Fashion in the 1820s is, in many ways, reminiscent of the 1910s: Empire waists, short sleeves, cleavage. After the 1820s, clothing became more constrictive and skirts more voluminous. The trends here apply to the wealthy. Working-class women wore practical garments, and in Colonial Canada it was not uncommon for women of any social class to wear clothing several years, if not decades, out of fashion.
The start of the decade varied little from Regency-era styles, but as the decade progressed skirts and sleeves increased in size and waistlines dropped to the natural waist. As styles changed, specialized underwear was required to maintain a dress’s shape: corset/stays, petticoats, a small bustle, and sleeve supporters.
Bright colors such as Turkey red and yellow were popular as were calicoes.
Bonnets were the dominate headgear, although older women often wore mobcaps which were the height of fashion in their youth.
“Brims widened into large halos around the face, crowns grew ever taller, and trims were loaded onto the enormous structures,” Fashion History Timelines says of the era’s bonnets. “Wide ribbons fluttered, flowers and greenery were used above and under the brim, and feathers bobbed from the crown.”
Every fashionable woman wore a slipper shoe.
1820s Men’s Fashion
Trousers were more common than breeches, but girdles were used to achieve a slim silhouette at the waist. Men also padded their coats and calves to achieve a muscular look. The fly also appeared for the first time, although it would be two decades before it would become commonplace.
Top hats came into vogue, and men also wore a version of a slipper shoe.
This article is part of the reader's guide for Journey of Hope by Melina Druga. The historical fiction novella follows Claire and Harold as the set across British North America in 1824 in search of a better life.