August 12, 2024 • 33 mins
Fashion aficionados, brace yourselves! We'll take you on a sartorial voyage through the intricate layers and conservative trends of Gilded Age women's fashion. From shifts and corsets to bustles and hoops, understand how these garments shaped perceptions while hiding the wearer's true identity. We'll travel through the decades, exploring the changes from the first bustle style of the 1870s to the practical bicycling costumes of the 1890s. Discover the social dynamics of old and new money billionaires and how their fashion choices reflected their societal status. This episode promises a captivating blend of historical insights and fashion evolution that you won't want to miss!
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Episode Transcript
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Gabrielle (00:00):
While monopolies are kind of like technically bad
news bearers.
I don't blame them.
It sounds sick to own amonopoly, don't you think?
Hi everyone and welcome toMagnifique, your favorite
fashion history podcast.
(00:21):
I'm your host, gabrielle.
How was everybody's weekend?
I hope it was just the mostamazing thing.
I've just been kind of chilling.
I've been doing my thing,living la vida loca.
I have been doing this superfun thing where, now that it's
August, and ever since it turnedto August, I can't comprehend
(00:45):
that it's still summer foranother month and a half.
In fact, I actually despise thefact that it's summer for
another month and a half, beingthat it is August, notoriously
the hottest month of the year.
I, no, no, thank you.
I want sweaters.
I want them now.
I need all of the layers.
(01:06):
Actually, the more layers thebetter, if you don't mind, and I
think a main reason is I knowmy summer fits don't eat the way
my winter ones do, and you knowthat is fine.
I think we all need to like behonest with ourselves.
That's something I'm working on, but I'm just kind of trying to
go somewhere I can shine.
I know I shine in the winter.
(01:27):
Nothing goes harder than like amini skirting heights, and
that's really just where I needmy aura to be right now, and I
can't do that if it's 100degrees every day and humidity
up the wazoo, you know.
So I'm really struggling tofind again the separation of
church and state between wantinggood fits but not being able to
(01:50):
wear more than a piece of clothbefore sweating my life away.
So, speaking of fits at eight,today we discuss Gilded Age
fashion, mainly the women'sexpectations, the trends, the
stylistic choices.
Men's fashion at the time,while very different from today,
(02:11):
still rather boring and bland,and we will talk about it, don't
you fret.
But it's just not as excitingas the women's fashion, and I'm
here for exciting.
It is incredibly hard for me tounderstand and kind of sit with
a concept that people back inthe day had rather normal lives
and did a lot of the things thatwe do and in fact invented most
(02:35):
of the stuff we have now.
Hey, alexander Graham Bell onthe telephone, apple could never
as well as the skyscraper.
The skyscraper made itsappearance during the gilded age
new york, and I do feel reallyicky about like modern
skyscrapers and the 1800s beingkind of in the same sentence.
(02:56):
It just I can't conceptualizethat.
I feel like it's too long ago.
People back then were makingstuff from stone and and that's
how I would like to keep myworldview, if you don't mind, I
think I'm pretty open-mindedabout everything else.
I would like to believe thatanything past 1920s Stone Age
doesn't exist to me.
(03:16):
I did zone out in high schoolhistory class.
Thank you so much for asking.
I remember bits and pieces ofit and the Gilded Age was one of
my fascinations.
So here we are.
So first let's get a baseline,base-level education about what
the Gilded Age is.
(03:37):
The Gilded Age is a period of UShistory post-Civil War, from
the 1870s to about the turn ofthe century, like mid to late
1890s.
The term was coined by MarkTwain in 1873 to describe the
divided times in the country'shistory.
She was divided, dare I say.
(03:58):
Not dare I say because MarkTwain said it.
The economy was booming fromthe industrial revolution and
rapid railways.
The economy was booming fromthe industrial revolution and
rapid railway expansion.
With this rapidindustrialization came the need
for more factories and thusfactory workers.
(04:20):
Due in part to this, the UnitedStates had an influx of
immigrants coming in at the timeand working in these factories.
But it wasn't just immigrants,it was everyday American
citizens working in thesefactories.
While a majority of Americanswere working in factories,
somehow the entrepreneurs whoowned the factories came up on
(04:42):
top.
The few wealthy controlled mostof the wealth in the United
States and during this time,leaving scraps for the working
class.
Many of the business practicesof this time favored the wealthy
at the expense of the workingclass.
Who, how crazy.
Working conditions for those inthe working class were
(05:05):
absolutely terrible.
This was long before the40-hour work week, and so good
luck trying to find a work-lifebalance if you even make it home
from the factories.
While working conditions grewincreasingly concerning for the
everyday worker, the businessowners themselves were still
looking for ways to cut corners,increase their profits to
(05:27):
afford their luxury mansions,add-ons and all of the above.
The wealth gap during this timewas truly like any other.
So such wealth disparity Ican't imagine.
I can't imagine a time wherethe working class is suffering
while the 1% is just giggling atus.
(05:48):
We can't, could never imaginethat.
But for context, wealthyentrepreneurs who owned the
factories represented a tinyfraction of America.
Those few lucky enough to bewealthy controlled most of the
wealth in the United Statesduring that time, which will tie
into political corruption.
(06:08):
But quickly, I'd like todiscuss the difference between
housing in the two classes.
While a middle ground surelyexisted, we're talking about the
two opposites of the spectrum.
Tenement housings went up allacross New York City to support
the rapid need for workers andspaces for these workers to live
(06:29):
, leased, let or hired out, tobe occupied, or is occupied as
the home or residence of morethan three families living
(06:51):
independently of one another.
Tenements were low-riseapartment buildings that often
were very overcrowded, wereinadequate for plumbing and
ventilation purposes, veryunsanitary.
There is, um, just think of,honestly, just think of the
charlie, no well, just think ofthe willy wonka and the
(07:13):
chocolate factory scene wherecharlie is in the home with his
family and they're all laying onone bed.
That is kind of how I woulddescribe it.
I don't remember, like thistime frame, where Willy Wonka is
set in, so I can't like tellyou if that's historically
accurate.
