Lasell Fashion: Fashion During the second half of the 1800s

1851: Building during the time of

Auburndale Female Seminary

By Tanesha

Lasell College was established in the year 1851 by Edward Lasell under the original name, Auburndale Female Seminary. The name was changed after 1852 to Lasell Female Seminary for the rest of the decade, and was an all girls school up until the 1990s.

The ladies of Lasell during the 1850s could be seen wearing closely fitted tops with flouncy skirts in a dome-like shape. This was the signature style of the mid 1800s and was accomplished by layering multiple petticoats underneath the outermost layer of clothing. This changed during the second half of the 1850s when the crinoline, also known as hoop skirt, was used widely. The hoop skirt aided in lifting some of the weight from all the layers off the hips. A jacket bodice, or basques, was a garment that was tightly fitted on top and spread out over the hips. In terms of undergarments, drawers and a chemise would be worn under all the layers of clothing.

An 1850s dress displaying the dome-like shape

Cr. metmuseum.org

A drawing of what a hoop skirt looks like with and without the outer layer

During the 1860s, the Lasell ladies may have been wearing the pagoda sleeve that had come into popularity. Pagoda sleeves were characteristically narrow near the shoulder and widened out at the wrist. The garibaldi blouse come into prominence during the 1860s and may have been worn by the students at Lasell. This blouse most often had buttons in the front with a high neckline. The sleeves were loose like a Pagoda but tightened in at the wrist. The waistline also changed during the 1860s, and began around the natural waistline. Skirts worn by the students at Lasell during this decade were shaped like a pyramid as opposed to the dome-like shape of its predecessor in the 1850s. By 1969, the bustle began to replace the hoop skirt.

1860s dress with pagoda sleeve

Cr. metmuseum.org

Garibaldi Blouse

Bustles helped to support the fullness of a woman's skirt in the 1870s. The late 1870s saw a change in silhouette when the cuirass bodice came into popularity. This style decreased the amount of fullness in the back which had a direct impact on the decline of the bustle. However, bustles made a comeback during the early 1880s.

1870 - 1878 dress with bustles
Cr. metmuseum.org

1878 - 1883 version of the
less voluminous bustle

1883 - 1890 dress with the shelf-like bustle
Cr. metmuseum.org

The 1890s began to display the iconic hourglass shape. The Lasell ladies began replacing their bustles with pleats and simple gathering in the back. Sleeves were very large and puffy at the top during the early to mid 1890s. Corsets cinched in the waist as much a possible which was emphasized even more by the exaggerated sleeve. Skirts of the 1890s tended to flare out in a bell-like shape.