One of the most lush and flamboyant in the history of fashion, undoubtedly, was 18th century rococo style... The last style of French aristocrats, preceding the Great French Revolution, which changed beyond recognition not only the political structure of France, but also the fashion of all of Europe.



However, by the middle of the 19th century, the monarchy was again in France, and the Rococo style was again in fashion - the second Rococo, or, as the fashion of the 1840s - 1860s was also called, the exhibition style.

In many ways, the second rococo style in costume of the 19th century appears thanks to the French Empress Eugenie. Empress Eugenie admired the French queen Marie-Antoinette, her era and her outfits. But not only Marie Antoinette was remembered by French women in the middle of the 19th century. The Second Rococo fashion was also influenced by the outfits of the Marquise de Pompadour, perhaps one of the most famous women in the history of the 18th century.



The first couturier Charles Worth also sewed his dresses in the style of the second rococo. It was Charles Worth who is considered the founder of the first fashion house in history. He also came up with the idea of ​​demonstrating his outfits not on mannequins, but on model girls who not only presented this or that fashionable image to Wort's clients, but also communicated with clients, telling them about the suit.

Women's costume and fashion in the style of the second rococo

To go out, women of the mid-19th century had to wear underwear - a long white shirt and pantaloons, as well as stockings. Then the corset was tightened. As in the Rococo period of the 18th century, a thin waist is in fashion. The material for the corset was still a whalebone. Then the frame was put on.



In the middle of the 19th century, the frame was improved. It now consisted of elastic steel hoops. Such a frame has come into use since 1859. Before that, women simply wore several petticoats, on average up to six. At the same time, the very first skirt was knee-length. Horse hair was used in its sewing. Hence the name of the frame for skirts - crinoline.



And at the end of such a complex dressing process, a woman could put on a dress. In the 19th century, there was already a division of dresses into morning, casual and dresses for going to the ball.



So, morning and casual dresses never had a neckline, but in dresses for a ball it was a must. Also, in ball gowns sleeves could be missing or the sleeves of such dresses were short. While casual dresses were most often long-sleeved.



Morning dresses were light shades with lace frills and ribbons. Silk was the most common fabric for such dresses. Casual and evening dresses were sewn from fabrics such as brocade, velvet, satin, wool. In the 1850s, new fabrics came into fashion - "gas crystal". The peculiarity of such fabrics was that they were made from threads of two different colors woven at the same time.



As for the colors of dresses in the style of the second rococo, in the middle of the 19th century, bright and rich colors were in fashion - aniline pink, red, lilac.



Another fashionable novelty in the women's wardrobe of the mid-19th century is the Kazakin.Kazakin is a fitted vest that women could wear to visit or go for a walk.

Mid-19th century men's suit

The second rococo style in costume spread not only throughout Europe, but also spread to America. The costumes of the heroine of the novel "Gone with the Wind" by Scarlett O'Hara are just a very striking example of women's fashion of the second rococo style. However, in the male costume of this period, there were no references to the Rococo style of the 18th century.



Men in the middle of the 19th century did not again wear stockings and puffy culottes, as well as decorate their clothes with bows. Wigs have not returned to fashion either. The clothing of the 19th century men continued to evolve, following the trends that emerged after the French Revolution - comfort and simplicity.



In this case, the costume fully reflected the lifestyle of men of the 19th century. At this time, a large role in society is no longer played by aristocrats who can afford an idle lifestyle, but by representatives of the bourgeoisie - merchants and factory owners. Such people need freedom of movement, since their life was full of various business meetings and trips.



A men's suit of the mid-19th century is trousers, a shirt, a vest and a frock coat. White shirts with a turn-down or stand-up collar were most often worn by wealthier people, among the common working people there was a fashion for colored shirts. Since the 1860s, men also began to wear shirt-fronts - a piece of clothing that can be sewn on or fastened to the chest of both a man's shirt and a woman's dress.

Men's trousers of the 1850s were with strips. Strips are a tape sewn to the bottom of the trouser legs and threaded under the foot. Thus, this tape provided the tension of the leg and excluded the possibility of any folds in width, which was very fashionable in the 19th century. In the 1860s, trousers were already worn without strips. Such trousers are longer and they are lowered low on the shoes.



As for the frock coat (a long double-breasted jacket, usually fitted), already in the 1860s, men increasingly began to wear the jackets we are accustomed to today instead of it.

Trousers, waistcoats, frock coats, and later jackets were all made of woolen fabrics of dark colors.

Another innovation in 19th century men's fashion is the business card suit. According to the name, this costume was intended for visits - visits and small holidays. The features of the business card, in contrast to the frock coat, are a straight silhouette, rounded hem, a cut-off waist and a single-breasted fastener (the product is fastened with one vertical row of buttons, while a double-breasted fastener has two rows of buttons in parallel).



Thus, the style is second to the Rococo mid 19th century most clearly manifested in the women's suit, while the men's suit can be attributed to the classic style of clothing.