I don't think so.
Probably not actually, but kindof the crammed, jam-packed.
(07:37):
You know, you can still findtenement buildings all
throughout New York today, onlythey've been turned into normal
apartment buildings.
That being said, the 1% wealthybunch had sprawling mansions
all along Fifth Avenue.
So, to return to the initialpoint of political corruptness.
(07:59):
The 1% high society were alsooften in the pockets of
politicians for various favors,offering bribes in exchange for
political biases or loopholes.
And I'm going to say it, I fearwe may be bearing witness to
another Gilded Age of sorts,maybe.
(08:20):
Anyway, we kind of sawcapitalism and monopolies really
pop off in a big way during theGilded Age, and for those of
you who know me in real life,you know the only monopoly I
like is the mobile game.
I've since kind of fallen off,but this past year I have been
(08:41):
living on Monopoly Go.
While monopolies are kind oflike technically bad news
bearers, I don't blame them.
It sounds sick to own amonopoly, don't you think so.
I can't really blame them inwanting to play like ruler or
king, but also, yes, I can.
Major monopolies that you may befamiliar with are JP Morgan of
the banking industry he owned amonopoly.
Are JP Morgan of the bankingindustry he owned a monopoly.
(09:04):
John D Rockefeller he owned anoil monopoly.
Cornelius Vanderbilt he owned arailroad monopoly.
And Andrew Carnegie he owned asteel monopoly.
So those are big, bigbillionaire boys of the time.
(09:25):
I'm going to go out on a limbhere and say that the only
difference between billionairestoday and back then is that
Gilded Age billionaires lovedloud wealth and building public
access spaces, and today'sbillionaires really love quiet
money and well, to be frank,there aren't any Zuckerberg
halls or Musk libraries.
I know SpaceX exists, but Ikind of have a one-sided beef
(09:49):
with Elon Musk and refuse toacknowledge anything that he
does, so I don't know if theyhave done anything cool out of
spite and I refuse to look intoit.
So the homes were huge, thedresses were bigger and somehow
the parties were even larger.
This was a time of extravagancebeyond belief.
(10:10):
We had just seen the industrialboom of the railway expansion,
which created hundreds of newwealthy elites sporting their
finest things, trying to provetheir wealth to all who will
indulge.
I feel like everyone's name I'veever heard come out of the
Gilded Age is in some way, arailroad tycoon, and I mean,
(10:32):
yeah, that's kind of hyperbolic,but like not really there were
so many railroad tycoons.
It's kind of like the influx oftech jobs in the 2010s, where
everybody is a tech man or acrypto mogul.
Now I feel like railroadtycoons are just Silicon Valley
(10:54):
tech bros.
Now, who's to say the GildedAge brought us billionaire
families that we consider oldmoney today, like the
Rockefellers, the Morgans andthe Vanderbilts.
All of these families wouldthen go on to compete with old
New York money, such as theAstor family.
(11:15):
New money is challenged withproving their wealth by building
the largest, most ornatelydetailed homes and we're always
up to date with the newest,largest gowns, despite, you know
, the goods and services trading.
The Gilded Age is an insanelycomplex moment in time and I'm
(11:39):
forever fascinated by it.
But fortunately for you, weonly needed to know the basics
for the purposes of talkingabout fashion.
So, personally, thanks forasking.
I love the Gilded Age.
I love Gilded Age fashion.
I am so, so, so aware that inthat period of time I would have
(12:02):
absolutely been a working classgirl sweating in the textile
factory or something.
But you know, a girl can dream.
I can dream of affording thesedresses.
Let a girl dream.
And unfortunately for thebillionaires, they ate up, they
ate left, no crumbs.
They looked incredible.
So, yeah, I'm kind of idolizingbillionaires right now.
(12:24):
So what?
But with the working class nothaving time to really even think
of anything besides work andsurviving, the fashion appeared
to be rather lackluster, if youdon't mind.
So we're going to talk aboutrich people for the purposes of
having something entertaining.
But first let's talk about thegeneral fashion of the time.
(12:46):
The general fashion of the timeleaned rather conservative, with
many people thinking of theirclothing as a costume of sorts
in which they would choose howthey'll be perceived on.
What they wear and who they areas a person should not be
shifted as they are, not theircostume.
And, be honest, is that notslay?
I read that the first time andI said no, because why are we
(13:09):
not wearing costumes?
Why are clothes so personal?
Now, they just wanted to feelpretty, and I mean again at the
expense of the working class.
But, ladies, don't you everjust want to feel pretty?
The outfits of this timeincluded a handful of layers
protecting the person from theirouter garments and gowns, and
(13:31):
then vice versa, protecting thegarments from the person, and
this occurred because somearticles were made out of
various dyes that would irritate, stain or even be poisonous to
the skin.
This is what I'm talking aboutby the clothes ate.
They went so far into servingthat they just found a way to be
less poisoned instead ofwearing the clothes at all.
That is so insane.
(13:52):
Men at the time were boring andthey did different renditions
of suits and different designson their facial hair, a la the
handlebar mustache.
Women, on the other hand, wentcrazy in the sewing room.
Every single detail goes socrazy.
(14:13):
But let's first talk aboutlayering.
There are four different layersthat an outfit consists of, so
let's just read those off andthen I'll kind of go into detail
.
So we have the shift, we havethe corset, we have the
petticoat and then your outergarment.
But what is a shift?
So the shift is a garment inwhich the length and shape can
(14:34):
be changed with the trends andthe times, but the basic
function is to be a shapelessdress that protects you from the
garment and vice versa,protecting the outer layers from
your sweat and your odors.
They didn't wash themselves asmuch as we do now as well, as
some garments are just toodelicate to be washed regularly,
if at all, to be honest, andcan only take up to a light
(14:58):
brushing.
So this garment helps toprotect and trap in all those
odors and sweat and dead skincells, really to make sure that
your outer garments are in aspristine shape as possible and
you can get the most out of yourvery expensive custom-made
garments, and these get changedout much more regularly than
(15:26):
anything else yourself even theyget laundered multiple times
weekly and changed out every fewdays, if not every day.
