In the fashion timeline, most historians place the early bustle period from approximately 1869-1876. The late bustle era covered 1883-1889. In between the two was The Natural Form Style. It was also known as the Natural Form Era and occasionally, the Mid Bustle Era. It had an early period 1876-1879 and a late period 1880-1882/3 where the skirts became really narrow. A tall, slim figure was all the rage. The horizontal lines of the two other bustle periods were replaced with a vertical line.
Queen Victoria’s granddaughter, Elisabeth ‘Ella’, wife of Grand Duke Serge of Russia. The second eldest daughter of Princess Alice of the UK.
The Natural Form Style
Most bodices were long and fitted smoothly over the hips. This style was known as the Cuirass bodice.
Wedding ensemble,
Another popular look was the “princess line”. This is where the bodice and overskirt are cut in one piece with long darts (known as princess seams). The green dress on the left is a good example of the style.
Revue de la Mode 1877
There was also the revival of the original polonaise style of the 1770s/1780s. Similar to the princess style the bodice was cut in one but it was gathered fully on the hips. It was then worn atop an underskirt.
Circa 1880 dress, The Met
It was somewhat of a carryover of the Dolly Varden style of dress. Dolly Varden was a character in the novel Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens. This look was found in the first bustle period. The ensemble consisted of a floral cotton polonaise worn over a plain, brightly colored skirt of walking length. It was paired with a straw hat, perched forward atop a high coiffure.
Natural Form Era skirts were fitted very closely to the legs. This new look was somewhat scandalous. To achieve this narrow style the skirts had tie strings attached inside to hold the front close to the legs. The back of the skirt fell free.
Elegant Lady Walking Her Greyhounds on the Beach, Edmond-Louis Dupain
While the bodice design was kept fairly simple, the skirts were often over-embellished with elaborate swags and drapes as well as a variety of trims.
Afternoon dress, ca.1878. Silk, cotton, metal, baleen. Gift of Mr. J. D. Oswald, 1970, National Gallery of Victoria.
Catch The Train
Almost every dress featured a train. Even daytime walking dresses.
Don’t forget to shake out the sand girls!
Asymmetrical skirts were at the height of fashion. Ruffles, trims, swags, and bows were placed high on one side and low on the other.
1880 dress, The Met
Color
As with the fashions of today the colors changed each season. For the garment I wanted to create, I was drawn to colors of the sea: blues, greens, and aqua.
La Mode Francaise 1881|
The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine 1876
Hats and Hair
The motto of the era should be: Go big or go home. The elaborate trims that are associated with the Natural Form Style also carried over to ladies’ accessories.
A number of hat and bonnet styles were in vogue.
Also, please note the wearing of leopard prints is not a new thing. (smile)
The Ladies’ Treasury 1882
I was attracted to the tilted saucer shape.
Ringlets and elaborate updos were all the rage.
French fashion, 1877
1879 styles
I decided to combine the two for my Natural Form Era look.
The Undergarments
Of course, the foundation garments changed to support the new shape.
I liked the look of this petticoat and set about to recreate it.
1882 Ruffled Petticoat – Natural Form Era
Everyday Style
The vast majority of everyday women did not look like fashion plates. (Some things never change.) I am always interested in how high fashion was transformed into garments worn by the average woman.
This gal below either had an amazing dressmaker or mad sewing skills.
But notice that despite her amazing fashion style she has opted for a shorter skirt.
1880 Mlle Nelligan, Montreal.
A train probably would not be a wise choice for your average woman who had work to do.
I absolutely adore Ella Logan Meharry and her pet sheep.
I like to call this Prairie Princess Style. This photograph, circa 1879–1881, features Mary, Carrie and Laura Ingalls. All wear dresses in the popular princess style. Being a family of meager means there are no excess ruffles or swags to be found. Such trimming would have been considered wasteful to a pioneering family who had no such need for high fashion.
I’ll be back on Wednesday with the reveal of my Natural Form Style ensemble.
Laura
So very interesting! Thank you so much for this post! As an older lady who loves period pieces of any kind, books, movies, etc. I am always interested in things from this period. I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to see your ensemble. By the way, I purchased one of your aprons some years back that was made from your grandmother’s laces and fabrics and always bring it out to wear for a special occasion. I have it all washed, starched and ironed for Thanksgiving and my family now says to me “where is your apron?” if I don’t have it on yet. I get a lot of enjoyment from that little apron and have it proudly displayed on a hook in my laundry room. Thanks again!
A lovely history lesson. Thank you. Also, in my humble opinion, the Ingalls girls in their much simpler dresses had to be much more comfortable than the society ladies in their finery. I’m good with comfortable.
I just love it when you do costumes! I love the ones you make and the research you show! I must go through my old books and see if I have any of period costuming I can pass along your way!
Oh my, Laura! These photographs you’ve shared here are beautiful examples of the era… Looking back at what the young black woman wore and what the Ingalls girls wore, their styles were definitely more simple but still elegant and de rigueur. Later on as the girls got older, I remember a drawing Garth Williams drew of Mary getting ready to go off to college and in it Mary had a few extra ruffles on her dress. She looked beautiful! I remember Laura talking about Caroline Ingalls always knowing the latest fashions and trying to copy them to a degree to stay current. I do like the idea that working women wore shorter skirts and nixed the sweeping trains (too impractical for real women of the day who didn’t have maids nor lived in the less dusty cities). Maybe they also had buttons for catching up a train, too, to be later let down at a party?…
Fun thoughts on a rainy evening,
Hugs,
Barb 🙂
Your research is always so interesting. I love reading all the details and facts. The time it would take to get dressed up in them each day! I had never heard about the strings tied to the legs to keep the skirts close to the front of the wearer. How constricting their outfits would be to wear. In fact the outfits these ladies are wearing are all so restraining and would have been so uncomfortable to move, eat, sit or walk in. It became a way to hobble the noble ladies of the era to keep them in their place.
The sweet little country dresses of the Ingalls girls at least would have allowed them a bit more freedom to run and play and have fun although I am sure back then they would have loved the extra yardage to have been able to add the extra layers, length and ruffles to their dresses.
Thank you for being so generous and sharing your awesome research! I feel like I have learned something every time I read these posts!
Somehow I have never heard of this name for this era. Thanks for the information! I am so glad our styles are so much simpler today.