A Brief Overview of Edwardian Fashion

La Belle Époque, a term coined by the French, referred to the Edwardian period between 1895 to 1914 and was so named for the beautiful clothing worn by the select few privileged and very rich who enjoyed luxury living. Because of war, personal identity changed attitudes and lifestyles; and as a result, clothing as well.

Women:

After 1890, the bustle became a thing of the past and a new skirt style flared over the hips from the waistband, which measured roughly the span of your hand, and then widened gradually toward the hemline. By 1895, the leg-of-mutton sleeve, characterized by a full top gathered at the armhole, was used on décolleté dresses. The gored skirt became more tailored and tended to match the jacket style. A tailored suit was thought to be unladylike and masculine.
The Gibson Girl set the fashion for wearing embroidered blouses with skirts in America and Britain. Another Gibson style was to wear to wear a shirt collar usually with a floppy artist bow, a tie, a cravat with a brooch or a crosscut ruffle jabot. Couture fashions inspired home dressmakers to use fine pin tucks, insertions of lace, fine embroidery, lace trim, pleats and appliqué.
Mature women with ample curves and full bosoms wore clothing that emphasized the hour-glass shape. Fashion conscious women wore the S-bend corset. The look created an S shape with tight lacing which forced the hips back and the drooping monobosom to thrust forward. This look lasted until roughly 1905. After 1907, fashion looked in new directions. Paul Poiret’s designs inspired waistlines to rise and corsets to reach almost to the knee. These changes were designed to make the figure appear slimmer.
Large hats, typically worn with evening wear, were excessively over-decorated with ribbons, flowers, feathers and sometimes, if one could afford it, complete stuffed birds. They were broad-brimmed but evolved smaller drooping brims that kept the face shaded, and kept the overall top-heavy look by the end of the decade. Feather boas and furs were popular as well.

Men:

By 1850, men had settled into a fashion that would be acceptable for the next 100 years. The basic suit was comprised of a jacket, waistcoat and trousers. Colors were not usually bright, favoring a more somber color-scheme, but the fabric was rich for those who could afford it. The cravat was replaced by ties which were loosely knotted or tied into a bow.

The fashion for well-dressed men included short, lace up boots and a walking stick. For the evening he would wear a tailcoat jacket for a sophisticated look along with his patent leather shoes and gloves.

Hats were popular as well. The earlier part of the decade saw Top Hats, or Stovepipe hats as the fashion, but by the 1850’s, these were replaced by bowlers. Softer hats were fashionable for informal occasions and for summertime wear, panama hats and straw boaters.

The Edwardian period was instrumental in developing today’s fashion world. It saw the beginning and haute couture, which paved the way for fashion modeling, and design as we currently know it.