Editing Victorian fashion (section)

=== 1840s dress style ===
[[File:1840's Dress.jpg|alt=This evening dress features low straight necklines at the shoulder, bodices ending at the natural waistline and converging to a point at the front, and sleeves flaring out from the elbow. Organ pleats were used to further create the fullness of the skirts.|left|thumb|1840s dress]]
[[File:Mid-1840s Dress.jpg|alt=The mid-1840s saw day dresses featuring V-shaped necklines, which were covered by a chemise for decency. Skirt widths widened due to the horsehair petticoat, and extra flounces were added for emphasis and decoration.Funnel sleeves.|thumb|right|upright|Mid-1840s day dress]]

In the 1840s, collapsed sleeves, low necklines, elongated V-shaped bodices, and fuller skirts characterised the dress styles of women.

At the start of the decade, the sides of bodices stopped at the natural waistline, and met at a point in the front. In accordance with the heavily boned corset and [[Seam (sewing)|seam]] lines on the bodice as well, the popular low and narrow waist was thus accentuated.

Sleeves of bodices were tight at the top, because of the [[wikt:mancheron|Mancheron]],<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=From Queen to Empress - Victorian Dress 1837-1877|last=Goldthorpe|first=Caroline|publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art|year=1988|location=New York|pages=32}}</ref> but expanded around the area between the elbow and before the wrist. It was also initially placed below the shoulder, however; this restricted the movements of the arm.<ref name=":1" />

As a result, the middle of the decade saw sleeves flaring out from the elbow into a funnel shape; requiring [https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/tag/undersleeves/ undersleeves] to be worn in order to cover the lower arms.<ref>{{Cite book|title=From Queen to Empress - Victorian Dress 1837-1877|last=Goldthorpe|first=Caroline|publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art|year=1988|location=New York|pages=39}}</ref>

Skirts lengthened, while widths increased due to the introduction of the [http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bOuPyjWzwT8/TuKx-x1R12I/AAAAAAAAAF0/oRs6AyGH0gw/s1600/CI53.51.15_B1870Amer.Horsehair.jpg horsehair crinoline] in 1847; becoming a status symbol of wealth.

Extra layers of [[Ruffle (sewing)|flounces]] and petticoats, also further emphasised the fullness of these wide skirts. In compliance with the narrow waist though, skirts were therefore attached to bodices using very tight [[Pleat|organ pleats]] secured at each fold.<ref name=":1" /> This served as a decorative element for a relatively plain skirt. The 1840s style was perceived as conservative and "Gothic" compared to the flamboyance of the 1830s.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|title=Victorian Fashion. Fashion and Eroticism: Ideals of Feminine Beauty from the Victorian Era to the Jazz Age|url=https://archive.org/details/fashioneroticism0000stee|url-access=registration|last=Steele|first=Valerie|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1985|pages=[https://archive.org/details/fashioneroticism0000stee/page/51 51]–84|isbn=978-0-19-503530-8}}</ref>