Fashion

Fashion in the 1800s was very different from fashion today.....Women who were rich had clothes decorated with trimmings and laces, and men turned to embroidery military uniforms and short, knee-length culottes. Cashmere, satin and velvet were created in Italian and French factories.

Women-Women’s dresses were designed with a high waist under the bosom, and low round or square necklines, and sleeves came in different shapes. Some were short and worn with long gloves past the elbows, and some were long with padded puffs. Hems were decorated with light ruffs, and colorful embroidery. The seam between the bodice and skirt was covered by trimmings, or embroidered belts held with pins. It was fashionable to cover women’s shoulders with a cashmere shawl to keep warm, and give an added touch of decoration to the dress. Women wore leather or cloth slippers for shoes and leather boots.

Men-Men’s clothing continued to be fashioned after the English style consisting of trousers and a short jacket. Pins and other decorations were worn on the collars and ties. Men wore leather shoes and boots. Nobels wore leather shoes with buckles, and some peasants wore wooden clogs.

Sleeves widened along with the skirts and were decorated with embroidery, or sewn-on ointments. Material used for making dresses became brighter with printed fabrics, and shawls were still used for the added touch of fashion.
The crinoline skirt became popular, and required padded material for the stiff underskirt. The crinoline was costly due to the enormous amount of silk, satin or taffeta required to make it. During the summer crinolines were made with a cooler material such as crepe, muslin or tulle.

Womens hair-like a lot of women wore their hair braided and in buns. for the evening they were like decorated with ribbons and florwers and lace.

I guess they made a fashion statement......(wink wink).