Our Romantic Era Closet
The Peak of the Romantic Era 1825-1835
The neo-Gothic influence in dress fashions was at its peak during the Romantic Era between 1825 and 1835. The romantic spirit in fashionable dress lasted until the late 1840s when the Pre-Hoop era began.
Anglomania
After the Napoleonic wars became a memory, French fashion was dominated by a new wave of Anglomania. The British writings of Sir Walter Scott and Lord Byron helped popularise a thirst for a more romantic image. There was a snobbish attraction on the continent for all things English, cultivated and refined.
Many of the attitudes toward the 'Art Of Dress' had been codified by Beau Brummell in his relationship with the Prince Regent. The rules and refinements of manners set at that time were built on and developed by the middle classes of Europe who sought to gentrify themselves.
The Romantic Skirt Silhouette
Dress waists had been round up until 1820, then in 1828 the bodice waistline was then shaped into a V-pointed form. It was not until the late 1830s that every lady began wearing the fashion of the long, pointed bodices. Museum pieces have given us evidence that suggest that real women were still making and wearing dresses with the slightly raised waistlines, made famous by the Josephine during the Empire Age. This type of waistline was worn well into the 1830s despite the low waist illustrations of fashion plates.
Beret Sleeves
Beret sleeves were cut from a circle. There was an opening in the centre for the arm which was then gathered and bound into a band. The outer circle was gathered and set into the armhole. Sometimes a sheer oversleeve of silk embroidered shimmering gauze covered the beret puff. Generally the beret sleeve was worn for evening. The arms and décolletage along with the highly desirable and visible sloped shoulders left some women feeling quite undressed and exposed. Gauze sleeves became very fashionable by the mid 1820s and were worn until the sleeves subsided to new styles.
The Gigot Sleeve 1825-1833
The Romantic Era sleeves are the main feature of the bodice and were built on an inverted triangle bodice. The bodice décolletage was so exposed by the pull of the wide sleeves that it really showed off the chest, throat and the sloping shoulders. The full length gigot or leg of lamb sleeve or the "gigot de mouton" known as the leg of mutton sleeve, was first seen in 1824. The long sleeve pattern was cut on the true cross of the fabric and the sleeve was rounded at the top that would increase to a greater size.
After 1825, the next ten years saw sleeves billow to huge proportions by the year 1833. They came to typify the look we now associate with the costume of the Romantic Era. By the mid 1830s, the enlarged top cap was sagging with its own enormity. There was so much material that the fullness initially held up with inner stiff buckram support or 'crin' horsehair fabric began to flop. The buckram was replaced with either whalebone hoops in a cotton cover or feather filled pads. By the time of 1835, the supports stopped being effective the sagged fabric volume collapsed down the arm and merged into a new sleeve fashion.
After 1836 the Romantic sleeve fullness worked its way down the sleeve giving a much tighter top arm and more fullness at the elbow. Next the elbow fullness dropped to the wrist and excess material was gathered into a rouleau or band creating a new sleeve shape. By the time of the year 1840, early Victorian day sleeves could be quite slim fitting. And by 1845, the shoulder line of dresses showed that a new fashion era was in the making. Tight sleeves were set into a low small armscye restricting women's arm movements and increasing the demure mannerisms we associate with Victorian women.
The Skirt Hemline that became wider 1820-1835
Skirts were gored into panels between 1820 an 1828, so that width could be added to hemlines whilst keeping the waist clear of bulk. They were first stiffened with horsehair about 1815 and gradually padding adding was added. The padding backed the lower six inches of the skirt. The skirts had decoration of stuffed rouleau tubes, Italian quilting, flounces and frills were added to push out the skirt hem width in an architectural way. It also shortened the dress to reveal the ankle at the same time. Women's fashions took on a pert cheeky air. When all forms of decoration had been exhausted just the padded hems remained by about 1828. As you can see, skirts were constantly a source of change during this time.
Gores disappeared and from then on skirts were made from straight panels of dress material pleated and gathered to waistbands. The silhouette changed and lost its overall puffiness by 1835. The skirts began to get rounder and more bell like, setting the scene for the Victorian Era.
The Pelisse Robe and Pelisse Mantle 1818-1845
The Pelisse Robe was fashionable since 1818 was worn almost as a house dress. After 1848 this day coat-dress was called a redingote as fashion magazines and writers had called it for many years. As a dress the pelisse robe was removed from being fashionable by the pelisse mantle in the 1830s. Sleeves on the pelisse robe were too big to wear under coats so shawls and cloaks were more practical. The pelisse mantle was the ideal answer during the Romantic Era. It was an interlined warm deep cloak and was the most used outer garment in chilly weather remaining fashionable until 1845.
Underclothes 1845
Women had to begin wearing stays/corsets at this time due to the return of the waist. They returned again to the tight lacing of the stays/corset to make the waist look narrow and pinched in to balance the wide skirts and wide shoulder line. Corsets were made from cloth layers that had whalebone inserted in channels. Corsets were intended to emphasise the natural curves rather than create a false silhouette. Little gussets at the hips allowed for roundness rather than trying to flatten the line. Small shoulder straps were made detachable and the wearer could wear the stays with more revealing necklines. Over the stays women wore a chemise and a waist petticoat. As the skirt expanded the robust linen or cotton petticoats increased in number. They supported crisp firm silk or woollen materials and in summer or indoors cotton chintzes and muslins.
Resources
"The Romantic Era: 1825-1845 Fashion History" by Pauline Weston Thomas
Arnold, J, _Patterns of Fashion: Englishwomen's Dresses and their Construction, Volume 1, c.1660-1860_ Wace. 1964
Blum,Stella; Ackerman,Rudolph _Ackermann's Costume Plates: Women's Fashions in England, 1818-1828_, Dover Publications, January 1, 1979
Byrde, Penelope Nineteenth Century Fashion, Batsford, London 1992
Cunnington, C. Willett, _English Women's Clothing in the Nineteenth Century._ New York: Dover- 1990 (first pub. 1937)
Johnson, Judith M., ed., _French Fashion Plates of the Romantic Era._ New York: Dover, 1991 (first pub. 1830-1834).
Waugh, N., _The Cut of Women's Clothes_, Faber & Faber Ltd., 1973
Wight,Meredith, _Everyday Dress of Rural America, 1783-1800, With Instructions and Patterns._ New York: Dover, 1992 (first pub. 1990).
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