Traditional women’s clothing in the United Kingdom has changed considerably over the centuries. Clothing was influenced by social class, occupation, wealth, climate, cultural values, technology, and changing ideas about femininity and fashion. The Victorian and Edwardian periods are particularly interesting because women’s clothing often consisted of several layers, with specially designed garments worn underneath the main dress to provide comfort, warmth, modesty, support, and a fashionable body shape. The garments worn underneath were not simply practical items; they played an important role in creating the overall appearance of the clothing worn on the outside.
During the nineteenth century, women commonly wore several layers of clothing. The exact combination varied according to the period, social class, occasion, and personal circumstances. A typical Victorian outfit could include a chemise or shift worn close to the body, drawers, a corset, a corset cover, one or more petticoats, and eventually structural garments such as a crinoline or bustle. The outer clothing could then consist of a bodice and skirt or a complete dress. These layers helped protect expensive outer garments from perspiration and dirt while also creating the fashionable silhouette of the period. Historical museum collections show that underwear was an important part of women’s wardrobes rather than an insignificant hidden part of clothing.
One of the basic garments worn next to the body was the chemise, sometimes also called a shift. It was generally a loose garment and served as a protective layer between the body and more structured or expensive clothing. Chemises could be made from materials such as linen or cotton and were designed to be easier to wash than elaborate outer garments. During the Victorian period, the chemise continued to be an important part of women’s clothing. It could be worn underneath a corset and other layers and helped protect the body from direct contact with clothing that was more difficult to clean.
Drawers were another form of historical women’s underwear. During the nineteenth century, women’s drawers were generally different from modern underwear. They could be relatively long, sometimes reaching around the knee, and historical examples often featured decorative details such as frills or lace. Some early forms were divided rather than constructed as modern closed underwear. Their design was influenced by the many layers of clothing women wore and by the practical requirements of dressing and using the facilities available at the time. By the later nineteenth century, drawers became increasingly varied in design and could be decorated with embroidery, lace, ribbons, and other details.
The corset was perhaps the most recognisable foundation garment associated with Victorian women’s fashion. Corsets were designed to shape the torso and create the fashionable waistline of the period. They were generally constructed using fabric reinforced with materials such as boning and could be fastened with lacing or other systems. The exact shape and construction of corsets changed throughout the nineteenth century because fashionable body proportions changed as well. Corsets were therefore not one single design but a category of garments that evolved over time.
Corsets played a particularly important role in creating the silhouette associated with Victorian fashion. During different periods, fashion emphasised different parts of the body. The corset could provide support and create a particular relationship between the waist, bust, and hips. However, corsetry was also criticised by dress reformers, physicians, and others who believed that restrictive clothing could negatively affect women’s health and freedom of movement. During the late nineteenth century, alternative forms of corsetry and more practical clothing began to appear as attitudes towards women’s health and physical activity changed.
Another important garment was the petticoat. Petticoats were worn underneath skirts and served several purposes. They could provide warmth, protect the outer skirt, and help create the desired shape. In the early Victorian period, women could wear multiple petticoats to create the large, rounded skirt shape that was fashionable. However, wearing many layers could be heavy and uncomfortable. The development of the cage crinoline in the 1850s provided an alternative way to create a large skirt silhouette without relying entirely on numerous heavy petticoats.
The crinoline became one of the most distinctive features of mid-Victorian women’s fashion. Unlike a simple petticoat, a cage crinoline was a framework of hoops that supported the outer skirt. It created a wide bell-shaped silhouette while allowing greater movement than wearing a large number of stiff petticoats. Crinolines were produced in different sizes and designs and became widely associated with the fashion of the 1850s and 1860s. Although they reduced some of the weight created by layers of petticoats, their large size could make movement difficult in confined spaces and could create practical safety problems.
As Victorian fashion changed during the 1860s and 1870s, the shape of women’s skirts gradually changed. Instead of creating volume equally around the body, fashion increasingly concentrated volume towards the back. This development led to the crinolette and eventually the bustle. A bustle was a foundation garment designed to support the back of the skirt and create a projecting shape behind the wearer. Bustles could be made from different materials, including padded or structured forms, and their size and shape changed according to fashion.
The bustle became particularly important during the 1870s and 1880s. Dresses could be relatively narrow at the front while having considerable volume at the back. The bustle provided the structural foundation necessary to achieve this silhouette. Different forms of bustles were suitable for different occasions, and some were relatively modest while others created much more dramatic shapes. By the end of the nineteenth century, however, the exaggerated bustle gradually disappeared and women’s clothing moved towards simpler silhouettes.
