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When I found out Gothic horror was our next project, I wanted to find out what it means... what it was and also about the history of the Victorian era. I find this kind of information very useful as I feel it helps to understand the future of make up/hair & fashion as it gives us real visions and ideas for different types of looks. For example, make-up was not a very popular thing to do... The natural look was desired by many women, which I could compare to the whole 'naked look' hype which is quite admired now.
"In 1882 Britain was in the later stages of acquiring the largest empire the world had ever seen. By the end of Victoria's reign, the British empire extended over about one-fifth of the earth's surface and almost a quarter of the world's population at least theoretically owed allegiance to the 'queen empress'. ""Victoria came to the throne during the early, frenetic phase of the world's first industrial revolution. Industrialisation brought with it new markets, a consumer boom and greater prosperity for most of the propertied classes.
"It also brought rapid, and sometimes chaotic change as towns and cities expanded at a pace which precluded orderly growth. Desperately poor housing conditions, long working hours, the ravages of infectious disease and premature death were the inevitable consequence."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/overview_victorians_01.shtml
I have found this video on YouTube and thought 'I have to put this on my blog'! It includes so much useful information about all the products (or most of them) that women in the Victorian era have used. I must admit- some of them I have quite fascinated by... For example the mini razor. Very convenient yet not very popular anymore. The video also mentions a book called "History of Compacts and Cosmetics" by Madeleine Marsh. I have read the book and picked out a few bits from it that I found very interesting...
This quote shocked me... How times (and views) have changed. Nowadays make up is looked at like it is a part of our usual, very often seen as a boring "morning routine".
"FASHION BECAME A PRISON" it states...
The period ideal of fragile femininity was absolutely demolished by new developments in underwear. With the invention of metal eyelets in the 1820s stays could be laced tighter then ever before, squeezing the waist with steel and whalebone.
A tiny waist was set off by an enormous skirt, initially supported by heavy layers of petticoats. Then from the 1850s by the crinoline- a literal cage of steel hoops that could give a woman a six-foot circumference. This trend I think is still being kept fresh by the gypsies and the kind of wedding dresses they wear.
Image source: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/01/31/article-2094172-11864763000005DC-587_964x632.jpg
Image source: http://www.giantdesign.us/wp-content/uploads//gypsy-wedding-dresses-pink-noste2r6.jpg
From her toes scrunched up in a pointy buttoned boots to the tips of her fingers squeezed in tight kid gloves- the Victorian lady was expected to sacrifice comfort for constraint. Even though the fashionable silhouette of a Victorian lady was rampantly artificial, no artifice was allowed on the face.
The classic image of Victorian beauty was:
- A peaches & cream complexion
- Cherry ripe lips
- A pair of sparkling eyes, fringed by soft, fluttering eyelashes
This was seen as natural and sometimes called a 'Gift from God'.
I have also looked at another book called
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