So next we have the corset.
The purpose of the corset is toadd some shape to the body as
well as to have some bustsupport, as, again, the shift is
shapeless and doesn't really doanything for you in terms of
(15:49):
silhouette.
So the corset gives you thetrendy silhouette at the time.
The corset should be snug, butit shouldn't be hurtful.
I know in many times of historythe corset is seen as something
that you wear and you can'tbreathe, or it's really
restrictive and yeah, I mean itkind of is, but you should be
(16:09):
able to breathe.
It's meant as like a soft moldfor the silhouette.
It's not supposed to be likerock hard, can't bend you can't
really bend, but like you shouldstill be able to breathe and
kind of wiggle.
Next we have the petticoat.
The petticoat's purpose was tokeep your legs and stockings
from sticking to your dress.
(16:29):
Oftentimes the silk materialthat the dress is made out of
would stick and cling.
So it just acts as to keep alittle bit of modesty and just
generally to look better.
It also acts to smooth outlumps and bumps before the dress
goes on.
So, in a sense, shapewear.
So bustles and hoops would thengo on at this layer too, but
(16:54):
they will vary based on howheavy they are and how much
friction they would causebetween the body and the garment
.
So a bustle for those wonderingwould be like so a bustle is a
hard metal structure for thegarment and it's used to create
like a unique shape, ie a biggerbooty, like extravagantly
(17:18):
bigger, um, wider hips, and thisbustle would go over the
petticoat as it is a bit heavier.
A hoop would go under thepetticoat because the petticoat
needs to smooth out any lumpsand bumps.
And then the next garment isjust your dress, your jacket,
(17:39):
your hat, any of youraccessories, all of the above,
but the layers prior help toprotect you from them.
The layers prior helped toprotect you from them.
So next I'd like to talk aboutthe trends of the decades.
What girlies were wearing.
This portion relied heavily onthe Eleanor Roosevelt's National
Park Services article.
(17:59):
So if at any point you're like,ooh, that sounds relatively
similar to what what EleanorRoosevelt's article said, yeah,
yeah, a key piece for a woman'sstatus was a dolman-style mantle
designed to allow for easymovement when going in and out
(18:21):
of carriages and could also beleft on during short social
visits.
A mantle was a cape-likeovercoat suitable to wear with
large skirts or bustles.
For the period, many of thesemantles were very bold patterns
think like paisley or somethingof the sorts with velvet collars
(18:44):
and fringe decorations thatwere meant to signify your
status.
So since the Gilded Age spannedacross three different decades,
let's first talk about the 1870s.
So in the 1870s, women'sclothing became increasingly
complex, with various colors andrestrictions, while men's
(19:08):
fashion remained rather subdued.
The focus shifted to the backof the woman's skirt, which two
distinct silhouettes became outof this era.
First we have the greatcircular crinolines of the
decades prior, which collapsed.
So then we see the rise of thefirst bustle style, and the
(19:32):
bustle style created a soft anddrapey protrusion on the back.
These bustles were fuller inthe back rather than in the
front, so it was kind of aflatter front, and then you just
had big backside, not just thebutt, like the whole back.
Women's garments varied in color, in shape, featuring vibrant
(19:55):
colors thanks to the use the newuse of synthetic dyes and
layering vibrant colors on topof dark ones.
At this time, people lovedputting a plum with a very deep
navy.
That was a particularly popularcombination.
But then around like 1876, theprincess line gained popularity
(20:17):
which were characterized byvertical seams in the bodice,
quite high necklines and ratherlong sleeves necklines and
rather long sleeves, and thiswas named after Alexandra, the
Princess of Wales.
And then the princess line andbustle carried into the 1880s.
(20:42):
So let's kind of talk aboutthat as well.
Early 1880s.
The princess line stylecontinued from the 70s to the
80s and it also features dresseswithout the horizontal waist
seam and instead hugging thebody through those vertical
seams and tucks.
The bodice then extended overthe hips, which kind of
(21:03):
contributed, which kind ofcontributed to the slim body
hugging silhouette.
So the 70s we had a bigbackside.
In the early 80s we had a moreslim aesthetic.
But then we we moved to thelate mid to late 1880s when a
(21:26):
new silhouette emerged with ahard shelf-like bustle At the
small of the back.
The high bustle became adefining feature of the late
1880s.
Women's dresses were adornedwith bows, lace, frills and just
intricate metallic embroidery.
Skirts were often gathered toreveal underskirts, and
(21:48):
hairstyles were much simpler nowthan they were in the 1870s due
to the rising popularity ofhats.
Meanwhile, men continued to belackluster, but we saw the rise
of tuxedos for men, which gainedpopularity in america.
James porter is credited forintroducing the tuxedo style
(22:10):
from England to Tuxedo Park, newYork, where he wore it to the
country club.
Now we move in to the lastdecade of the Gilded Age, the
1890s, and fashion for men andwomen looked toward the upcoming
20th century.
Women began to spend more timeoutside of the home, both at
(22:31):
work and leisure time, sofashion responded to this.
Sportswear for women becamehighly popular, while incredibly
different from today's athleticwear.
This was revolutionary.
At the time, women now hadclothing options more suitable
for activities, for new,socially acceptable activities
(22:54):
like cycling or golfing ortennis.
One notable sports option wasthe bicycling costume, which was
basically a cross between askirt and a pant a skort, if you
will, and in a time where pantswere not acceptable for women
in the slightest.
This was insane.
This was amazing.
(23:15):
Most women instead woreslightly shorter skirts, or
skirts came with a deep pleat inthe back while cycling, so that
nothing got caught in the chain.
The shirtwaist ensemble alsobecame popular for sportswear
and office work.
This consisted of long skirtswith a shirt that was tailored
(23:37):
like a men's shirt but wasfeminized with bright colors,
lace, frills, other trimmingsbecause how dare our garments be
confused with men's garments?
