Everyday Dress 1650-1900

 The clothes worn by the majority. This is the subject of everyday dress 1650 to 1900. It is a general account of the costume that clothe the mass of the English population and was not ruled by the dictates of high fashion which was by definition rapidly changing and worn by an exclusive group. It is a topic not always given full weight and costume histories as everyday dress was not generally shown in formal parties and there are not many surviving examples of the clothes themselves.

It is a lively story told as much as possible through first-hand description in diaries and contemporary writings including accounts of shops and shopping. The clothes people wore were related throughout the history of textiles and manufacturing. The technical advances of the industrial revolution and the use of sweated labor in the clothing trade are an essential part of  the story In the later years of this period. 

The end of the Victorian area was the time when everyday dress was becoming the dress of all classes. Social and industrial changes rendering meaningless distinction that had for centuries rule. The lives and millions the 20th century had begun