Victorian fashion is not what you think! 💅
Dive into the more surprising side of Victorian fashion history and see some of the crazes from the 1890s – from voluminous layered skirts and tiny corseted waists, to outrageously oversized sleeves (known as ‘gigot’ or ‘leg-of-mutton’), and novelty umbrellas shaped like pug dogs.
American heiress Cara Broughton was a style icon of her day, with some extremely bold and playful fashion choices. In this documentary, Fashion Historian Cassie explores two incredible surviving pieces from Cara’s eclectic wardrobe, and tells us about what is typical of women’s late Victorian fashion.
00:00 Who was Cara Broughton?
01:29 Bodice with leg of mutton or gigot sleeves
02:34 Victorian fabrics and trimmings
03:19 Victorian novelty accessories
03:42 Inside the orange bodice – baleen (whalebone)
05:24 Asymmetrical construction
05:53 Inside the giant sleeves
06:21 Victorian mourning dress?
08:35 Victorian bustle fashion and mystery stitch-marks
09:11 Inside the cream bodice
09:35 Victorian clothing label (designer branding)
10:15 Baleen under the microscope
10:33 Victorian skirt layers
11:04 Mystery pocket – what was it for?
Find out more about our fashion collections: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion
See more of our Fashion Unpicked films: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe2ihXndm5jvJsAP3AOHQz4FcgUki-nLx&si=iYycrR6KrCFBbgCZ