Victorian Fashion: Crinolines, Bustles & Sleeve Trends (1830s-1890s)

Fashions at the start of the Victorian period are often described as modest and demure. The high waistline of the Regency period, which characterized female dress for several decades by providing a draping, classical line, gradually began to drop back down nearer to natural waist levels in the late 1820s. The simplicity of the Regency dress gave way to increasing levels of decoration, and the sleeves began to bloom out of all proportion, so much so that padded sleeve inserts were required to support them.

The exaggeration of the 1830s had subsided by the time Queen Victoria came to the throne, and what followed was a period of more sombre and plain dress, noted for its lack of decorative ornament. Sleeves were tight and set low into the shoulder, restricting arm movement. Voluminous skirts, tightly gathered into the natural waistline, often formed a point at the centre front and were supported by numerous cumbersome petticoats, adding more bulk, weight and restriction to movement. Large shawls enveloped the figure and faces were hidden by round bonnets.

Original printed cotton dress c.1850s, with a tightly gathered skirt and neat gathers at the waistline of the bodice

As the mid-nineteenth century progressed, fashions began to break away from the sobriety of the 1840s as decorative frills and flounces added emphasis to the growing circumference of the skirts, which now needed a serious support structure to maintain the fashionable shape. Advancements in technology allowed the invention of the cage crinoline, a frame petticoat made from sprung steel hoops which provided volume without the weight, and for many this was a welcome relief from the multiple layers of heavy, padded petticoats previously required. Light fabrics in tiered flounces were popular and created the typical chocolate-box vision of Victorian fashion. Sleeves echoed the skirts and also expanded into deep frills and cuffs, with dainty undersleeves filling in the gap between sleeve and wrist. The large volume of the skirt was in some ways beneficial: by its sheer size it created an impressive illusion of a small, delicate waist, which reduced the need for corset tight lacing.

In other ways, however, the crinoline did pose a health risk, or at the very least some potential for social embarrassment. The lightness of the cage frame meant it was prone to being caught in the wind and blowing up, revealing more than was considered polite. It was also reported to be the cause of many accidents, getting trapped in carriage doors or sweeping a little too close to the fire for safety. By the mid-1860s, the shape of the crinoline began to change. Instead of the evenly rounded dome shape the front became more flattened whilst the rear was extended.

Thus, in plan, the crinoline took on an ellipse shape and the silhouette was increasingly asymmetrical. For the first time, the skirts were made from shaped, gored panels that narrowed at the waist instead of wide, rectangular lengths of cloth tightly gathered into the waistline. Peplums were essential to enhance the silhouette, and were worn on belts around the waist or on long basques extended from the bodice. Loose mantles provided an overall triangular shape to the fashionable line. As the cage crinoline fell out of favour, the long lengths of skirts trailing behind were looped up by internal rings and tapes, creating a soft bustle at the back of the dress. Still requiring some support, underwear adapted to provide the crinolette, a kind of half-petticoat whose steel curves at the back supported this growing bustle shape. The first of two bustle eras, this style was characterized for sitting very high, protruding out almost from the small of the back. The increased volume in the skirts was echoed in the fashionable hairstyles, which featured a large amount of false hair in the form of plaits, chignons and curls that sat high on the head. This characteristic use of false hair is useful in identifying the dates of photographs from this period, and helps to distinguish them from the bustle dresses that came in the second bustle phase of the 1880s.

By the late 1870s, the bustle began to fall, until the concentration of swags, gathers and decoration rested around knee level at the back of the skirt. The rest of the skirts flared out into a decorative train which gracefully swept the ground behind the wearer, though rather unhygienically, as it also swept up the dust and dirt on the ground. The rest of the dress became tight and slim, hugging the body and hips in heavy boned and restricted princessline dresses and cuirass bodices. Long, heavily boned corsets were needed to create the right hourglass proportions of this ‘natural form’ era, and this was possibly the most restrictive style of the whole Victorian period. By the 1880s, the train had also disappeared, creating an overall slim silhouette with relatively plain tops that contrasted with multiple rows of skirt pleats and decoration.

After a couple of years, the bustle, or ‘dress improver’, once again came back in vogue, and heralded the start of the second bustle era. In distinct contrast to its previous incarnation, this version was more angular with less drapery and frills than characterized its forerunner. It jutted out sharply behind, and was worn several inches lower. The tailored look influenced the overall style, as rows of buttons and mock waistcoat fronts in contrasting materials were popular bodice styles. By 1888, the dress improver was abandoned in Paris, and by 1890, in Britain.,/p>

As one element declined, so another grew, and the fashions of the last decade of the Victorian period saw the rapid growth of the sleeve, inspired by the fashions of the 1830s. Starting as a small peak in the late 1880s, the top circumference of the sleeve grew so much that its immense width created enormous puffed leg-of-mutton sleeves, which gave a very wide appearance to the top of the female form. In attempting to balance out the shoulder width, skirts, which had decreased in volume, once again began to flare out at the hemline. With sleeves of such large proportions, coats were impossible, so shoulder capes became fashionable as outerwear. Whilst these ensured that the sleeves were crushed, they served to further emphasize the width of the shoulders. The sleeve width reached its peak in 1895, before starting to deflate to a more sensible size at the close of the decade, the century and Queen Victoria’s reign.

The new century started a new era which would see even more dramatic changes in fashion. Edwardian opulence, characterized by frothy frills of lace and S-bend corseted female figures would then experience the slimmer silhouette of the 1910s with peplum skirts and fashionable blouses. Into the 1920s, there was a dramatic change from the curvy and feminine form emphasized throughout Victorian and Edwardian fashion to a boyish and straight idealized form, with dresses that were slim, skimpy and short.