Edwardian Era
As a new century rolls in, the ‘Beautiful Age’ emerged in full effect. The world was completely changing in terms of fashion, art, women’s rights, and technology. Modern devices and innovations were coming to life creating mass communications. The telephone, telegraph, and automobile were advancing quickly. Also, the Wright Brothers created the world’s first flyable airplane. The phenomenon of electricity was creating a new modern world. The ‘Singer Sewing Machine’, electric irons, and washing machines were invented and greatly changed how people viewed their clothing. With all of this technological innovation, the fashion world reflected it. Although women still wore corsets, a much more natural figure became the ideal. Menswear transformed into more functional styles while also work clothing emerged, like the Levin Strauss jean. This new century brought in so many new possibilities that would have never been thought of in the Victorian Era, like the women's suffrage movement in 1905 and the age of the automobile in 1908. Art was advancing too in the form of art nouveau, which was introduced by the French. Art Nouveau was a decorative style of art that took over Europe in this time period. Considering the modernity of the Edwardian Era, the royals still held a huge impact on the public. The royals of this time period were Prince Albert Edward and Queen Alexandra. Like Queen Victoria of the Victorian Era, Queen Alexandra had a huge impact on the world of fashion. Another important influence of the fashion world was the continuing popularity of the Gibson Girl, a tall woman with her hair in a chignon and a trumpet skirt.
WOMEN'S DAY WEAR
The trumpet skirt was the most popular silhouette at this time. The trumpet skirt was fit and slim through the hips and widens as it flows down to the ankles. This image is a perfect example of a trumpet skirt because it is tight through the waist and hips and flows down the legs. Most of the skirts had simple colors and patterns, yet they were still extravagant and decorated.
The S-bend silhouette was the new shape for a woman’s body. The S-bend was not as extravagant as the silhouette of the women in the Victorian Era, although a corset was still required. The S-bend resulted in a large and padded bust and small waist achieved by the S-curve corset. The top of the ribcage and breast tilted forward while the woman’s back was curved out, therefore creating an S shape.
The tea gown was like no other of this time period. While it was long and very modest, it was considered to be very sexy and an item of lingerie. A tea gown was a cream colored muslin dress, decorated with lace. For the upper class it was usually made out of silky to achieve the dainty and feminine look.
EVENINGWEAR
This dress depicts Edwardina women’s evening wear perfectly. The S-curve silhouette is very prominent here while her bust is prominent, her waist is small, and her hips are very defined. This evening wear dress includes many trimmings and details to decorate the dress.
The dresses in the following image are Paul Poiret’s evening gowns. These dresses differ greatly from the average S-curve dress, in which they have a flowy shape and do not require a corset. Poiret started the Orientalism movement, which was fashion with asian inspiration through color, fabric, and design. As seen in this image, Poiret created designs filled with color and patterns.
This dress is another example of one of Paul Poiret’s revolutionary designs, known as the ‘lampshade’. This dress resembles a lampshade with another layer on top of the dress with wire lined hem to make the bottom protrude out in a circular form. Underneath the lampshade layer is a long flowing skirt.
MENSWEAR
During the Edwardian Era, men's clothing became more and more casual. This particular suit is a great example of mens wear moving towards informataility. This suit is known as the drape suit and it has a loose jacket with no waistline, resulting in it being very comfortable. This suit is paired with a matching vest and straight legged trousers.
Another popular mens wear suit is known as the boater suit. A boater suit consists of a pinstripe blazer and flannel straight legged pants. A boater suit is normally complete with a straw hat with a flat brim and a flat top. These suits were popular sporting suits and often worn while boating (hence the name).
The man in this drawing is wearing golf attire with his pants being knickerbockers. Knickerbockers are popular pants men wore that stopped right below the knee and ballooned throughout the thighs. Knickerbockers were often complete with a buckle at the waistline.
ACCESSORIES
While women in the Edwardian era still wore corsets, they were less restrictive than the corsets in the Victorian era. This drawing depicts an S-curve corset which was still restricting and emphasized the bust and waist. This particular corset created a curve in a woman’s back which resulted in a woman's curves to be in the shape of an S.
The merry widow hat is just another example of the Edwardian’s extravagance and decorative style. This hat was usually made of straw with a shallow crown and a very wide brim. In fact, the average circumference of a Merry Widow hat was 36 inches. Women loved to decorate their Merry Widow hats with all sorts of items like tulle, feathers, flowers, and even birds.
A popular hairstyle of the Edwardian era was the chignon. Most women wore their hair in a chignon but this style really resonates with the ideal of a Gibson Girl. The chignon hairstyle is when the hair is pinned to the top of the head or neck, like a top knot bun!