Of course.
So by the 1980s, gone were thedistinctive bustles of the
previous two decades.
We are now going forbell-shaped skirts, and puffy
(24:00):
sleeves also became the rage.
I love puffy sleeves.
Now, 200 years later, so that'sreally insane.
The 1880s also saw variationsin sleeve lengths.
Necklines depending on gowns ofthis decade, commonly exposed
(24:36):
the wearish chest and was allthe rage for, like high society,
balls and men, you're back.
They wore stiff high collars.
Jackets were more frequentlyleft unbuttoned, a lot more lax
and leisurely.
We're really starting to leaninto sportswear how fun.
(25:02):
So I did mention that newbillionaires and old
billionaires kind of clashed.
I would like to talk about thedifferent archetypes between the
two class systems.
So, with a good deal of theUS's hustle and bustle residing
in New York, where many of theelite lived then and now, that
(25:23):
being said, there was always aconstant feud between old money,
established billionaires, oldnew york and the new money,
money that still smells likerailroad billionaires.
Old money at the time wouldlook down upon new money.
I'd like to talk about thedifferences in billionaire elite
(25:45):
aesthetics and archetypes, bothhow they are similar and how
they differ.
So how they are similar, theformula for getting ready in
high society for both classsystems, old money and new money
alike.
There are a lot more, a lotmore similarities and
(26:05):
differences.
So at the time, throughout theentire 30-year span.
So at some points and timesthis would be applicable, other
times it wouldn't.
Heavy on trains andornamentation along the skirts,
very decorated with various lace, extra fabric here, maybe some
(26:27):
draping, very, very ornate.
They were also known forchanging up to five times a day
morning wear, kind of loungingaround the house when you just
wake up.
Afternoon wear, evening wearand everything in between.
As previously mentioned,forearms can be shown most times
(26:49):
unless it's an evening gown.
Chests cannot be shown.
Hair must be worn up in publicat all times.
Um, for people of that status,your hair was not to be shown
down.
Your hair being worn up waspart of your costume and you
needed to be dressed to thenines when in high society,
(27:15):
makeup was strictly prohibitedas it carries a negative
connotation for high society.
If you're seen wearing a lot ofmakeup, it kind of gives like
Lady of the Night and nobodywants to be associated with lady
of the night, like, come on, asfar as jewelry goes, they were
expected to be decked out withearrings and brooches and
necklaces, really just all ofthe above.
(27:39):
But, um, I kind of put thispoint here because I think we
need to bring back brooches.
I've been living on the app theReal Real and I have so many
brooches in my cart it's noteven funny.
I think this winter I'm goingto enter my brooch era, so be on
the lookout for that.
Be on the lookout.
We're entering our brooch eraand I forgot to mention this
(28:02):
earlier.
But this isn't just for highsociety.
Like mentioned this earlier,but this isn't just for high
society.
Like, everybody wore this.
Everybody wore boots formodesty, in case a woman needed
to lift her skirt to walkthrough the street or get out of
the carriage.
Heaven forbid her ankles showjust a wee little bit, you know.
So they wore ankle boots.
(28:25):
I would resemble them more tolike character shoes for like
Broadway, if you think of likeboots that Broadway dancers wear
, they're more similar to that.
And then, of course, you can'tleave your house without
accessories.
So accessories of the time werehats, gloves.
(28:46):
You were almost required towear gloves whenever you left
the house, as well as a hat, andthe hat was heavily decorated
with lace and an umbrella toprotect you from the sun.
At this time, during the late,later half of the Gilded Age,
they did have purses, as womenwere bopping around town more
(29:08):
often, but that really cametoward the ending, truthfully.
But how did old money and newmoney kind of differ.
Old money valued refinement andrespectability.
It gave secretive, yet elegant,much how it's portrayed today.
(29:29):
Actually, old money givesunbranded white tea that costs
more than my mortgage, but theperson wearing it is the only
one who knows the cost.
Old money reminds me of incest,but we don't have to go there
today.
We can talk about that at alater date.
Incest, but we don't have to gothere today.
We can talk about that at alater date.
New money, on the other hand,old money was extravagant in a
(29:54):
modest way.
New money is all aboutflaunting the latest and
greatest styles very loud, veryin your face, and I feel like
this also still holds true today.
New money, in some regard, isoften looked at with a side eye,
which I don't really understand.
I mean, money is money, but newmoney gives, decked out in
(30:15):
Gucci and so many LV brandedthings.
But, like I said, money ismoney and I think you should
spend it however you want, butthat is the connotations that
they have given and stillcontinue to give.
So, in closing, the Gilded Ageis a moment in time that simply
cannot be replicated.
(30:36):
The Met Gala a few years agohosted a theme titled Gilded
Glamour, which certainly openedmy eyes to this age of fashion.
The theme paid homage to thecultural excellence that was
quoted to be brought to theUnited States at the time.
The age was chosen to becelebrated due to the
(30:58):
advancements it brought insociety in terms of fashion,
technology and everything alike.
The Gilded Age is a veryspecial era which I will be
forever entranced by.
So that was the Gilded Age.
It is so insane and, truthfully, I didn't cover half of it.
(31:20):
To be honest, I find this erato be incredibly fascinating.
I will probably watch like 12more YouTube documentaries on
just the tenement, housing andthe textile factories alone, but
I hope I informed you.
I hope I informed you to thebest of my abilities on Gilded
(31:42):
Age fashion and why things wereworn, how they were styled, the
unspoken rivalry between oldmoney in old New York and new
money.
There is a HBO Max TV showcalled Gilded Age that I did
(32:03):
watch a lot of YouTube analysison because that looks really
good, so I probably am going tostart that, but I hope you
enjoyed.
If you did.
Don't forget to like us on allstreaming platforms.
We're on everything you couldever possibly think of.
Follow us on Instagram, atMagnifiquePod, as well as myself
(32:25):
alone, gabrielle Forshee, I'dlove to see you on our Pinterest
.
We've been posting on Pinteresta lot more, just aesthetically,
so I'd like to see you overthere.
