Women’s clothing went through some big changes in the 1890s. Bustles disappeared, as did trails. Skirt shortened and lost layers of petticoats and frills. In the mid-1890s, the simple ensemble separate became the most popular and widely worn attire, ushering in a long season of increasing movement freedom in women’s fashion.
Women’s clothing up to the end of the 1800s was a serious affair. Comprising corsets, many layers of petticoats, pudding and a lot of fabric, these clothes were heavy and hindered movement considerably. Women were also expected to wear different attires at different times and occasions during the day. Being fashionable required money to invest and a lot of maintenance.
But in the 1890s, women started to demand more freedom of movement as they went to university and worked outside the house in increasing numbers. Clothe designers soon caught up on the trend.Β
By the mid-1890s, the ensemble separates became the last word on women’s fashion. It was a kind of dress that was easier to wear, allowed ease of movement and higher freedom, and was acceptable on most daily occasons.Β
This was the dress the New Woman chose for herself.Β
The New Woman appropriate the ensemble separates
The ensemble consisted of a shirtwaist and a bell-shaped skirt that were mass-produced in standardized sizes.Β
It allowed women to match different shirtwaists with different skirts and vice versa, creating a variety of outfits according to the occasion while giving the impression to have a larger wardrobe than was actually the case.Β
Because it was generally mass-produced, the ensemble came at lower prices and allowed more women to participate in this mainstream fashion.Β
As the decade wore on, skirts and shirtwaists became available in a great variety of colours and shapes, with more or less embroidery and decorations. This allowed women to create their own wardrobe, according to their personal taste and personality, with the opportunity to wear the appropriate outfit according to the occasion and always look respectable.
The revolution of the shirtwaist
The shirtwaist was an important part of this revolution in women’s fashion.Β
It was a derivation of the men’s shirt and bore the same adaptability to mass production, though it was adapted to the woman’s body. Women had worn it under tailored suits since the 1860s, but only in the 1890s, as women shed layers of clothing, the shirtwaist became a garment that was acceptable to wear with just a skirt.Β
The adoption of masculine elements into feminine attire was nothing new, but the shirtwaist marked a passage in understanding what feminine beauty was. The Gibson Girl who wore the ensemble was a much more active, more athletic and even more muscular β in short, more masculine β woman than her predecessors, but this didn’t detract from her beauty and attraction. It was indeed a new concept of beauty.Β
The essential simplicity of the shirtwaist allowed it to be adopted and appropriated by different sections of society and classes and was particularly significant for women belonging to minority groups, like immigrants or African Americans. Because the shirtwaist was a ready-made piece of clothing coming in standardized sizes and fashions, it allowed women of all walks of life to afford it, becoming part of this mainstream fashion.
Being able to buy a fashionable shirtwaist rather than making it at home (as it was common for lower-class women) changed the perception these women had of themselves. They could participate, and therefore appropriate, the latest fashion as well as the concept of New Woman, entering that logic, whether they were consciously doing it or not.Β
Wearing a shirtwaist was an experience of surprising liberation for many women.Β
Ensemble Separates (Enter the New Woman #AtoZChallenge 2022) The Gibson Girl's modern attire, that allowed more freedom of movement #WomenFashion #WomenHistory Click To TweetRESOURCES
Eabinovitch-Foz, Einan. Dressed for Freedom : The Fashionable Politics of American Feminism. University of Illinois Press, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America, 2021
Fashion History Timeline – 1890-1899
20 Comments
Margot Kinberg
What a complicated dressing routine!! And that’s after women started wearing more freeing clothing! I don’t think I could ever do that. What a switch in the twenties to the shift dress.
jazzfeathers
And it doesn’t look like when ou see the final look, does it?
But I find it quite elengant π
Kristin
I have a picture of my grandmother wearing a shirtwaist and skirt when she was about 16 in 1902. I had no idea she had all those clothes on underneath!
jazzfeathers
LOL! True. The figure seems so slick.
Jayashree Srivatsan
I have seen these in some of the movies based on those times. It must have been such a welcome change and I feel those ladies would have looked pretty smart though not fully captured in B&W images. Even to this day some school uniforms are based on these, arent they ?
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jazzfeathers
I agree with you. This look is so elengat, in my opinion.
And for sure, it was a welcome changed for women. I had no idea how many layers of clothes women wore in the past before I reserch this topic. It was crazy!
Ronel Janse van Vuuren
I can’t imagine what they had to go through to wear this simple ensemble, something which we take for granted.
jazzfeathers
True, eh? I didn’t have a real idea before I researched this topic. It’s crazy, if we think abotu it with our 21th century mind.
Tasha
I own one corset, the hassle of getting it on and off means it is for special occasions only. I cannot imagine having to deal with such complicated garments and more all the time. Thank heavens for the clothing revolution!
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings: YouTube – What They Don’t Tell You (and free fiction)
jazzfeathers
LOL! Though I’ve heard that once youre accustomed to it, it becomes quite easy.
Tarkabarka
Fascinating! I never thought about that era of fashion like this π
The Multicolored Diary
jazzfeathers
I’m becomng ever more fascinated abotu how fashion is… well, so much more than fashion π
Kalpana
I was happy to read that life became easier for women after they decided to wear shirtwaists and skirts. It looks lovely and comfortable although there are a lot of layers. Thanks for the video too.
jazzfeathers
I’m happy I foudn tht video. It’s very nice, isn’t it?
Carrie-Anne
I love the idea of dressing in vintage clothes, but if I did adopt that style, it would have to be 1960s and 1970s fashion instead of anything earlier. There are just so many different garments involved in creating that particular silhouette and appearance. Our ancestors’ idea of simple isn’t that simple to modern people.
jazzfeathers
I’ve been following a few vintage lifesylers on Youtube and Instagram and Ilove their philosophy. It really inspires me, though I don’t knwo whether I’ll ever follow their example. Though I am tempted.
Ah, no, if I ever try, it’ll be for the 1920s! π
Anne E.G. Nydam
I enjoyed the video. I do think the look is very attractive, but I’m very grateful to have so many more options now, as well as ELASTIC! One of the most important inventions ever.
jazzfeathers
LOL. I agree with you. But I too find the look very nice π
Joy Weese Moll
I love my separates. Standard-sized dresses don’t fit because I’m pear-shaped rather than hourglass-shaped. Once clothing wasn’t tailor made, separates make so much sense.
jazzfeathers
I think it was a brillinat invention. Especially considering what was before them.