Victorian Fashion and Class Distinction In Fashion

Victorian fashion is a magical turning point that clearly reflects the social games and class divisions played behind the scenes of a period. This movement, which emerged between 1837 and 1901, when Queen Victoria ruled Britain, is beyond a fashion reform, the most beautiful rebellion against the aristocracy. After all, how can a rebellion that uses lace embroidery, corsets, and layered elegant fabrics be ugly?

The beginning of the Victorian Era coincided with the Industrial Revolution. Technological advances brought about by the Industrial Revolution brought about an increase in textile production and fabric diversity. As a result of this situation, fashion was no longer specific to the aristocracy and spread to the middle class as well. In the same period, the middle class, which gained the right to vote by resisting the palace, now had the freedom to dress like the nobles. The foundations of today's ready-made clothing industry were laid for the first time, clothing became more accessible, and the evolution of fashion in this period was faster and more diverse than before.

Fashion is not just about fabrics woven with needle and thread, it is also an art that processes the inner fabric of society. One look at Queen Victoria's wardrobe tells the story of an era, from the crowned queen of the court to the common man on the street. Flashy dresses, lace details, and elegant accessories are hidden not only under the fabrics but also among the layers of social norms and expectations. Each stitch embroidered with needles represents the quest for freedom of an exploited class, and the color palette represents social diversity. In Victorian-Era clothing, the color palette of deep burgundies, wine reds, and jewel tones such as emeralds was used to reflect the emotional richness of the period. At the same time, these colors created a canvas that allowed women to express their feelings and thoughts through their clothing. Fashion designers of the period added an artistic dimension to clothes by carefully selecting fabrics and paying great attention to details; Luxurious materials such as velvet, silk, lace, and feathers added the touch of a precious stone to each piece.

Of course, at the end of the day, the winner of this "fashion war" was the upper class, as always in history. This ready-made clothing industry, which was created for the middle-lower class who could never fully enjoy the wealth and privileges of the aristocracy, is in our wardrobes in today's world. Designer brands, whose customer base consists of a certain minority, and accessible brands that produce similar designs to the fast fashion trend, have a very large market in the fashion industry. In third-world countries, it is the upper class that makes money from these clothes produced with cheap labor and poor-quality fabrics; It is the lower class that suffers. What do you think, will the lower class resist the same resistance that the middle class did to the upper class, exactly 2 centuries later? Or could Street Wear fashion, which is on the catwalks of even famous brands today, be the new Victorian Era?

See you in new fashion trends.