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The 1830s
The silhouette for the woman figure in the 1830s was mostly natural. This ideal silhouette included sloped shoulders, a narrow waist, and a full bust. The clothing helped contribute to the "ideal" figure by revolving around wide skirts that narrowed up to the waist.; as well as using a corset to define the "ideal upper body." -
The 1840s
The 1840s dress for women included full, heavy skirts. Women used petticoats to support the heavy skirts, usually with pads and canes to stiffen the under-layers (or wear ones made out of horsehair). In addition to these heavy skirts, the waistline was also made to look longer- so ladies tightly laced their waistlines. The bodices on the dresses always ended below the natural shoulder line- on evening wear specifically, bodices were low, off the shoulder, and covered with folds of fabric. -
The 1850s
In the 1850s, the skirts on women's clothing began to widen, adopting more of a bell shape. As the skirts began expanding, more and more petticoats were added underneath for added support (this is accomplished by adding crinolines and hoops. ) and to create flounces. Flounces grew in popularity, and soon dominated designs. -
The 1860s
In the 1860s, the focus started to shift more towards the back of the dress and away from the front. In fact, the dresses began losing all decorative touches in the front, becoming flat. Mid-decade the skirts start to lose their bell shape in fact, at the very end of the decade, the hoop skirt was altogether replaced by the bustle. -
The 1870s
As the decade went on, the dresses became narrower gradually. However, the focus remainedin the back, with flat fronts and fullness (primarily focused on the butt) in the back. The waistline on dresses continues to lower as the bodice continues to lengthen. Nearing the end of the decade, the bustle loses popularity and eventually diminishes. The corset starts disappearing as well, as many begin to find that tea gowns with no corset grow in popularity at gatherings. -
The 1880s
The bustle returns in the mid-1880s- however, it was brought back so exaggeratedly that it disappeared forever a couple years later. With the bustle gone, the silhouettes of dresses began to take on a more natural form. Every decade prior, the bodices of gowns had elongated; now, in the 1880s the bodices began to shrink- now ending above the hips. However the bodices grew tighter, keeping the idea of a tiny waist and full bust alive. -
The 1890s
In 1890, the bustle is permanently dead, gone forever. Backs of skirts stay full- however, this time, they exist without all the poufiness and lifts and tucks in the fabric. Bodices come back, and they become tighter. Lace-up corsets are brought back, longer and with an"S" silhouette. The tiny waist is still the ideal figure.
