The Victorian Era

What Was Victorian Evening Dress Like?

Article · Fashion & Dress · The Victorian Era, 1837–1901

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Victorian evening dress was the most formal dress of the period, and it was the dress worn to the dinner, to the ball, to the opera, to the theatre, to the concert, to the court, and to the official occasion. Evening dress was governed by strict codes of convention, and the dress of the gentleman, the dress of the lady, and the dress of the military, the clergy, and the bar were all carefully distinguished. The history of evening dress is examined in Men’s Victorian Fashion and in Women’s Victorian Fashion. The broader context of the period is set out in Victorian Fashion and Dress.

The Gentleman’s Evening Dress

The Victorian gentleman’s evening dress was governed by strict codes of convention. The costume consisted of the black tail coat, the white waistcoat, the black trousers with a silk stripe down the side, the white shirt, the white bow tie, the patent leather shoes or opera pumps, the opera hat, the white silk scarf or white pocket handkerchief, and the white gloves. The tail coat of the period was generally a black or very dark blue tail coat, with silk-faced lapels, with silk-covered buttons, and with a white silk lining. The white waistcoat of the period was generally a white silk waistcoat, a white satin waistcoat, a white pique waistcoat, or a white marcella waistcoat, and it was cut single-breasted or double-breasted.

The white shirt of the period was generally a white cotton or linen shirt, with a starched front, with a starched collar, with a starched cuff, and with a white bow tie. The white bow tie of the period was generally a white silk bow tie, a white satin bow tie, or a white marcella bow tie, and it was tied by hand. The trousers of the period were generally black silk trousers, black satin trousers, or black wool trousers, with a silk stripe down the side, and they were worn with patent leather shoes or with opera pumps. The history of the coat is examined in What did Victorian gentlemen wear?.

The opera hat was a black silk collapsible hat that could be flattened by a spring mechanism and carried under the arm. A white silk scarf was worn about the neck, a white handkerchief of silk or linen was carried in the breast pocket of the tail coat, and white gloves, most correctly of kid, were worn for the most formal occasions, above all for the ball.

The Lady’s Evening Dress

The Victorian lady’s evening dress was governed by equally strict codes of convention. The costume consisted of the low-cut, off-the-shoulder evening dress itself, long gloves reaching above the elbow, a fan, an evening wrap or shawl, and the finest jewellery the wearer possessed — earrings, necklace, bracelets, and brooch — with flowers, feathers, or an aigrette dressed into the hair.

The evening dress of the period was generally a low-cut, off-the-shoulder evening dress, with a wide décolletage that exposed the shoulders and the upper chest, with a tight-fitting bodice, a pointed waist, a low neckline, and a long, full skirt, often with a train. The décolletage was high in the 1830s and 1840s, lowered in the 1850s and 1860s, and elaborated with the bertha neckline (a deep collar of lace or tulle draped across the shoulders) in the 1860s. The sleeves were short in the 1860s, often à la jardinière (a loose, bell-shaped sleeve falling over the upper arm) and supplemented by long white gloves.

The evening dress was generally made of silk, satin, moiré, grosgrain, taffeta, poplin, figured silk, figured satin, figured taffeta, lace, tulle, chiffon, gauze, crepe, velvet, or brocade, and trimmed with lace, ribbon, embroidery, insertion, pin-tucks, ruffles, flounces, bands, panels, plastrons, jabots, aigrettes, feathers, flowers, jewels, beads, sequins, paillettes, cannetille, or passementerie. The colours of the early period were pale tints — white, cream, pink, blue, lilac — with deeper colours and black velvet for the mature woman or the widow. The train, when worn, was long and was carried over the arm, gathered up to allow the wearer to walk.

The long gloves of the period were generally of kid, silk, satin, cotton, lisle, or lace, reaching to the elbow or to the upper arm. The long earrings of the period were generally a long pendant, a long drop, a long chandelier, a long girandole, or a long thread. The long necklace of the period was generally a long chain, a long rope, a long lavalliere, or a long sautoir. The history of the accessories is examined in Victorian Accessories and Jewelry.

The Court Dress

The court dress of the Victorian period was the most formal dress of the era, and it was the dress worn at the royal court, at the levee, at the drawing room, and at the state occasion. The court dress of the gentleman consisted of the court tail coat (a velvet or cloth coat with a standing collar), the court waistcoat, the court knee breeches, white silk stockings, patent leather shoes, a court sword, a court cocked hat (a bicorne or a tricorne), a white plume, and a court aiguillette. The court dress of the lady consisted of the court train, the court bodice, the court skirt, the court headdress (a tiara, a wreath, or a veil of lace), a court feather, court jewellery, and court lace. The history of the court is examined in The Reign of Queen Victoria.

The court dress of the period was governed by strict codes of convention, and the dress of the period was the subject of elaborate attention. The court presentation, with the elaborate curtsy and the formal presentation of the wearer to the sovereign, was one of the great set-pieces of the Victorian social season.

The Dinner Dress

The dinner dress of the Victorian period was a slightly less formal version of the evening dress, and it was the dress worn to the dinner, to the supper, and to the soiree. For the gentleman, the late Victorian period admitted the dinner jacket (introduced in 1865 by the Prince of Wales) in place of the tail coat, worn with a black waistcoat, black trousers, a white shirt, and a black bow tie. For the lady, the dinner dress was a gown cut somewhat higher and with longer sleeves than the full ball dress, worn with gloves and with more modest jewellery.

The Smoking Jacket

The smoking jacket of the Victorian period was an informal item of the gentleman’s evening dress, and it was worn at home, in the smoking room, in the billiard room, and in the study. The smoking jacket of the period was generally a velvet smoking jacket, with a shawl collar, with a turn-back cuff, with patch pockets, with a tie or a clasp at the front, and with a quilted or an embroidered lining. The smoking jacket was often made of silk, satin, velvet, brocade, damask, or lampas, and it was often trimmed with braid, buttons, lace, embroidery, or piping. The history of the smoking jacket is examined in Men’s Victorian Fashion.