy/ 

“Survey of Historic Costume” by Tortora & Eubank 2011 

Mourning crape McKelle Marshall 

Spelled with an “a” when referring to mourning clothing, crape was a matte silk gauze that had been crimped with heated rollers; dyed black; and stiffened with gum, starch, or glue. ... Known for shedding its dye anytime it got wet, crape would spot in the rain and stain the skin anytime the wearer would sweat. The thick fabric made it hard to breathe and hard to see; the popular fashion magazine Godey’s Lady’s Book admitted in 1857 that the widow’s veil was “blinding and stifling.” But it served a purpose: The veil would “protect a woman while in deepest grief against the untimely gayety of a passing stranger,” Sherwood noted in Manners and Social Uses. And yet, Sherwood also observes, “The black veil […] is most unhealthy: it harms the eyes and it injures the skin.” 

 https://www.racked.com/2018/3/29/17156818/19th-century-mourning-veil 

For deepest mourning clothes were to be black, symbolic of spiritual darkness. Dresses for deepest mourning were usually made of non-reflective paramatta silk or the cheaper bombazine – many of the widows in Dickens’ novels wore bombazine. Dresses were trimmed with crape, a hard, scratchy silk with a peculiar crimped appearance produced by heat. Crape is particularly associated with mourning because it doesn’t combine well with any other clothing – you can’t wear velvet or satin or lace or embroidery with it. After a specified period the crape could be removed – this was called "slighting the mourning." The color of cloth lightened as mourning went on, to grey, mauve, and white – called half-mourning. Jewelry was limited to jet, a hard, black coal-like material sometimes combined with woven hair of the deceased. The length of mourning depended on your relationship to the deceased. The different periods of mourning dictated by society were expected to reflect your natural period of grief. Widows were expected to wear full mourning for two years. 

 https://www.tchevalier.com/fallingangels/bckgrnd/mourning/ 

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/108062 

Norfolk jacket - Elizabeth Gibbons 

A single-breasted belted sport jacket with box pleats in the front and back of the design, usually made from materials like tweed. The origin of this jacket is debated. One popular theory is that it was invented by Henry Fitzalan-Howard, the 15th Duke of Norfolk to be used as a hunting jacket. This is debated on because there is no evidence that he invented the garment and no images exist that show him wearing a Norfolk Jacket. Another theory is that the Earl of Leiscester (Coke of Norfolk) started this style with his hunting buddies so as to have more pockets to store hunting supplies. The belt would add warmth to the design, as well as adding silhouette to the garment by hugging it more closely to the body. No matter where it started, it was made popular by Edward VII (At the time the Prince of Wales), who chose to wear the style for leisure. Its most important benefactor was Edward VII, at this time known professionally as Prince of Wales, who chose the jacket as part of his leisurewear. 

https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/norfolk-jacket-guide/ 

http://www.keikari.com/english/a-history-of-the-norfolk-jacket/ 

“Survey of Historic Costume” by Tortora & Eubank 2011 

Princess polonaise: Wendy Triana 

https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/polonaise/ 

It was the overskirt of the dress and it was the back part that had three bunched swags. This was the third kind of polonaise. 

Ready-to-wear clothing - Allison Boyes 

 In the 1880's large mills and factories produced fabric and clothing such as over-coats, petticoats, shirts, trousers, gloves, hats, and footwear. This is the time when sweatshops emerged in the US and children as young as nine were working in dangerous conditions for long hours with little pay. Sears and Roebuck was one of the first companies to do mass produced clothing and they would send out catalogs and do mail orders. Designer Ready-to-wear clothing was first instated by Pierre Cardin when he introduced his space age designs in the 60’s. The designer market was then practically forced to start mass producing luxury clothing to appeal and attract customers who were purchasing replicas and knock-offs from lower end brands or competing ready-to-wear collections at significantly lower prices. 

Sources: 

Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Shafer. https://issuu.com/evgeniabaitanaeva/docs/couture-sewing-techniques-claire-sh 

Survey of Historic Costume 

Shirtwaist blouse - Allison Boyes 

The shirtwaist blouse was originally fashioned after The Garibaldi, which is a high-necked, long sleeved shirtwaist styled to resemble the uniforms worn by italian troops. This blouse was the first style of feminine shirtwaist to become widely popular and mass produced. A Dressy shirtwaist blouse was probably made with taffeta or silk were worn for late afternoon receptions and the daytime blouses were commonly made of linen, cotton and usually paired with a dark colored skirt and accessorized with a belt or sash. 

https://blog.fidmmuseum.org/museum/2010/09/1890s-shirtwaist.html 

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/86052 

 Tea gown- Staci Moore 

In the early 1870’s a gown called the tea gown was introduced, which provided relief from corsets and tight fitting dresses or lacing since doctors were worried for health concerns wearing corsets all the time. It was loosely fitted and worn by women at home around other women friends. They were viewed as rational or reform garments. Tea gowns were worn indoors and were very popular in England and France in the 1870’s. Made to be comfortable and loose at the waist. An article I read says, “The growing number of etiquette manuals and lady's periodicals produced at this time contributed to the revival of teatime by the middle classes and to the adoption of a whimsical type of gown worn by hostesses in their homes at five o'clock tea. Was considered inappropriate to be seen in public with a tea dress.” 

