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The Bridge - 1861 - Erasmus+
Clothing in 1861
The clothing worn in 1861 was mostly a kind of 'fashion development' for the women. They started wearing crinolines and hoops more often under their dresses, which are now, in the 21st century, still used. For the men however, the clothing was not that special, but this does not take away how beautiful it was.
Women
Till the year 1856, most people wore greyish, beige kind of colors. But by the time that Mauveine Aniline dyes (first chemical dyes) were invented, women began to wear more and more colors such as magenta and mint green. When reaching the early 1860s, skirts became wider and wider. As the crinoline was bell shaped before, it became flatter in the front and was bigger behind. This large area was decorated with puffs and strips. As the years passed by, more and more decorations were made causing the dress to consist more of strips than the material itself. Lace became popular again. the voluminous skirts were worn with hoops, petticoats and crinolines.
Men
Men's fashion of the 1860s was actually quite the same as the fashion from the previous decade.
Linnen and cotton shirts with high collars were still worn and neckties were growing wider tied in a bow and 'secured' with a stickpin. The morning coat was used for formal day occasions; it had pockets in the peats. Full length trousers were worn, with a coat and waistcoat of the same fabric, called a 'ditto suit'. A lot of hat shapes were popular, like the stovepipe hat and the bowler hat, an informal type of hat.
Dresses in all kinds of new colors
A crinoline
Men’s outfit