The Continentals

Author notes

LOWER-CLASS FASHION

Coydog

on May 10, 2009

FASHION - THE OTHER (LOWER) HALF

And what did the other half wear in the late Victorian age? As fashion magazines and patterns were abundant, the styling of the clothes of the not-so-rich mimicked those of the society folk, but with cheaper fabrics and a lot less finery. They were lucky to have more than one pair of shoes for the year, let alone the season. A family's clothes were either sewn by hand or treadle machine or done up by the neighborhood tailor or seamstress. Some shops sold clothing in a semi-completed state, and the final fitting and finishing touches would be done by the customers. Headgear also went towards the plainer side. A few skirts and blouses and maybe one or two good Sunday dresses made up the bulk of the average lower-class woman's wardrobe.

For the working man in the street, corduoroy trousers were the "jeans" of the time. A plain white shirt, suspenders (braces in British parlance), and perhaps a vest were what they wore, along with a coat. Used clothing was big business, and poor folks made do with second or even third-hand clothing, making it hold out as long as possible before it went to rags. Artificial dyes had been around for some twenty years by this time, making colorful (but tacky) clothes available to the tart plying her trade in the poor-side streets. But even then, she might have only one or two such dresses to her name.

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