1870's Period in Fashion History presented by Apparel Search

Women's fashions

By 1870, fullness in the skirt had moved to the rear, where elaborate draping was held in place by tapes and supported by a bustle. This fashion required an underskirt, which was heavily trimmed with pleats, ruching, and frills. This fashion was short-lived (though the bustle would return again in the mid-1880s), and was succeeded by a tight-fitting silhouette with fullness as low as the knees: the cuirass bodice, a form-fitting, long-waisted, boned bodice that reached below the hips, and the princess sheath dress or polonaise, a "retro" style based on the fashion of the 1770s.

Evening dresses had low necklines and very short, off-the-shoulder sleeves, and were worn with short gloves. Other characteristic fashions included a velvet ribbon tied high around the neck and trailing behind for evening (the origin of the modern choker necklace).

Hairstyles and headgear

In keeping with the vertical emphasis, hair was pulled back at the sides and worn in a high knot or cluster of ringlets, with a fringe (bangs) over the forehead. Smallish hats, some with veils, were perched on top of the head for outdoor wear.

See also

Victorian fashion

Artistic Dress movement

Image: Detail of "Too Early" by James Jacques Tissot (1873). Original in the Guildhall Art Gallery, London.