And, yeah, let us know howwe're doing and let us know your
favorite part of this episode,what period of time that you
(32:48):
find fashion to be mostinteresting.
And, yeah, I appreciate youguys.
I will see you back next Mondayfor Anna Wintour.
Okay, I love you so much.
Bye you.
While monopolies are kind of like technically bad
news bearers.
I don't blame them.
It sounds sick to own amonopoly, don't you think?
Hi everyone and welcome toMagnifique, your favorite
fashion history podcast.
(00:21):
I'm your host, gabrielle.
How was everybody's weekend?
I hope it was just the mostamazing thing.
I've just been kind of chilling.
I've been doing my thing,living la vida loca.
I have been doing this superfun thing where, now that it's
August, and ever since it turnedto August, I can't comprehend
(00:45):
that it's still summer foranother month and a half.
In fact, I actually despise thefact that it's summer for
another month and a half, beingthat it is August, notoriously
the hottest month of the year.
I, no, no, thank you.
I want sweaters.
I want them now.
I need all of the layers.
(01:06):
Actually, the more layers thebetter, if you don't mind, and I
think a main reason is I knowmy summer fits don't eat the way
my winter ones do, and you knowthat is fine.
I think we all need to like behonest with ourselves.
That's something I'm working on, but I'm just kind of trying to
go somewhere I can shine.
I know I shine in the winter.
(01:27):
Nothing goes harder than like amini skirting heights, and
that's really just where I needmy aura to be right now, and I
can't do that if it's 100degrees every day and humidity
up the wazoo, you know.
So I'm really struggling tofind again the separation of
church and state between wantinggood fits but not being able to
(01:50):
wear more than a piece of clothbefore sweating my life away.
So, speaking of fits at eight,today we discuss Gilded Age
fashion, mainly the women'sexpectations, the trends, the
stylistic choices.
Men's fashion at the time,while very different from today,
(02:11):
still rather boring and bland,and we will talk about it, don't
you fret.
But it's just not as excitingas the women's fashion, and I'm
here for exciting.
It is incredibly hard for me tounderstand and kind of sit with
a concept that people back inthe day had rather normal lives
and did a lot of the things thatwe do and in fact invented most
(02:35):
of the stuff we have now.
Hey, alexander Graham Bell onthe telephone, apple could never
as well as the skyscraper.
The skyscraper made itsappearance during the gilded age
new york, and I do feel reallyicky about like modern
skyscrapers and the 1800s beingkind of in the same sentence.
(02:56):
It just I can't conceptualizethat.
I feel like it's too long ago.
People back then were makingstuff from stone and and that's
how I would like to keep myworldview, if you don't mind, I
think I'm pretty open-mindedabout everything else.
I would like to believe thatanything past 1920s Stone Age
doesn't exist to me.
(03:16):
I did zone out in high schoolhistory class.
Thank you so much for asking.
I remember bits and pieces ofit and the Gilded Age was one of
my fascinations.
So here we are.
So first let's get a baseline,base-level education about what
the Gilded Age is.
(03:37):
The Gilded Age is a period of UShistory post-Civil War, from
the 1870s to about the turn ofthe century, like mid to late
1890s.
The term was coined by MarkTwain in 1873 to describe the
divided times in the country'shistory.
She was divided, dare I say.
(03:58):
Not dare I say because MarkTwain said it.
The economy was booming fromthe industrial revolution and
rapid railways.
The economy was booming fromthe industrial revolution and
rapid railway expansion.
With this rapidindustrialization came the need
for more factories and thusfactory workers.
(04:20):
Due in part to this, the UnitedStates had an influx of
immigrants coming in at the timeand working in these factories.
But it wasn't just immigrants,it was everyday American
citizens working in thesefactories.
While a majority of Americanswere working in factories,
somehow the entrepreneurs whoowned the factories came up on
(04:42):
top.
The few wealthy controlled mostof the wealth in the United
States and during this time,leaving scraps for the working
class.
Many of the business practicesof this time favored the wealthy
at the expense of the workingclass.
Who, how crazy.
Working conditions for those inthe working class were
(05:05):
absolutely terrible.
This was long before the40-hour work week, and so good
luck trying to find a work-lifebalance if you even make it home
from the factories.
While working conditions grewincreasingly concerning for the
everyday worker, the businessowners themselves were still
looking for ways to cut corners,increase their profits to
(05:27):
afford their luxury mansions,add-ons and all of the above.
The wealth gap during this timewas truly like any other.
So such wealth disparity Ican't imagine.
I can't imagine a time wherethe working class is suffering
while the 1% is just giggling atus.
(05:48):
We can't, could never imaginethat.
But for context, wealthyentrepreneurs who owned the
factories represented a tinyfraction of America.
Those few lucky enough to bewealthy controlled most of the
wealth in the United Statesduring that time, which will tie
into political corruption.
(06:08):
But quickly, I'd like todiscuss the difference between
housing in the two classes.
While a middle ground surelyexisted, we're talking about the
two opposites of the spectrum.
Tenement housings went up allacross New York City to support
the rapid need for workers andspaces for these workers to live
(06:29):
, leased, let or hired out, tobe occupied, or is occupied as
the home or residence of morethan three families living
(06:51):
independently of one another.
Tenements were low-riseapartment buildings that often
were very overcrowded, wereinadequate for plumbing and
ventilation purposes, veryunsanitary.
There is, um, just think of,honestly, just think of the
charlie, no well, just think ofthe willy wonka and the
(07:13):
chocolate factory scene wherecharlie is in the home with his
family and they're all laying onone bed.
That is kind of how I woulddescribe it.
I don't remember, like thistime frame, where Willy Wonka is
set in, so I can't like tellyou if that's historically
accurate.
I don't think so.
Probably not actually, but kindof the crammed, jam-packed.
(07:37):
You know, you can still findtenement buildings all
throughout New York today, onlythey've been turned into normal
apartment buildings.
That being said, the 1% wealthybunch had sprawling mansions
all along Fifth Avenue.
