How to Dress Like a Woman in the 1800s

Dressing Like a Victorian Woman

Wear a corset for a regal, historically-accurate look. Corsets were a necessity for any Victorian woman, and their modern resurgence in popularity means it’s easy to find and buy one for your own Victorian look. For the most historically-accurate look, go for a Victorian-style, S-shaped silhouette, which will give a classic hourglass shape. Look for corsets on specialty outlets online. If you’re trying a corset for the first time, don’t lace it as tightly as you can just yet. Let your body get used to the slight constriction. Lace down about 1 inch (2.5 cm) and leave it for about 2 hours. If your body feels OK, lace down another inch; if not, take the corset off and try again tomorrow. Most Victorian women didn’t wear their corsets very tightly, contrary to popular belief, so don’t feel pressured to slim down your waist to painful proportions. If you choose to wear a corset at all (they’re not required!), simply fit it so that it’s comfortable around your chest and waist.

Put on a full-length dress with a petticoat and bustle. Women in the 1800s wore dresses with long, full skirts that reached the ground, but the exact style of the dress shifted throughout the century. If you’re looking for a more general costume, go with a long, full skirt of plain fabric in a muted, solid color. Layer your dress with a petticoat or a bustle if you can. For a simple-to-make take on an 1800s dress, buy a full-length, long-sleeved dress online and fill it out with petticoats, which you can buy or make yourself. You can also pair a full-length shirt with a plain, button-down shirt for a similar effect. In the mid-1800s up to about 1865, women wore bell-shaped skirts with voluminous petticoats. In the late 1800s, the front of the skirt became flatter as emphasis shifted to the back, with lots of flounces and ruching. The bodice area of dresses stayed relatively the same throughout the 1800s, tightly-fitted with high collars and sometimes sloping necklines for evening wear.

Slide on a pair of long gloves. "Opera gloves" are very long gloves that go far beyond the elbow, and are very dressy and make for a bold look. Opera-length long elegant gloves are a must-have for any Victorian-era costume. Go for a creamy white color with lace, or match the color of your gloves to your dress. If you are tall and have thin and long arms, then longest opera gloves will look great on you and accentuate your beauty even more. You can buy long gloves online or in party stores. If you can’t find a longer pair, shorter-length gloves will work too.

Pull on fully fashioned stockings. Victorian women never went out without long stockings on. Look for a thin, light pair that reaches at least to your knee, made of solid fabric like cotton or wool. Women often went for pairs with pretty embroidery or interesting patterns, so you can go the same route and add a pop of subtle color to your look. Look for an old-fashioned pattern, like simple stripes, small flowers, or even a bolder plaid. Try to find one that matches the color scheme of your dress. You can find knee- or thigh-high stockings at most clothing stores.

Go with black shoes or boots for footwear. Footwear was pretty simple for Victorian women, who tended towards flat-heeled black lace-up boots that reached to their mid-calves. In the latter half of the century, though, shoes with pointed and rounded toes started to come into fashion as well. Choose whichever style is more comfortable and looks best with your outfit. You can find lace-up leather boots in most shoe stores that can look quite accurate with the right dress and accessories. You can also go with shorter, heeled booties for a later-1800s look.

Curl your hair and twist it into an updo. For a simple Victorian look, keep a straight middle part and use a curling iron to create ringlets. Pull most of them back into a bun while letting a few trail down around your face. If you don’t want to curl your hair, try putting it in a bun, leaving 2 thick chunks on the side free. Pull these loosely back towards the bun and pin them to create interesting loops. Victorian women also liked to experiment with braids and styles like crimping, so feel free to get creative. Straight hair left down is a good look for younger girls dressing Victorian-style, but women over the age of about 20 should always go with an updo. The Victorians didn’t consider it appropriate for older women to have their hair down in public.

Complete the look with a decorated hat. Victorian women always sought to keep their skin protected from the sun, which meant that large hats were all the rage when outdoors. You can buy these big, decorative hats online (search “Victorian women’s hats”) or make your own by decorating a light straw hat with ribbon and cloth flowers.

Accessorize with jewelry or a fan. You can accent your look with simple jewelry, like a locket hung on a ribbon or a classic charm bracelet. For another fun accessory, pick up a light, Victorian-style fan or make your own from pretty paper or cloth. You can also carry around a parasol, which Victorian women used as another layer of sun protection. If you want to embellish your look with makeup, keep things very simple—the Victorians thought that wearing very visible makeup was inappropriate. Instead, simply powder your face lightly and add a bit of blush to your cheeks, plus a very subtle lipstick and eyeshadow.

Going for a Pioneer Style

Pair a floor-length skirt with a button-down shirt. Pioneer women tended to dress with more practicality than their more cosmopolitan counterparts in the city. To create an authentic pioneer look, buy or make a full-length maxi skirt that reaches 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) above the floor and wear a simple button-down, long-sleeve top to match. For the most historically-accurate style, look for solid, dark colors for both pieces. If you want to get more creative, choose a lighter blue color or an old-fashioned pattern, like flowers or birds, which a pioneer woman might have worn on a special occasion. If you don’t have a button-down shirt, a plain long-sleeve or three-quarter-length shirt will work as well. You can pair your skirt with a petticoat if you want, although it’s not necessary; pioneer women needed to move around more easily, so they often wore less fabric beneath their skirt than Victorians.

Wear a corset, or skip it for a more “outdoorsy” look. Some pioneer women wore corsets, but it wasn’t considered as necessary as in the city. If you want to try it, look for a Victorian-style, S-shaped corset, which you can find online. If you’re trying a corset for the first time, don’t lace it as tightly as you can just yet. Let your body get used to the slight constriction. Lace down about 1 inch (2.5 cm) and leave it for about 2 hours. If your body feels OK, lace down another inch; if not, take the corset off and try again tomorrow.

Layer an apron over the skirt. Aprons were a must for practical frontier women. Tie one around your waist in a simple white or cream shade, or play with a pattern or color to offset your skirt. Look for a style that comes to about your mid-calves. You can find long aprons online, or make your own by cutting a piece of fabric about 3/4 of the skirt length and the same width around the waist. Gather in the top edge and cinch it down to about half of its length. Sew a ribbon to the top edge of your apron to make a waist tie.

Pull on thick stockings and plain leather boots. Pioneer women typically opted for comfortable, flat-heeled boots that reached to their mid-calf, which allowed for easy movement. Pair them with comfortable knee-length stockings with either a fun or a practical pattern—these won’t be seen unless you show them off, so have fun with it. You can find leather boots and high stockings in shoe stores and online.

Braid your hair or secure it in a bun. Keep your hairstyle simple with a classic low bun, or mix it up by adding braids on the side of your head or around the bun. Create a down-the-middle part for whatever hairstyle you decide to go with. You can also braid your hair simply down your back. For younger girls, two braids is another good option.

Make or buy a plain bonnet. Complete your pioneer woman look with a practical bonnet, which would’ve been used to protect from the sun and keep flyaway hairs tamed down. Look online for a simple cloth bonnet that will match the rest of your outfit. You can also tie on a handkerchief or bandana in place of a bonnet, or try making your own by looking up a sewing tutorial online.