Inspired by the Queen and her husband, Prince Albert, the period is known for its attention to high morals, modesty and proper decorum. It was also an optimistic era where scientific and industrial invention flourished. The dress silhouette was characterized by extremely full and long skirts that completely covered the lower body. Precise cut, material and color of the garment revealed the social class during this period. Fashion for the wealthy and higher class became complex. Dresses were composed of several layers of different shades, cloths and trimmings. Striped and geometric fabrics were popular. Properly dressed ladies accessorized with gloves and bonnets. Cameo became all the rage in the mid-19th century. It was often attached to a velvet ribbon and worn as a choker. Jewellers then used gemstones, stone, shell, lava, coral and manmade materials to carve cameos. Popular subjects included depictions of deities from Greek mythology, the Biblical Rebecca and the Bacchante maidens adorned with grape leaves in their hair. Bustlines rose and waistlines fell. Designers started to revive the popularity of formal dressing reminiscent of Georgian France. In the first quarter-century, puffy "mutton-leg" sleeves became trendy, and then were later replaced by fitted sleeves and eventually, bell sleeves. The hourglass figure was the best form to flatter the Victorian woman. Women wore the restrictive corsets to conform to this ideal. The era also saw the progression from crinoline skirts to hoop skirts then bustled skirts. A crinolette is a petticoat with steels that made the skirt of the dress dome-shaped. Extra flounces were often sewn around the outside of the skirt to make it look bigger. The skirts became so full that hoops were needed to support the them since layered petticoats became too heavy and did not achieve the desired effect. A new form soon appeared and accentuated the body while still covering it. The front became tightly fitted and the full skirt, known as a bustle, was swept back. A bustle is a padded arrangement of drapery that emphasized the buttocks. Finally, the invention of the sewing machine revolutionized women’s fashion. It also made it practical for ladies to devote themselves to designing and making their own clothes.
Clothing virtually covered every bit of skin except the face. It was also during this period that the first protests against restrictive dressing appeared. The reform was associated with concern for the health and welfare of the women. Soon, alternative dressing was introduced based on loose fitting pants borrowed from the traditional Turkish woman’s costume. This became known as bloomers because it was associated with activist editor Amelia Jenks Bloomer.
From the hourglass shape, the silhouette changed to the "S" form during the Edwardian era. The new style allowed women to shift from the restrictive corsets of the Victorian age to the new "health corsets," which supported the spine and abdomen. The curvaceous line of clothing defined the time’s art nouveau style. Enamel and gold filigree on dragonfly, peacock and moth shapes adorned ladies’ brooches and combs. The advancing feminist suffrage movement also greatly influenced the period’s dressing. With the new defined freedom, designers borrowed from men’s clothing such as suits, shirts, hard collars and ties. Women’s fashion also started to become lighter in construction and material, characterized by the "lingerie dress." This is a light white cotton dress inset with strips of openwork lace and net. Women’s fashion became more comfortable and practical.
This year’s release of Baz Luhrmann’s, Moulin Rouge, also added to the rage of all things Victorian and Edwardian. Set in Paris during the Bell Epoque period, a decadent courtesan played by Nicole Kidman falls in love with an impoverished writer played by Ewan McGregor. This was a carefree and prosperous time. "It was the era when the concept of Bohemian was properly established and I think there is a neo-French bohemianism coming back right now," says Luhrmann in the article, "French Polish," September 2001 British Vogue. The movie’s production and costumes were the talk of the town. Luhrmann’s wife, Catherine Martin, designed the costumes from vintage lace, full skirts, figure-hugging jackets and silk stockings. The movie further established the fashion’s moment.
In many of the season’s collections, from Valentino to Marc by Marc Jacobs, Christian Dior, Alberta Ferretti, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Jean Paul Gaultier, Chloé, Gianfranco Ferré, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Tuleh, John Galliano, Sofia Kokosalaki, Etro, BCBG, Antonio Berardi and Missoni, Victorian and Edwardian reigned supreme.
Vintage shapes create the season’s romantic look. The evolution of the dress provides a visual history of any culture. Costume history serves as a source of creative ideas of designers and retailers of fashion. These references, combined with fresh ideas, make the designs current. It is about mixing the new with the old. It’s time to enjoy your femininity and flaunt all those curves!