 Textbook: Survey of Historic Costume by Phyllis G. Torta 

https://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/clothing-types-styles/tea-gown 

https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1898-tea-gown/ Tuxedo- Staci Moore 

 

Tuxedo- Staci Moore

In the 1880’s, a dress version of the sack suit jacket was introduced called a Tuxedo after its origin in Tuxedo, New York and a dinner jacket in England. “The term tuxedo derives from Tuxedo Park, a residential club colony of rustic mansions in the outer suburbs of New York, founded in 1886 by the wealthy Lorillard family and some of their friends. Principally in black, the jacket could bear peak lapels or a shawl collar faced in either silk or gross-grain, and was matched to a pair of trousers with a plain silk stripe running down the side of each leg, without turned-up cuffs. The obligatory furnishings of a black bow tie and cummerbund (when worn without a waistcoat) did not become fully established until the 1920s.” I thought it was interesting as I was reading, I came across how the tuxedo became popular at the ball. The reading says, “The Tuxedo Club’s first annual Autumn Ball was held in October of 1886. At the time, men’s formal dress consisted of a long tailcoat and white tie. However, the dashing Pierre Lorillard commissioned a modified “tailless” black jacket to wear to the ball. Despite his intent, Pierre Lorillard did not go through with his fashion plans for the ball. However, his more rebellious son along with several of his friends, did wear the short jacket to the ball. Due to the lofty social status of the young men, the short jacket was instantly admired as a striking fashion statement rather than condemned as a fashion faux pas. This short jacket was quickly copied and when gentlemen wearing tuxedos were admitted to the Dress Circle of New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1889, the success of this new fashion was confirmed. The “tuxedo,” so dubbed after the town of its debut, thus went from fashionable trend to timeless classic.” Tuxedos are still very popular today and worn at Formal Occasions. The tuxedo is a standard in American formal attire and is a ubiquitous symbol of celebration and special occasion for men of any and all levels of society. It is the quintessential men’s attire for formal affairs and an obvious choice for all but the most formal of weddings, galas, balls, formals, and high school proms. 

Textbook: Survey of Historic Costume by Phyllis G. Torta 

https://fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/clothing-types-styles/tuxedo

https:// www.vittorioformalwear.com/history-of-the-tuxedo/ 

Ulster - Angel Cooper 

“the Ulster, appeared in the 1870s and was particularly popular as a travelling coat. In the 1890s, it was usually worn with a half-belt at the back only. The full-length coats varied in fashionable length, ending as high as the knee, or as low as mid-calf, until the 1890s, when all coats lengthened to end between calf and ankle. The heavier milled cloths and tweeds were used for these outdoor coats, mainly in black, dark blue, grey and brown shades.” 

 https://vintagedancer.com/victorian/victorian-mens-fashion-history/ 

“Outerwear changed during this period from earlier decades. Previously, shawls and capes had been the most fashionable, but the new bustle styles were better served by coats and jackets (Fig. 10). Some even borrowed from menswear styles; both the chesterfield, with its signature velvet collar, and the caped ulster became fashionable choices for women” “Both the Inverness and Ulster coats featured attached capes, sometimes detachable” 

 https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1870-1879/ 

Union suit- Nora Terry 

 (pinterest) Men could purchase combinations or Union Suits that united drawers and undervests into one garment (pg 401 Survey of historic costume) 3 styles of bustles & years 

Bicycling costume- Nora Terry 

Costume of the 1890’s. Sleeves are the leg of mutton style that was popular at the time. The bloomers are wide and full, which makes them look very much like a short skirt. (pg400 survey of historic costume) (pinterest) 

 Aesthetic dress/movement - Jada Cordon 

With its origins coming from the Pre-Raphaelite movement, this dress reform movement got themes from medieval and Renaissance stories and had costumes based on drawings from books. This movement attracted painters, designers, craftsman, poets, and writers. It had a strong Japanese and Asian influence, especially in the textiles and decorative arts. Aestheticism was based more on aesthetic values rather than the social and political themes that had been previous. That meant that art was created more for what it looked like rather than having a deeper meaning. “Art for arts sake.” Women's dresses no longer had stays, the sleeves became puffier, there were no more petticoats, and it had a drooping appearance. Oscar Wilde, an influential poet and playwright at this time, wore a velvet suit with breeches and loosely fitting jacket, flowing tie and wide collar. 

 

 “Survey of Historic Costume” by Tortora & Eubank 2011 

https://www.theartstory.org/movement/aesthetic-art/ 

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/aesthetic-movement