the comings and goings of the bustle

by Kimberly Keagan

 "Les Modes Parisiennes", Peterson's Magazine, April 1870

By the end of the late 1860s, women were involved in more activities outside the home, and they wanted clothes which allowed for freer movement.

The cumbersome crinoline went out of fashion; waists were lower and the bodice tighter. Walking costumes became popular. Skirts went flat against the body in the front, with emphasis placed on the back. Long trains, elaborate folds and drapes, and complex ornamentation were trending. The bustle—a padded undergarment that was tied around the waist—added fullness.
 

This fashion trend lasted about five years, which isn’t long compared to more recent fashions, like bell-bottom pants that lasted a decade.

For a six-year period (1876-1882) the bustle was discarded in favor of form-fitting dresses. The princess-line dress, probably named for the popular Princess of Wales, was a one-piece that was fitted through the hips. The skirt's sides tightly encircled the legs using ties inside the petticoat and skirt. All fullness was confined to the back of the skirt —but not to the degree seen in the first years of the decade. Separates were popular and skirts were often worn with a figure-hugging cuirass bodice. 

Cashmere and Mousseling Reception Dresses, Harper's Bazaar, March 1880

But, just like the bell-bottoms—and because women must have liked having large rear ends­­—the bustle returned with a vengeance. The shelf bustle stuck straight out at a 90-degree angle from the small of the back.

Although the bustle wasn’t as restricting as the crinoline, wearers looked like they were wobbling when they walked and were forced to site sideways. At least someone had the sense to design the chimney bustle, which collapsed as the wearer sat.

Ladies' House and Walking Dresses, "Les Modes Parisiennes", Peterson's Magazine, October 1884

Autumn Toilettes, The Delineator, October 1889

Misses Costume Back, The Delineator, October 1887

The bustle had a good second run, but faded out of favor by 1889, never to return. Unlike bell-bottoms.