Victorian Gaiters

Women’s Fashion in 1912

posted in: 1912, Fashion, Women | 3

If you’ve seen the Titanic movie you’ll recognize that they dressed with a lot of elegance, glamour and opulence in this pre-war era. This was before the hardships of the Great War when clothing became a lot more practical.

The corset was fitted to a small waist, while the buttocks, hips, shoulders and bosom were accented and padded to give this effect. The layered look was very popular with the use of a long underskirt and high waistlines.

A hundred years ago a layer of undergarments was still very common. A woman would have on pantaloons and a corset underneath their dresses. Women rarely wore pants at this time. In the winter women also wore gaiters, which is a garment that is worn over the shoe and lower pant leg, as protection from the cold.

Victorian Gaiters

Women in rural areas usually wore homemade dresses that were practical to work in, while women in the city or traveling bought clothing that often had a matching jacket and skirt and a hat to accent their ensemble. Fur stoles such as cocoon or kimono, scarves and large matching muffs were very popular during this time.

If were a member of the elite and followed fashions, you may visit Jacques Doucet in France or Mariano Fortuny in Venice, Italy. Just two years earlier Fortuny patented a special process of pleating and dyeing that he called delphons.

Women’s shoes were high and slightly curved at the heels. They often had criss cross straps at the ankles and were called “tango shoes.”

Short bobs were introduced in Paris in 1909 and quickly spread throughout the rest of Europe.

What do you think of fashions 100 years ago? Would you be able to adapt to their dress code?

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