Wedding dresses of the 1900s
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Wedding dresses in the 1900s reflected the style of the Edwardian period, which began in January of 1901 and lasted until the end of the decade in 1910. The fashions of the time were heavily based around lace, silk, and other luxurious materials. One of the defining characteristics of this era was wealth and luxury. Most wedding gowns of the 1900s encompassed these same characteristics of luxury and opulence in their design and execution.
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Victorian Influence
The Victorian era ended in 1900, so the 1900s were a transitional period in fashion, and the lines between the two eras often blurred in terms of women's fashion. The Victorian era emphasized maturity and elegance in gowns, while the Edwardian era's dresses were generally softer and more free-flowing. Though many wedding dresses still incorporated Victorian fashion elements, these wedding dresses had softer bustles with gowns that only flared slightly at the hips compared to some Edwardian dresses that had skirts which flowed outward more sharply. Gowns with Victorian influence also had a slight train in the back. The styles had many similar qualities, and many dresses well into the 1900s still maintained some Victorian era qualities.
Corsets
A woman's shape was one of the defining characteristics of wedding gowns in the 1900s. Women often desired a small waist, and a full hip and bust, and they would achieve this look through the use of corsets. Corsets would be worn beneath wedding gowns to create an ideal shape for the bride. Dresses were designed with this in mind and created to accommodate corsets and the shape the created. Many wedding skirts actually relied on the corset being in place to attain the correct shape when worn.
Necklines
Edwardian wedding gown necklines were customarily high. They were created with daytime weddings in mind and were generally very modest. The necklines were slender to flatter the neck and make it look thin. The neckline commonly reached the jawline behind the ears, dipped slightly in the back behind the hair line, and was lower in the front. The neckline in the front near the chest was low but was almost always covered with a lace overlay to keep the dress modest yet not suffocating. The necks of these gowns were smooth and commonly void of any ruching, and were generally adorned with lace or beading.
Shapes
Wedding dresses in the 1900s primarily had full skirts starting around the hips. As the 1900s progressed, these skirts began to flare more at the hips due to the corsets women were wearing at the time. Many skirts fell in a long trumpet shaped bell and were accompanied by a flowing train which was reminiscent of Victorian fashion. Eventually, skirts became less full and more free-flowing, and many times women's feet were visible in their gowns. As with modern fashion, there were a variety of shapes for brides to choose from. As Edwardian fashion took over in the 1900s, more women began to embrace less structured and light flowing skirt shapes for their wedding dresses.
Sleeves
Before 1905, there were generally two types of sleeve styles included on most wedding gowns. The first was a full sleeve that was tight at the shoulder and got gradually fuller at the wrist. The pagoda sleeve was also popular during this time and was open ended with a blouse sleeve. Edwardian style dresses embraced tight sleeves which gained fullness at the wrist, and were draped over a tight cuff. This change, which gained popularity in 1905, featured several other takes on the mutton or puffed sleeve and remained popular until the end of the decade when Oriental influence began taking hold in fashion. When this change occurred, many dresses had kimono style sleeves.
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