Women's Fashions at the Turn of the 20th Century
An illustrated walk through the changing fashion scenes of the United States around the year 1900.
Fashion is often written off as frivolous, but there’s plenty we can learn from how our ancestors presented themselves. The shape, materials, and colors that form generational trends all have something to say about life in that era. And few periods of history reflect their changes so clearly through apparel as American fashions around the year 1900. How did American women move from hooped skirts to flapper dresses in just a few short decades? Let’s find out.
It’s important to note that the majority of these fashion plates are targeted to a very narrow section of American society—affluent white women. In reality, only a small portion of women were able to wear clothing this rich and elaborate. For most Americans, fashion was a secondary consideration to practicality and affordability. Like the runways of today, elements of these trends made their way down through everyday clothing, but they were most often seen in areas with higher concentrations of wealth and power.
The 1870s
Though not quite the turn of the century, it’s helpful to take a quick look at the fashions of the past for context. Following the Civil War, dresses in the United States still follow trends that developed during the 1830s. Inspired by Victorian styles, apparel emphasizes a tightly corseted waist and wide crinoline skirts. By the 1870s, however, these silhouettes are more moderate than some of the truly voluminous skirts of earlier decades (think Southern belles.) Instead, pleating along the backs of skirts becomes a typical fashion flourish.
The 1880s
This slimming trend continues into the 1880s, with many women adopting a more natural silhouette. Note also the increasing presence of traditionally ‘masculine’ elements in these dresses, such as short jackets and prominent buttons. Tailored apparel, fitting to the body rather than lacing it into a desired shape, grows as an alternative to the corset, which increasingly comes under fire as an uncomfortable health hazard.
The 1890s
By the mid-1890s, much of the weight of women’s garments shifted upward. While full skirts remain popular, big sleeves are now the preferred way to emphasize a narrow waist. These women call to mind the shoulder pads of the 1980s; they’re positively formidable. To modern eyes, these looks appear somewhat matronly. But at the time, they might have seemed more like armor, a demand to be noticed as women increasingly entered the public sphere and voiced their opinions. This is also a time when it grew more acceptable for women to pursue athletics, including the rise of the bicycle and tennis.
This period is generally considered to be the end of the Victorian fashion era. From here, styles will change rapidly, alongside the roles of women in society.
The 1900s
In the 1900s, women’s fashions begin to abandon the bustle and exaggeration of previous generations. New lacing styles push the bosom forward and the hips back, leading to the characteristic posture of fashionable women from this period. Big hats become the statement piece of many outfits.
The 1910s
What a change a few years can make! By the 1910s, the trend toward long, narrow silhouettes is fully in swing. These women are the forerunners of the flappers of the 1920s—slender, modern, and embracing more traditionally masculine clothing elements.
In 1920, after a long fight, women gain the right to vote at a federal level. This sets off a chain of social reforms that will forever change how women move through the world and express themselves, leading to an explosion of fashion scenes and their followers. Today, we can look back on the clothing of the past and appreciate not only its aesthetics, but also the social forces guiding its evolution to the modern era.
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