Timeframe
The Romantic era in fashion sits between the end of the Empire line (c. 1820) and the arrival of the cage crinoline (1856). It was shaped by the Romantic movement in literature and art and a nostalgia for earlier centuries.
Previous episode: The Empire era
The waist returns
The waistline moved down from under the bust to its natural level, and the corset returned to shape it. The small waist became the focus, and every extra width at the shoulders and skirt served to make it look smaller.
The gigot sleeve
It peaked around 1830–1835: huge at the top, tight from the elbow down. Around 1837 the volume collapsed suddenly; fullness was stitched close to the upper arm and slid towards the elbow, and by the 1840s sleeves were tight.
The skirt
Skirts widened into a bell and rose to the ankle in the early 1830s, then lengthened into a dome in the 1840s. They were supported by layers of petticoats, some woven with horsehair (crin), the origin of the word crinoline.
Pattern maker's note
The shoulder seam sits low on the upper arm; the bodice is shaped with darts and becomes long and pointed at the front in the 1840s; the skirt is gathered into the waist with cartridge pleats. All of it was hand-sewn, since practical sewing machines arrived after 1846.
Fabrics and accessories
Printed cottons spread thanks to roller printing, alongside silks. Key accessories were the bonnet, the pelerine collar and the Kashmir shawl with its paisley motifs.
Learn pattern cutting in Manchester
See how a historical silhouette becomes a real pattern, in Anna Stella's sewing and pattern classes.
Sources
- Janet Arnold, Patterns of Fashion 1: Englishwomen's Dresses and their Construction c.1660–1860, Macmillan.
- Norah Waugh, The Cut of Women's Clothes 1600–1930, Faber & Faber.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Costume Institute: dresses 1820–1850.
- Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A): 19th-century fashion collection.