*** girls' and women's fashions dresses dress elements










Skirted Garments: Dresses--Elements

boy dresses
Figure 1.--This American CDV portrait, probably taken in the 1860s, shows an unidentified child who looks about 2-years old wearin a dress showing many of the elements of a dress. It is a defined waist dtess with a low neckline and piffed sleeves. The child is calmly seated on a plinth with his crossed ankles resting on a padded chair. He wears a puff sleeve off-the-shoulder dress trimmed in decorative soutache (narrow flat braid) at the neck line and what looks like embrpidery at the skirt hem. The outfit is completed with white stockings and button shoes. The hair is completely combed back. The child is staring intently at the photographer with one hand hooked loosely onto the bodice edge. The studio is Ribbins & Rich, Kingston, New York.

Dress construction varies, but is fundamentally made up of several key elements. They include the collar/neckline, bodice, sleeves, waistline, and skirt. One of the important stylistic elements was the neckline. We note children wearing dresses with low necklines during the early- and mid-19th century. We are not sure if low-neckline dresses were commonly worn or a dressy style. The conventions for children with low-necklines seem to be more age than gender. A good example is unidentified American children, we think in the late-1850s. As the century progressed, necklines rose and we no longer see low necklines for children. We see collars that totally enclose the neck. Not all dresses had collars, but the ones that did not still had fabric that enclosed the neck area. The top of the dress was the bodice which covered the torso and was done in many differet ways. It commonly buttoned in the back. We are not sure just how girls mastered that feat of hand. Sleeves were another important element. We notice many different styles and lenghs. Dresses varied in the waistline treatment. Some were done without waistlines with the bodice falling straightbdown into the skirt. Other dresses had tightly defined waistlines. A common convention for waistbands that in the back which tied into bows, sometimes large bows. That seems a little tricky. Younger girls had the bow tied by mom. Older girls mastered it on their own. The bottom of the dress was the skirt which was done in many different ways. One such approach was pleating like a kilt. Skirt lengths varied widely as to not only age and the fashion of the day.

Neckline

One of the important stylistic elements was the neckline. We note children wearing dresses with low necklines during the early- and mid-19th century. We are not sure if low-neckline dresses were commonly worn or a dressy style. The conventions for children with low-necklines seem to be more age than gender. A good example is unidentified American children, we think in the late-1850s. As the century progressed, necklines rose and we no longer see low necklines for children. We see collars that totally enclose the neck.

Collars

Not all dresses had collars, but the ones that did not still had fabric that enclosed the neck area.

Bodice

The top of the dress was the bodice which covered the torso and was done in many differet ways. It commonly buttoned in the back, but therewere frint dressing dresses as well. . We are not sure just how girls mastered that feat of hand.

Sleeves

Sleeves were another important element. We notice many different styles and lenghs. Rhere were sleeveless dresses and long-, half- short-sleeved dresses. Somesleeves were covered over below the elbow. Another popular style was baloon or puff sleeves at the shoulders. The little American girl here is a goodexample (figure 1). It was, ho style

Waistline

Dresses varied in the waistline treatment. Some were done without waistlines with the bodice falling straightbdown into the skirt. Other dresses had tightly defined waistlines. A common convention for waistbands that in the back which tied into bows, sometimes large bows. That seems a little tricky. Younger girls had the bow tied by mom. Older girls mastered it on their own.

Crinolines and Bustles

The 19th century began with Empire dresses that fell straight down from the shoulders giving a narrow, elegant look. After mid-century just the opposite developed as it became fashionable for dresses to billow out. There were two approaches: crinolines and bustles. The idea was to spread out the skirt wider and more fully. The crinoline was a stiffened petticoat designed create a large expanded skirt(mid-19th century) Gradually more structured devices were developed, most famously the hoop skirt, essentialy a steel-hooped cage. The first crinoline was only a stiff fabric, commonly made of horsehair (crin) and cotton or linen. The stiffenedfabric was used in two ways, either to make underskirts or a dress lining. The use of crin led to the term crinoline. The crinoline were replace with the less involved, but more combrrsome hoop skirt (mid-1850s). As is often the case, crinolines and hoop skirts were a revival of the farthinggale (16th-17th century) and the panniers (18th century). A bustle iwas a related device. It was a kind of framework used to expand the fullness or support the drapery of the skirt. It was struftured at the back of the dress. The bustle appeared as the hoop skiert began to decline. We begin to see them (around 1870) The bustle were worn under the skirt at the back, just below the waistline. Thefunction was to keep the dress skirt from dragging. Women's dresses at the time with the full skirts used alot of material And with heavy fabric there was considerable weight. This could pull the back of a skirt down and tend to flatten it. This meant that a woman's petticoated or crinolined skirt could lose its shape as theday wore on just voving around, but especilly when sitting down. Bustles were worn 1870s-80s, excepffor a shirt period (1878-82). The bustle continued to be seen in the 1890 and very early-1900s, but as commonly as the 80s. A skirt support was needed. A curve in the back of the skirt balance the curve of the bust in front. The bustle finally disappeared (1905). The long corset shaped the body so it protrude behind. These approaches were primarily for women becausethey were so impractiva, but we do seesomeolder girls and teenagers wearing them.

Skirt

The bottom of the dress was the skirt which was done in many different ways. One such approach was pleating like a kilt. Skirt lengths varied widely as to not only age and the fashion of the day.









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Created: 10:11 PM 10/14/2013
Last updated: 12:46 PM 2/2/2019