So, to return to the initialpoint of political corruptness.
(07:59):
The 1% high society were alsooften in the pockets of
politicians for various favors,offering bribes in exchange for
political biases or loopholes.
And I'm going to say it, I fearwe may be bearing witness to
another Gilded Age of sorts,maybe.
(08:20):
Anyway, we kind of sawcapitalism and monopolies really
pop off in a big way during theGilded Age, and for those of
you who know me in real life,you know the only monopoly I
like is the mobile game.
I've since kind of fallen off,but this past year I have been
(08:41):
living on Monopoly Go.
While monopolies are kind oflike technically bad news
bearers, I don't blame them.
It sounds sick to own amonopoly, don't you think so.
I can't really blame them inwanting to play like ruler or
king, but also, yes, I can.
Major monopolies that you may befamiliar with are JP Morgan of
the banking industry he owned amonopoly.
Are JP Morgan of the bankingindustry he owned a monopoly.
(09:04):
John D Rockefeller he owned anoil monopoly.
Cornelius Vanderbilt he owned arailroad monopoly.
And Andrew Carnegie he owned asteel monopoly.
So those are big, bigbillionaire boys of the time.
(09:25):
I'm going to go out on a limbhere and say that the only
difference between billionairestoday and back then is that
Gilded Age billionaires lovedloud wealth and building public
access spaces, and today'sbillionaires really love quiet
money and well, to be frank,there aren't any Zuckerberg
halls or Musk libraries.
I know SpaceX exists, but Ikind of have a one-sided beef
(09:49):
with Elon Musk and refuse toacknowledge anything that he
does, so I don't know if theyhave done anything cool out of
spite and I refuse to look intoit.
So the homes were huge, thedresses were bigger and somehow
the parties were even larger.
This was a time of extravagancebeyond belief.
(10:10):
We had just seen the industrialboom of the railway expansion,
which created hundreds of newwealthy elites sporting their
finest things, trying to provetheir wealth to all who will
indulge.
I feel like everyone's name I'veever heard come out of the
Gilded Age is in some way, arailroad tycoon, and I mean,
(10:32):
yeah, that's kind of hyperbolic,but like not really there were
so many railroad tycoons.
It's kind of like the influx oftech jobs in the 2010s, where
everybody is a tech man or acrypto mogul.
Now I feel like railroadtycoons are just Silicon Valley
(10:54):
tech bros.
Now, who's to say the GildedAge brought us billionaire
families that we consider oldmoney today, like the
Rockefellers, the Morgans andthe Vanderbilts.
All of these families wouldthen go on to compete with old
New York money, such as theAstor family.
(11:15):
New money is challenged withproving their wealth by building
the largest, most ornatelydetailed homes and we're always
up to date with the newest,largest gowns, despite, you know
, the goods and services trading.
The Gilded Age is an insanelycomplex moment in time and I'm
(11:39):
forever fascinated by it.
But fortunately for you, weonly needed to know the basics
for the purposes of talkingabout fashion.
So, personally, thanks forasking.
I love the Gilded Age.
I love Gilded Age fashion.
I am so, so, so aware that inthat period of time I would have
(12:02):
absolutely been a working classgirl sweating in the textile
factory or something.
But you know, a girl can dream.
I can dream of affording thesedresses.
Let a girl dream.
And unfortunately for thebillionaires, they ate up, they
ate left, no crumbs.
They looked incredible.
So, yeah, I'm kind of idolizingbillionaires right now.
(12:24):
So what?
But with the working class nothaving time to really even think
of anything besides work andsurviving, the fashion appeared
to be rather lackluster, if youdon't mind.
So we're going to talk aboutrich people for the purposes of
having something entertaining.
But first let's talk about thegeneral fashion of the time.
(12:46):
The general fashion of the timeleaned rather conservative, with
many people thinking of theirclothing as a costume of sorts
in which they would choose howthey'll be perceived on.
What they wear and who they areas a person should not be
shifted as they are, not theircostume.
And, be honest, is that notslay?
I read that the first time andI said no, because why are we
(13:09):
not wearing costumes?
Why are clothes so personal?
Now, they just wanted to feelpretty, and I mean again at the
expense of the working class.
But, ladies, don't you everjust want to feel pretty?
The outfits of this timeincluded a handful of layers
protecting the person from theirouter garments and gowns, and
(13:31):
then vice versa, protecting thegarments from the person, and
this occurred because somearticles were made out of
various dyes that would irritate, stain or even be poisonous to
the skin.
This is what I'm talking aboutby the clothes ate.
They went so far into servingthat they just found a way to be
less poisoned instead ofwearing the clothes at all.
That is so insane.
(13:52):
Men at the time were boring andthey did different renditions
of suits and different designson their facial hair, a la the
handlebar mustache.
Women, on the other hand, wentcrazy in the sewing room.
Every single detail goes socrazy.
(14:13):
But let's first talk aboutlayering.
There are four different layersthat an outfit consists of, so
let's just read those off andthen I'll kind of go into detail
.
So we have the shift, we havethe corset, we have the
petticoat and then your outergarment.
But what is a shift?
So the shift is a garment inwhich the length and shape can
(14:34):
be changed with the trends andthe times, but the basic
function is to be a shapelessdress that protects you from the
garment and vice versa,protecting the outer layers from
your sweat and your odors.
They didn't wash themselves asmuch as we do now as well, as
some garments are just toodelicate to be washed regularly,
if at all, to be honest, andcan only take up to a light
(14:58):
brushing.
So this garment helps toprotect and trap in all those
odors and sweat and dead skincells, really to make sure that
your outer garments are in aspristine shape as possible and
you can get the most out of yourvery expensive custom-made
garments, and these get changedout much more regularly than
(15:26):
anything else yourself even theyget laundered multiple times
weekly and changed out every fewdays, if not every day.
So next we have the corset.
The purpose of the corset is toadd some shape to the body as
well as to have some bustsupport, as, again, the shift is
shapeless and doesn't really doanything for you in terms of
(15:49):
silhouette.
