An Elegance and Perfection of Victorian Fashion

Victorian era covered the long reign of Queen Victoria from June 1837 to January 1901. Quite obviously, the fashions and lifestyles changed several times in this long period. Changing technology and Britain’s control of the colonies across the world made it possible for many different kinds of cultural trends to be accommodated into the British lifestyle. In the beginning of this period, home stitching and clothes made according to individual specifications were in vogue. As the factory-made clothes became the norm, clothes began to be mass-produced and fashion began to be marketed on a large scale by the garment industry.

Sewing machines and stitching technology in the factories improved and lock-stitching was invented, this made trimming much easier than to be made by hand and thus, it became a fashion. Similarly, lace-making on a mass-scale and at low cost became possible with the lace-making machines. Bright synthetic pigments brought a new range of shades which were not part of the repertoire of the organic and natural dyes produced traditionally. Thus, many features of the Victorian clothing were directly related to the technological and industrial evolution of England in the 19th century and its relations with the colonies.

The Victorian clothing for women changed through this period, transiting from flowing bell-shaped gowns to the gowns that were flatter in front and bulged at the back, to less extravagant styles with longer corsets and sleeves that changed from pagoda-style to bell shaped ones. Dresses became more loose-fitting than before.

Ideas from all of these styles have been used by the garment industry of our own contemporary times for catering to the taste of the people who follow the steampunk sub-culture. This trend uses ideas from the Victoria era to produce its own steampunk clothes. These steampunk costumes use the Victoria designs and combine them with modern styles and also with punk style clothes.

Victorian elegance is broken into chaotic fusion styles, in order to create the image of a person breaking boundaries of the society. Colours used are dark, white, grey or brown with occasional patches of bright colours, in conformity with the punk styles, while flowing long gowns, puffed sleeves, laces, trimmings, chemises from the Victorian clothing are popularly used in steampunk clothing to create an effect that is exactly opposite of the Victoria dress.

Similar styles in fashion thus, can be manipulated by the industry to transmit ideas that are entirely opposite to each other. It depends upon how different lines and forms from different genres are mixed and matched to produce these divergent ideas about the individuals wearing these dresses.