This fashion plate from the September 1831 issue of The Royal Lady's Magazine demonstrates many of the the characteristic trends of the Romantic Era.

These include:

-a silhouette that is wide and top-heavy, especially when compared to the vertical columnal silhouette of the previous period.

-demi-gigot sleeves (full and balloon-like from shoulder to elbow and tight fitting elbow to wrist). Other popular large sleeve styles included the leg-of-mutton/gigot sleeve, the imbecile/idiot sleeve, and the Marie sleeve.

-a tiny, corsetted waist sitting a few inches above the natural waistline

-cone-shaped skirts created from gored (triangular shaped) panels. Hem widths gradually increase throughout the period. During the early years of the period fullness at the waist is minimal.

-Sleeves sit low on the shoulders and necklines are wide, baring the shoulders. Here the exposed neckline is concealed by decorated, coordinating pelerines (large removable collars) for proper day wear.

Romantic Era dresses were often described by either the time of day during which they were to be worn (ie. a morning or an evening dress) or the activity for which they were intended (ie. a promenade (walking) or a carriage dress). Very often the differences between the types of dresses is so subtle, it is difficult to distinguish the styles.

The following distinction can be made, however:

-Dresses for day wear are more conservative. They tended to have shorter hemlines, higher necklines, longer sleeves and were made of sturdy, sensible fabrics (ie. cotton and wool).

-Dresses for evening allowed more skin to show. They were generally floor length, have open exposed necklines, shorter sleeves, and were made of fancier fabrics (ie. satin, taffeta, moire).

All four of the dresses pictured above date between the years 1835 and 1838. All are considered to be day dresses. The three dresses on the left are made of cotton and the one on the right is made of wool gauze.

The June 1831 issue of The Royal Lady's Magazine label the dresses pictured in this fashion plate as the following (from left to right):

-A Walking Dress

-An Evening Dress

-A Carriage Dress

-A Morning Dress

-A Carriage Dress

With the exception of the exposed neckline and shorter sleeves, for us (the modern students of fashion history) it is difficult to discern the difference between all of these different styles. However, women of the period could certainly tell the difference.

Three variations of the dominant hat shape of the period are also shown in the plate above. Bonnet shapes were all the rage for Romantic women. There is evidence of both utiliatrian and decorative styles. Those shown here would be considered examples of the latter.

The muslin day dress pictured at the left features a style of sleeves known as the Marie sleeve. The sleeves are cut full and balloon-like from shoulder to wrist, much in the fashion of the imbecile/idiot sleeve. The fullness is then arranged and secured into graduated puffs along the length of the arm.

In the plate below, the evening dress at the far left has leg-o-mutton/gigot sleeves (cut full and balloon-like at the shoulder and tapering to the wrist).

During the later years of the Romantic Era, the puffed upper body silhouette takes on a deflated quality. This is particularly true in regard to the sleeve shapes. Much of the former fullness is still present in the cut, however it is now pushed downward. This drawing demonstrates one approach at achieving this. Decorative additions have been added to the upper sleeve, pushing the fullness below the elbow. If a woman was unable to purchase a new dress the sleeves could be creatively reworked in order to acheive this effect.

Other characteristics of the late Romantic Era pictured here include:

--a movement away from skirts constructed through triangular shaped gores towards those constructed using large rectangular panels. Hem widths continue to increase as does the fullness at the waist, resulting in deep pleats and the aforementioned "bell" shape.

--back waistlines remain horizontal, but fall a few inches to align with the natural waistline. In the front, it becomes common to see a dipped waistline, reinforcing the idea of the silhouette being pulled downward.

Romantic Era women favored the hairstyle pictured here. A la Chinoise was a coiffure created by pulling the hair at the back and the side of the head up into a knot or bun while arranging hair at the forehead and temples into large sausage curls.

The deeply pleated waistline of the skirt and the dipping front waistline are clearly depicted here. Notice that the upper body silhouette has drastically narrowed and the overall cut seems to point downward.

Romantic Women-General

Both of these girls wear variations of the a la chinoise hairstyle.

The girl at the left also wears a ferroniere (a jewel suspended from a ribbon and worn in the middle of the forehead). This is an imitation of a style from the Middle Ages. This Romantic fad is evidence of how literature influenced fashion. Romantic citizens often dreamed of other times and places--usually idealizing and "romanticizing" the past and foreign lands. The days of feudalism, knights, and princesses were among their favorites about which to fantasize.

Out of this preoccupation with the past, is born the genre of historical fiction. Romantic writers emphasized the maidens who died for love (almost always of "the consumption") and vixens whose hard-heartedness tortured the heart of her lover. Romantic women devoured these novels and aspired to emulate their favorite swooning and captivating heroines.

As a result, illness became a fashion statement. Women cultivated a sickly paleness of complexion (often enhanced by rice powder). They lauded of their illinesses like trophies, often trying to out do one another with their laundry list of maladies. Due to extremely "tight-laced" corsets, the Romantic woman had no problem "swooning" like the best literary heroine.

During the Romantic Era, the Male sphere and Female sphere became increasingly separated, especially among the upper classes. The home was no longer the center of business affairs, but now served as the center of entertainment. The Victorian woman--a subordinate of her husband--was expected to live a "doll-like" existence while playing hostess to her husband's affairs.

A substantial wardrobe of clothing was necessary in order to fulfill this role effectively. Stylish gowns of the Romantic Era featured sleeves set low on the shoulder. Women could not raise their arms above their heads. This combined with an extremely tight-laced corset rendered a fashionable woman incapable of performing any physical labor. Servants carried out the physical housework, while the lady of the house busied herself with low physical activities such as sewing, embroidering, modeling in wax, sketching, painting on glass or china, and decorating other functional objects in the home.

Clothing of the period was still constructed by hand. The first sewing machine readily available for public purchase was invented by Elias Howe in 1846, but it did not become used extensively until after the Civil War. One of his machines could do the work of approximately 10 individual stitchers, thus forever changing the nature of the garment industry.