So the corset gives you thetrendy silhouette at the time.
The corset should be snug, butit shouldn't be hurtful.
I know in many times of historythe corset is seen as something
that you wear and you can'tbreathe, or it's really
restrictive and yeah, I mean itkind of is, but you should be
(16:09):
able to breathe.
It's meant as like a soft moldfor the silhouette.
It's not supposed to be likerock hard, can't bend you can't
really bend, but like you shouldstill be able to breathe and
kind of wiggle.
Next we have the petticoat.
The petticoat's purpose was tokeep your legs and stockings
from sticking to your dress.
(16:29):
Oftentimes the silk materialthat the dress is made out of
would stick and cling.
So it just acts as to keep alittle bit of modesty and just
generally to look better.
It also acts to smooth outlumps and bumps before the dress
goes on.
So, in a sense, shapewear.
So bustles and hoops would thengo on at this layer too, but
(16:54):
they will vary based on howheavy they are and how much
friction they would causebetween the body and the garment
.
So a bustle for those wonderingwould be like so a bustle is a
hard metal structure for thegarment and it's used to create
like a unique shape, ie a biggerbooty, like extravagantly
(17:18):
bigger, um, wider hips, and thisbustle would go over the
petticoat as it is a bit heavier.
A hoop would go under thepetticoat because the petticoat
needs to smooth out any lumpsand bumps.
And then the next garment isjust your dress, your jacket,
(17:39):
your hat, any of youraccessories, all of the above,
but the layers prior help toprotect you from them.
The layers prior helped toprotect you from them.
So next I'd like to talk aboutthe trends of the decades.
What girlies were wearing.
This portion relied heavily onthe Eleanor Roosevelt's National
Park Services article.
(17:59):
So if at any point you're like,ooh, that sounds relatively
similar to what what EleanorRoosevelt's article said, yeah,
yeah, a key piece for a woman'sstatus was a dolman-style mantle
designed to allow for easymovement when going in and out
(18:21):
of carriages and could also beleft on during short social
visits.
A mantle was a cape-likeovercoat suitable to wear with
large skirts or bustles.
For the period, many of thesemantles were very bold patterns
think like paisley or somethingof the sorts with velvet collars
(18:44):
and fringe decorations thatwere meant to signify your
status.
So since the Gilded Age spannedacross three different decades,
let's first talk about the 1870s.
So in the 1870s, women'sclothing became increasingly
complex, with various colors andrestrictions, while men's
(19:08):
fashion remained rather subdued.
The focus shifted to the backof the woman's skirt, which two
distinct silhouettes became outof this era.
First we have the greatcircular crinolines of the
decades prior, which collapsed.
So then we see the rise of thefirst bustle style, and the
(19:32):
bustle style created a soft anddrapey protrusion on the back.
These bustles were fuller inthe back rather than in the
front, so it was kind of aflatter front, and then you just
had big backside, not just thebutt, like the whole back.
Women's garments varied in color, in shape, featuring vibrant
(19:55):
colors thanks to the use the newuse of synthetic dyes and
layering vibrant colors on topof dark ones.
At this time, people lovedputting a plum with a very deep
navy.
That was a particularly popularcombination.
But then around like 1876, theprincess line gained popularity
(20:17):
which were characterized byvertical seams in the bodice,
quite high necklines and ratherlong sleeves necklines and
rather long sleeves, and thiswas named after Alexandra, the
Princess of Wales.
And then the princess line andbustle carried into the 1880s.
(20:42):
So let's kind of talk aboutthat as well.
Early 1880s.
The princess line stylecontinued from the 70s to the
80s and it also features dresseswithout the horizontal waist
seam and instead hugging thebody through those vertical
seams and tucks.
The bodice then extended overthe hips, which kind of
(21:03):
contributed, which kind ofcontributed to the slim body
hugging silhouette.
So the 70s we had a bigbackside.
In the early 80s we had a moreslim aesthetic.
But then we we moved to thelate mid to late 1880s when a
(21:26):
new silhouette emerged with ahard shelf-like bustle At the
small of the back.
The high bustle became adefining feature of the late
1880s.
Women's dresses were adornedwith bows, lace, frills and just
intricate metallic embroidery.
Skirts were often gathered toreveal underskirts, and
(21:48):
hairstyles were much simpler nowthan they were in the 1870s due
to the rising popularity ofhats.
Meanwhile, men continued to belackluster, but we saw the rise
of tuxedos for men, which gainedpopularity in america.
James porter is credited forintroducing the tuxedo style
(22:10):
from England to Tuxedo Park, newYork, where he wore it to the
country club.
Now we move in to the lastdecade of the Gilded Age, the
1890s, and fashion for men andwomen looked toward the upcoming
20th century.
Women began to spend more timeoutside of the home, both at
(22:31):
work and leisure time, sofashion responded to this.
Sportswear for women becamehighly popular, while incredibly
different from today's athleticwear.
This was revolutionary.
At the time, women now hadclothing options more suitable
for activities, for new,socially acceptable activities
(22:54):
like cycling or golfing ortennis.
One notable sports option wasthe bicycling costume, which was
basically a cross between askirt and a pant a skort, if you
will, and in a time where pantswere not acceptable for women
in the slightest.
This was insane.
This was amazing.
(23:15):
Most women instead woreslightly shorter skirts, or
skirts came with a deep pleat inthe back while cycling, so that
nothing got caught in the chain.
The shirtwaist ensemble alsobecame popular for sportswear
and office work.
This consisted of long skirtswith a shirt that was tailored
(23:37):
like a men's shirt but wasfeminized with bright colors,
lace, frills, other trimmingsbecause how dare our garments be
confused with men's garments?
Of course.
So by the 1980s, gone were thedistinctive bustles of the
previous two decades.
We are now going forbell-shaped skirts, and puffy
(24:00):
sleeves also became the rage.
I love puffy sleeves.
Now, 200 years later, so that'sreally insane.
The 1880s also saw variationsin sleeve lengths.
