Victorian dress style

The second half of the XIX century the world of fashion was excited by the appearance on the English throne of the charming Queen Victoria. Thanks to her gorgeous outfits, she became a trendsetter of world fashion, which resulted in an entire era. Even now, elements of the Victorian style are a sign of nobility and truly refined taste.

In 1837, England gained a new queen in the face of a young eighteen Victoria. She immediately blinded everyone with her clothes and expensive jewelery. Although outwardly the girl did not differ in special beauty, this did not prevent her from becoming an idol for many medieval ladies.

Women began to imitate the young ruler. Very soon, the desire to bring their outfits closer to the image of Victoria resulted in a whole direction, which was called “Victorian style”. The queen stayed on the throne for almost 64 years, which became a whole epoch for world history.

Thanks to the queen, dresses with a silhouette of an hourglass, emphasizing the shape, became fashionable. Then the idea of ​​the parameters were not at all the same as now. Women were proud of their magnificent forms, and the new style of dresses perfectly emphasized their figures.

Such dresses could afford not all the fair sex. It was made of expensive fabrics such as velvet, silk or satin. For the dresses were characterized by multi-layer and a combination of different textures.

Under the dress, many petticoats were worn to make it as lush as possible. Tailoring a dress took a lot of time and required the work of skilled craftswomen. Accordingly, all this involved significant financial costs.

The corset became the visiting card of dresses of the Victorian era. He was so tightly tightened that it was difficult for the young ladies to breathe. Sometimes this element of clothing even harmed the health. However, women of fashion did not pay attention to all the negative effects of the corsets, but only tightened its straps even tighter.

To give the dress the necessary pomp, we had to wear several petticoats. This gave the figure the shape of an hourglass and made a slimmer posture. Later, hoops were sewn to the lower skirts, which greatly simplified the movement of medieval women of fashion.

The outfits were distinguished by the layering of various fabrics and textures. Especially elegant were the dresses that combined various elements of the same shades.

Victorian medieval women liked to wear satin, silk or velvet shirts and blouses. They were decorated with embroidery or lace. When women began to ride, blouses with a high stand-up collar became popular. They were complemented by wide frills or frills.

Evening dresses, unlike everyday ones, bare shoulders or had a deep neckline. Therefore, a shawl or cape became an indispensable accessory for an evening dress.

Any outfit had to be complemented by rich decorations. Women put expensive necklaces and rings on any event.

Fabrics had rich, deep shades. The main colors are blue, burgundy, purple, yellow, white and black.

Modern designers love to use elements of the Victorian era in their masterpieces. Of course, the characteristic heavy dresses with lots of skirts and suffocating corsets are far in the past.But some elements that are applicable, for example, in wedding or prom dresses, give a truly royal luxury alongside.

The echo of the style of Queen Victoria is in a dress of blue, purple, turquoise, and shades of gold and silver. The current couturier is not alien to the decoration of his works by hand embroidery, pearls and other elements "antique".

The creations of Ralph Lauren and Alexander McQueen also witness the spirit of the era of Queen Victoria, which is manifested in blouses with high stand-up collars.

Victorian clothing is used by representatives of such subcultures as Gothic, Steampunk or Japanese in the loli-style. These are corsets, and puffy skirts, laces, ruffles, and booties with jabot.

To modern outfit reminded of the era of the reign of Queen Victoria, it is not necessary to contact the great designers and sew luxury outfits. There are some tips that will help in creating the desired image.

• Wear clothes that completely cover the body. A fluffy maxi skirt fits perfectly to the bottom, and a blouse with wide sleeves and a stand-up collar at the top.
• A characteristic feature of the Victorian style is layering. Therefore, it is worth picking up clothes that have a lot of ruffles, ruffles, embroidery and other additional details.
• Wear a corset. For owners of magnificent forms this is an irreplaceable detail. He perfectly emphasizes the virtues and hides the flaws.
• As jewelry you can use both jewels and jewelry. Accessories may include elements in the form of hearts, snakes or angels.
• Hair and makeup should be as simple as possible. Simply collect the hair in a bun at the back of the head.

These recommendations should be followed if you intend to recreate the image in the Victorian style for the solemn event. If there is a desire to bring a note from the past into everyday outfit, then two or three small strokes will be enough.

For a romantic dinner or a secular evening, a closed satin or velvet floor dress with a simple cut, but rich embroidery is perfect. The image in the Victorian style will help to add a cute hat with flowers, gold or silver jewelry. Instead of a corset, you can wear a beautiful wide belt that will emphasize a slender waist as well.