Fashion in the 1880s in European and European-influenced countries is characterized by the return of the bustle. The long, lean line of the 1870s was replaced by a full, curvy silhouette with gradually widening shoulders. Fashionable waists were low and tiny below a full, low bust supported by a corset.
As in the previous decade, emphasis remained on the back of the skirt, with fullness gradually rising from behind the knees to just below the waist. A fuller, lower bosom, achieved by rigid corseting, balanced the fullness over the buttocks, creating an S-shaped silhouette. Skirts were looped, draped, or tied up in various ways, and worn over matching or contrasting underskirts.