Necklines depending on gowns ofthis decade, commonly exposed
(24:36):
the wearish chest and was allthe rage for, like high society,
balls and men, you're back.
They wore stiff high collars.
Jackets were more frequentlyleft unbuttoned, a lot more lax
and leisurely.
We're really starting to leaninto sportswear how fun.
(25:02):
So I did mention that newbillionaires and old
billionaires kind of clashed.
I would like to talk about thedifferent archetypes between the
two class systems.
So, with a good deal of theUS's hustle and bustle residing
in New York, where many of theelite lived then and now, that
(25:23):
being said, there was always aconstant feud between old money,
established billionaires, oldnew york and the new money,
money that still smells likerailroad billionaires.
Old money at the time wouldlook down upon new money.
I'd like to talk about thedifferences in billionaire elite
(25:45):
aesthetics and archetypes, bothhow they are similar and how
they differ.
So how they are similar, theformula for getting ready in
high society for both classsystems, old money and new money
alike.
There are a lot more, a lotmore similarities and
(26:05):
differences.
So at the time, throughout theentire 30-year span.
So at some points and timesthis would be applicable, other
times it wouldn't.
Heavy on trains andornamentation along the skirts,
very decorated with various lace, extra fabric here, maybe some
(26:27):
draping, very, very ornate.
They were also known forchanging up to five times a day
morning wear, kind of loungingaround the house when you just
wake up.
Afternoon wear, evening wearand everything in between.
As previously mentioned,forearms can be shown most times
(26:49):
unless it's an evening gown.
Chests cannot be shown.
Hair must be worn up in publicat all times.
Um, for people of that status,your hair was not to be shown
down.
Your hair being worn up waspart of your costume and you
needed to be dressed to thenines when in high society,
(27:15):
makeup was strictly prohibitedas it carries a negative
connotation for high society.
If you're seen wearing a lot ofmakeup, it kind of gives like
Lady of the Night and nobodywants to be associated with lady
of the night, like, come on, asfar as jewelry goes, they were
expected to be decked out withearrings and brooches and
necklaces, really just all ofthe above.
(27:39):
But, um, I kind of put thispoint here because I think we
need to bring back brooches.
I've been living on the app theReal Real and I have so many
brooches in my cart it's noteven funny.
I think this winter I'm goingto enter my brooch era, so be on
the lookout for that.
Be on the lookout.
We're entering our brooch eraand I forgot to mention this
(28:02):
earlier.
But this isn't just for highsociety.
Like mentioned this earlier,but this isn't just for high
society.
Like, everybody wore this.
Everybody wore boots formodesty, in case a woman needed
to lift her skirt to walkthrough the street or get out of
the carriage.
Heaven forbid her ankles showjust a wee little bit, you know.
So they wore ankle boots.
(28:25):
I would resemble them more tolike character shoes for like
Broadway, if you think of likeboots that Broadway dancers wear
, they're more similar to that.
And then, of course, you can'tleave your house without
accessories.
So accessories of the time werehats, gloves.
(28:46):
You were almost required towear gloves whenever you left
the house, as well as a hat, andthe hat was heavily decorated
with lace and an umbrella toprotect you from the sun.
At this time, during the late,later half of the Gilded Age,
they did have purses, as womenwere bopping around town more
(29:08):
often, but that really cametoward the ending, truthfully.
But how did old money and newmoney kind of differ.
Old money valued refinement andrespectability.
It gave secretive, yet elegant,much how it's portrayed today.
(29:29):
Actually, old money givesunbranded white tea that costs
more than my mortgage, but theperson wearing it is the only
one who knows the cost.
Old money reminds me of incest,but we don't have to go there
today.
We can talk about that at alater date.
Incest, but we don't have to gothere today.
We can talk about that at alater date.
New money, on the other hand,old money was extravagant in a
(29:54):
modest way.
New money is all aboutflaunting the latest and
greatest styles very loud, veryin your face, and I feel like
this also still holds true today.
New money, in some regard, isoften looked at with a side eye,
which I don't really understand.
I mean, money is money, but newmoney gives, decked out in
(30:15):
Gucci and so many LV brandedthings.
But, like I said, money ismoney and I think you should
spend it however you want, butthat is the connotations that
they have given and stillcontinue to give.
So, in closing, the Gilded Ageis a moment in time that simply
cannot be replicated.
(30:36):
The Met Gala a few years agohosted a theme titled Gilded
Glamour, which certainly openedmy eyes to this age of fashion.
The theme paid homage to thecultural excellence that was
quoted to be brought to theUnited States at the time.
The age was chosen to becelebrated due to the
(30:58):
advancements it brought insociety in terms of fashion,
technology and everything alike.
The Gilded Age is a veryspecial era which I will be
forever entranced by.
So that was the Gilded Age.
It is so insane and, truthfully, I didn't cover half of it.
(31:20):
To be honest, I find this erato be incredibly fascinating.
I will probably watch like 12more YouTube documentaries on
just the tenement, housing andthe textile factories alone, but
I hope I informed you.
I hope I informed you to thebest of my abilities on Gilded
(31:42):
Age fashion and why things wereworn, how they were styled, the
unspoken rivalry between oldmoney in old New York and new
money.
There is a HBO Max TV showcalled Gilded Age that I did
(32:03):
watch a lot of YouTube analysison because that looks really
good, so I probably am going tostart that, but I hope you
enjoyed.
If you did.
Don't forget to like us on allstreaming platforms.
We're on everything you couldever possibly think of.
Follow us on Instagram, atMagnifiquePod, as well as myself
(32:25):
alone, gabrielle Forshee, I'dlove to see you on our Pinterest
.
We've been posting on Pinteresta lot more, just aesthetically,
so I'd like to see you overthere.
And, yeah, let us know howwe're doing and let us know your
favorite part of this episode,what period of time that you
(32:48):
find fashion to be mostinteresting.
And, yeah, I appreciate youguys.
I will see you back next Mondayfor Anna Wintour.
Okay, I love you so much.
Bye you.
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