A corset cover was another garment worn underneath the outer clothing. Its purpose was partly practical and partly aesthetic. It could help conceal the shape of the corset beneath a dress and provide a smoother appearance. It could also create an additional layer between the structured corset and the outer clothing. Historical examples demonstrate that women’s undergarments were often carefully made and could include decorative elements such as lace, embroidery, ribbons, tucks, and other forms of ornamentation.
By the late nineteenth century, combinations became another important form of women’s underwear. A combination was essentially a garment that joined the upper and lower parts of clothing that might otherwise have been worn separately. Historical sources describe combinations as alternatives to wearing a separate chemise and drawers. They could be produced in different fabrics and styles and were adapted to changing ideas about comfort and practicality.
The materials used for women’s underwear also changed over time. Linen and cotton were particularly useful because they could be washed more easily than many expensive outer fabrics. During the nineteenth century, improvements in textile manufacturing and sewing technology allowed underwear and other clothing to be produced in greater quantities. The development of sewing machines helped manufacturers produce garments more efficiently and contributed to the wider availability of different styles. Technological changes therefore influenced not only outer fashion but also the clothing worn underneath it.
Social class had a major influence on women’s clothing in historical Britain. Wealthier women could afford more garments, finer fabrics, decorative details, professional dressmakers, and clothing appropriate for different occasions. Working-class women generally had more practical wardrobes and could not necessarily afford the same number or complexity of garments. Nevertheless, the basic principles of layering and protection were important across different social groups. The exact appearance, material, and quality of the garments could vary considerably according to financial circumstances.
The Edwardian period in the early twentieth century brought further changes. At the beginning of this period, fashionable women continued to wear garments such as chemises, camisoles, drawers, combinations, petticoats, and corsets. The fashionable Edwardian silhouette was strongly shaped by foundation garments. The S-bend corset was particularly associated with the early Edwardian period, producing a distinctive posture and body shape.
After approximately 1907, women’s clothing gradually moved towards straighter and simpler silhouettes. As dresses became narrower and less dependent on large structural supports, underwear also began to change. Some forms of underwear became less bulky, and new garments were introduced to support the changing silhouette. The development of the brassière, for example, contributed to the evolution of modern supportive underwear during the early twentieth century.
The changing role of women in British society also influenced clothing. As women became increasingly involved in education, employment, sport, travel, and public life, practical movement became more important. Dress reform movements had already criticised restrictive clothing during the nineteenth century, and these ideas gradually influenced mainstream fashion. The movement towards simpler undergarments reflected broader changes in women’s lifestyles and expectations.
It is important to understand that historical women’s clothing was not simply designed for appearance. Underwear served practical purposes such as hygiene, warmth, protection, support, and preservation of outer garments. Clothing worn close to the skin could absorb perspiration and protect expensive dresses from becoming dirty. This was especially important in periods when washing and maintaining elaborate clothing was more difficult than it is today.
The relationship between underwear and outer clothing was therefore very close. The shape of a fashionable dress often depended on the foundation garments underneath it. Corsets shaped the torso, petticoats and crinolines created volume, and bustles changed the shape of the back of the skirt. Without these supporting garments, the outer dress would not have produced the same silhouette. Victorian fashion is therefore an excellent example of how clothing worn underneath can be just as important to fashion as the visible dress itself.
Today, most women in the UK do not wear the extensive layers associated with Victorian or Edwardian fashion in everyday life. Modern clothing is generally lighter, simpler, and designed to allow greater freedom of movement. Nevertheless, historical garments continue to influence modern fashion, theatre, films, television, museums, historical reenactment, and costume design. Corsets, petticoats, vintage dresses, and other historical garments are still used when designers want to recreate the appearance of earlier periods.
In conclusion, traditional women’s clothing in the UK developed through a long process of social, cultural, technological, and economic change. During the Victorian and Edwardian periods, women commonly wore multiple layers underneath their dresses, including chemises, drawers, corsets, corset covers, petticoats, crinolines, bustles, camisoles, and combinations. These garments provided practical protection and helped create the fashionable silhouettes of their respective periods. The development of new materials, sewing technology, dress reform movements, and changing roles for women gradually encouraged simpler and more practical clothing. Understanding historical British women’s clothing therefore provides an insight not only into fashion but also into the changing social conditions, technology, health concerns, and everyday lives of women in the UK.