Picture this. It’s 1850 and you are getting ready for the day. Your plans are nothing special, just a stroll through town with a friend on a beautiful summer morning. It might be 86 degrees outside, but you can’t just throw on your running shorts and plastic CVS flip flops. The t-shirt you got from the souvenir shop during your summer break trip to Santa Monica Pier simply won’t do. Getting dressed is a timely and complex affair that should have probably come with an instructions manual, but unfortunately for you did not.
The rule of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) marked the Victorian Era, post-industrial revolution, during Great Britain’s golden age. With an expanding empire and countless new inventions making daily life significantly more manageable, who wouldn’t want to be a Victorian woman? The answer is me, and possibly you too, although, you may make up your own mind once you finish reading this. During this time period, how one dressed became a symbol of wealth and class. Societal norms and expectations were suffocating for both women and men alike. The multilayered outfits were uncomfortable and frankly impractical, yet it was necessary for any ‘respectable’ woman to be dressed to perfection no matter what their plans for the day included. A Victorian woman’s ‘Get Ready With Me’ morning routine consist of many steps and was an intricate process very unlike the modern day youtube videos you might be accustomed to watching, but here is how it would go.
Similarly to today, the process all started with the undergarments. The very first item put on in the morning were the stockings. They were over the knee, black for day time use, white or colored for evening events, usually held up by garters. Step 1 in the average morning routine and it’s already getting uncomfortable--it’s 86 degrees out, remember? Sometimes garters were attached to the corset for a more convenient method of holding up one's socks, but often they just sat on the leg. Over the stockings were the drawers. Victorian era cotton drawers consisted of two overlapping flaps, usually crotchless, that generally almost reached the knees. And last (but certainly not least) you can never go without your chemise--a sleeveless knee-length dress worn over the drawers. Are you getting hot yet? Well, this is merely the first layer of many, the base for the elaborate outfit you are about to form. But before continuing on you can’t forget to put on your shoes. Yes, shoes had to be put on with the underwear, since after our next layer of clothing it would be physically impossible to get them on. Thick soled boots were typically worn in the daytime for walking or other such activities, while at night much thinner slippers would be worn at balls and evening parties. Be cautious while dancing; wearing through the soles of your shoes in a single night was a rather common experience.
Anyways, now that the shoes are on, we are ready for layer number 2. The form-fitting, uncomfortable pieces that will provide the desired body shape with the minor cost of a few broken ribs. First up: the corset. Unlike the trendy ‘corset tops’ that have had a recent resurgence in modern fashion, our corset is reinforced with steel or whale bone, fastened in the front, and tightened with long strings in the back. Pulled as tight as possible to bring in the waist, corsets also served to support the bustline, even sometimes including bust enhancers. After the corset came the crinoline -- a cage of steel that surprisingly offered much more flexibility than the suffocating corset. They bent and collapsed easily allowing for convenient storage and the ability to sit down. Their purpose -- to hold the skirt in the perfect bell shape, a look that was all the rage in this time period. The crinoline allowed for a much easier way to achieve the desired form, and while a giant metal cage with a circumference of 18 feet might seem just a little unnecessary, it was much more comfortable, especially in the heat, than the 12 layers of petticoats alternative.
The third layer of clothing was much more simple. Consisting of a camisole and 1-2 petticoats, the primary purpose of this layer was to keep your dress safe and clean. With extremely high costs, dresses must be treated with care, so be careful not to sweat in yours. The camisole went over the corset offering a barrier between the dress and its owner while the petticoats served to protect the dress from the steel crinoline. The first petticoat was typically plain and simple, its purpose was function, not decoration. However the second was a little more fun, usually containing a more intricate design in case it was seen under the dress, oftentimes even embroidered. Women took every precaution they could think of to protect their clothing from both the world and themselves. Keeping your dress out of harm's way was no easy task.
And finally, you may put on your dress. Victorian Era dresses consisted of two separate pieces-- the bodice and the skirt. Usually, the pieces were even interchangeable so one could switch up their look, creating new outfits and styles without buying a new dress. A proper daytime dress, like the one you will be wearing on your walk, must be high necked and long-sleeved. Even on a hot summer day, anything less was socially unacceptable for a respectable woman. However in the evenings, the necklines were more lenient, and ball gowns were often off the shoulder with plunging necklines.
Now any ‘Get Ready With Me’ remains incomplete without a makeup routine. During this time, a ‘no makeup look’ was strived for, yet naturally, that was achieved through makeup. However, be careful not to apply your makeup in public or wear too much; that would be socially unacceptable. “Perfect” faces were pale with rosy cheeks, rep lips, and doe-like eyes. Now, if you don’t naturally look like this, have no fear because the Victorian woman proved to be very resourceful. To achieve the pale face look with no freckles, color change, or redness, try dusting your face with zinc oxide powder. To perfect the rosy cheeks and red-lipped look, everything from fruits and flowers to red-colored bugs were smudged onto the face. If you're not into putting bugs on your cheeks, you could always just pinch them until they turn red. And perhaps the most painful step of them all, to achieve the perfect doe eyes simply drop lemon or orange juice, or even something stronger right into your eyes.
Like in modern times, trendy hairstyles varied significantly throughout the Victorian era. Long hair was considered ultra feminine and was the desired choice. However past the age of fifteen hair was expected to be worn up -- braids, twists, and buns with a clean middle part were the most common. Wearing your hair loose was unacceptable for a respectable woman.
Last but not least, you can’t leave your house without some accessories. Gloves and a bonnet were the norms. Oftentimes, these were even worn inside the home, not just for going out. Shawls, capes, parasols, and small handbags were typical as well.
And finally, you are ready to go. You can meet your friend, maybe her name is Adelaide or Elizabeth. Your name is probably Mary or Jane, or maybe Sarah, Ann or Margaret. It might seem outrageous but Adelaide (or Elizabeth) spent just as much time getting ready as you did. No matter what the menial activity of the day was, no matter the weather, women in the Victorian era had to be dressed to absolute perfection, fit into the restricting mold of society's expectations, and always present themselves ‘respectably’. So, have you made your decision yet? Would you still want to be a Victorian woman, or has the information I have provided to you made you dread their beauty standards and societal norms?
obsessed!!!