1830's Fashion

In the 1830’s people made their clothes; by people, I mean women. The most common fabrics were linen and wool. Cotton and silk was very expensive. The colors were made from plant parts like leaves and stems. Making clothes was not an easy task. The women and children contributed. Once fiber grew from the flax plant, they were broken and scraped to separate the lining for spinning. Since linen was the cheapest to produce, the poorer families used it.

For men, an “everyday” outfit consisted of a linen shirt and trousers. They’d also wear a tie, called a cravat and a vest. They did not wear underwear, or belts. Men typically dressed depending on age, occupation, and social status. The shoes that men wore were commonly either leather boots for casual wear, or “slipper-like dancing shoes” for fancier occasions.

For women, they always wore full length, or ankle length one piece dresses. The dresses were either made of cotton, wool, or silk. They also wore aprons to protect the skirt during work time. Dresses for house and farm work were closed and when going out for the evenings, the back was open. The dresses had long sleeves, except during the summer time when they were shorter. They wore stockings too and they were made from wool cotton, and linen. Shoes, similar to the men, were boots. However some women who wanted to be fashionable wore leather slippers.

Dalton, Julia. "The Way We Wore Romantic: 1815-1840." Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2015. <https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F259731103485952847%2F>.