Fashion of the Belle Époque

The Belle Époque period lasted from 1871 to 1914, the end of the Franco-Prussian war to the beginning of WWI. It is also known as the Edwardian era and the Gilded age. This period was known for luxury and excess for some people, and this was especially evident in the fashions of the time.

Some of the more extravagant components of previous dress were starting to be dropped in the interest of more functional clothing for women. After 1890 the bustle was no longer commonly worn and the silhouettes of dresses changed with giant “leg of mutton” sleeves and tiny waists coming into fashion. There were some different types of sleeves also during this period as designers experimented with different places to have tight or loose sleeve components.

Corsets were also evolving. While the hourglass figure had been all the rage in the Victorian era, changing times meant changing figures. S-bend corsets were worn so that the hips would be pushed back and the chest would be pushed forward, creating an S effect. The corset was worn along with a boned bodice.

Over this bodice there would be fabrics lighter than those worn during the Victorian era. Dresses frequently came in two pieces now : a blouse and a skirt. Over the Belle Époque period there were some variations in the skirts that were most popular. These ranged from hip-hugging skirts that flared at the hem, higher waistlines, lower waistlines, fuller skirts, and hobble skirts.

Meanwhile, the blouses paired with these skirts tended to be high necked during the day with a bit more variation in the evening with sweet heart, round and square necklines making an appearance.

Accessories were just as important as any other component of the outfit. Lace-up boots were the standard shoe of the time and could be made of a variety of materials depending on expense. Hats tended to be wide-brimmed and bedecked in feathers (and sometimes actual whole stuffed birds) - at least until women learned that the birds providing the feathers were becoming endangered as a result of hat demand.

Meanwhile, men’s fashion didn’t change very much at all during this period. There were some slight variations but nothing too extreme. In general, there were a lot of frock coats and three piece suits. Clothing was relatively standard and most of what men had to make sure of at this point was that they were wearing the right neutral jacket at the right time of day.

Eventually around the beginning of the 1910s, the corset started to be

abandoned altogether in favor of utilizing “draping” to achieve the desired silhouette. This transition was spearheaded especially by French designer, Paul Poiret who also used Oriental influences to design the lampshade tunic, harem pants and hobble skirts. He also used a lot of beading and other embellishments that would take over the eventual post-war fashions.

When you attend our Belle Époque event on Tuesday, May 16 you don’t have to wear a corset or a bird on your head but we are excited to see you!

Sources:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bicycling;_The_Ladies_of_the_Wheel,_1896.jpg

http://www.mdc.edu/wolfson/academic/ArtsLetters/art_philosophy/Humanities/belleepoque.htm

https://bellatory.com/fashion-industry/FashionHistoryEdwardianFashionTrends1890s1914

http://www.fashion-era.com/la_belle_epoque_1890-1914_fashion.htm

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coronet_Corset_Co.jpg

http://www.edwardianpromenade.com/fashion/dressing-the-edwardian

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/poir/hd_poir.htm

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Gervex_Cinq_Heures_Chez_Paquin.jpg