Fashion in the 1880s was elegant and refined.  The decade marks the Second Bustle Era.  A bustle is a cage or padding worn over the buttocks to make the rear of a dress project outward.  They were designed to help skirts maintain their shape throughout the day and helped carry bulky fabric gathered at the back of a dress.  Bustles reached their largest proportions in the mid-1880s before falling out of fashion.  You can view a sample of Second Bustle Era dresses at the end of this page.

Men’s Fashion

Men wore three-piece suits – trousers, waistcoat and jacket – but their fashion choices were little changed from the decades that proceeded or would follow.  One exception was the introduction of sportswear.

“The blazer, in particular, became quite fashionable for wear at the seaside or for sports such as rowing, tennis, and cricket,” Fashion History Timeline says. “The blazer, a single-breasted lounge jacket, often made in brightly colored stripes, was usually paired with light colored flannel trousers for such occasions.”

Facial hair of all varieties was in style.

A beard trimming chart from 1884. Styles Row 1: Sage brush. San Diego. Stubble. Row 2: Spartan. Imperial. Pennant. Row 3: Burnsides short. Patrician. Dundreary.

A beard trimming chart from 1884. Styles Row 1: Sage brush. San Diego. Stubble. Row 2: Spartan. Imperial. Pennant. Row 3: Burnsides short. Patrician. Dundreary.

Women’s Fashion Trends

  • Velvet was a popular fabric for winter dresses.
  • Women wore combinations, a camisole attached to drawers, under their corsets.
  • Hair was pulled back and worn with bangs.
  • Skirts narrowed.
  • Collars grew higher and more fitted.
  • Day dresses featured as many trimmings – lace, ribbons, bows, etc. as evening gowns.

The following are examples of women’s fashion in the 1880s.

Just like women today wear colorful bras and panties, women in the 1880s wore colorful corsets like this one. This one is from the mid-1880s.

Just like women today wear colorful bras and panties, women in the 1880s wore colorful corsets like this one. This one is from the mid-1880s.

A silk dress is from 1880.

A silk dress is from 1880.

dress from the late 1880s.

Dress from the late 1880s.

A dinner dress from circa 1880 to 1882

A dinner dress from circa 1880 to 1882

1885 wedding dress by Gladman & Womack, worn by Mary Primrose. Right: Brussels lace wedding veil, 1890-1, worn by Roxana Atworth Wentwater in 1892.

1885 wedding dress by Gladman & Womack, worn by Mary Primrose. Right: Brussels lace wedding veil, 1890-1, worn by Roxana Atworth Wentwater in 1892.

Judging from the colors, this might be a half-mourning dress. This silk dress is from 1885.

Judging from the colors, this might be a half-mourning dress. This silk dress is from 1885.

 

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