Another less explored monarch of Great Britain and Ireland was Queen Victoria who ruled the country between 1837 and 1901. Her reign was not only political and administrative she left deep footprints on the fashion world of the Victorian era making it a classic for a century. Out of all the features that could have been pinned on her, her fashion moments have remained some of the most distinct and historically memorable, to mention the wedding dress and mourning dress. Below are six of them that remain my favorite.
1. A War on Women: Queen Victoria In The White Wedding Dress Revolution
It was quite revolutionary when Queen Victoria wore a white gown during her wedding ceremony with Prince Albert in 1840. While brides during the time dressed in colored clothing Victoria specifically opted for an all-white satin gown with lace from Honiton. She made one of the boldest decisions and it went not only along with the ideas of purity but also established the tradition of brides wearing white.
2. Queen Victoria In Timeless Mourning Black
When her husband, Prince Albert died in 1861, Victoria swore to never wear another color black for the rest of her life. This desire to mourn fashion became one of her key trademarks, as she encouraged a seemingly ubiquitous wave of black mourning or respect clothing that became associated with Jetson chic.
3. Queen Victoria In The Crinoline Era
At the beginning of her reign, Queen Victoria preferred large crinoline skirts. These oversized funnel-shaped skirts were characteristic of the nineteenth century and even directly connected with the names of famous designers and artists; for example, in the portraits of the Victorian epoch, Queen Victoria can be depicted only in splendid gowns, which are supplemented with crinolines. The vague outlining of the figure was strongly exaggerated which underlined her diva-like disposition.
4. Queen Victoria The Regal Coronation Gown
Of all the gowns worn by the royal family, the gown in question is probably one of the most popular coronation gowns that Queen Victoria wore; this gown was made of the most exquisite gold tissue and was embroidered exquisitely as well. The gown was rich in material and with exquisite workmanship and thus depicted her as a queen who was powerful and regal as the new mistress of the British Empire.
5. Elaborate Headpieces
During her reign, Queen Victoria used many ornate headdresses and crowns and wore the small diamond crown after the death of her husband Prince Albert. This slim, elegant crown would assume importance for the late years of her period as a royal emblem combined with the sorrow of her bereavement.
6. The Late Victorian Period and its Silhouette of the Slim Look
Later in her reign, there was a change in fashions and Queen Victoria instead proceeded to wear bland gowns with less focus on the width of the skirts. Corsets and the closer to the body silhouette and the smaller gowns indicated the progression of fashion in the later half of the nineteenth century. However, the outfits she wore always had royal dignity and elegance added to them in one way or the other.
Queen Victoria was not just dressing; rather she and her dresses had a lot to say about power, tradition, and sentiment. Queen Victoria’s dresses ranging from her wedding gown to the black outfit she wore after the death of her husband until the end of her days were not only defining a particular epoch in British history, but they were also making history as they forever changed the course of fashion trends around the world. Her fashion moments are eternal which tell a lot about her ruling and influence as a queen and cultural figure.
Photo Credit: Google
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