Before the mid-nineteenth century, tailoring was largely reserved for men’s coats. Riding habits were one of the few women’s garments available in a tailored style. Gradually demand grew for stylish, practical and hard-wearing outfits suitable for a wide range of outdoor activities including shopping, travelling and walking. By the 1870s the tailored look for women had really begun to take hold. Cutting systems used on men’s suits were transferred to fashionable skirts and bodices and the resulting styles were rapidly adopted. Fashion magazines and cutting journals trumpeted the superior skill of the tailor whose methods of manipulating cloth captured the full beauty of the female form.

This bodice shows how the tailor has modified his techniques to suit the fashionable silhouette. With special attention to measuring, cutting and making he has moulded the cloth to follow the curves of the bust, hollow of the waist and the prominence of the hips. The outer cloth was fitted to the figure with the aid of a canvas interlining constructed with darts and seams to give the required contours. Both were skilfully pressed into shape using a variety of irons and a damp rag which was necessary to produce steam. The rich colour and luxurious velvet decoration heightens the jacket's feminine appeal which is capped by full sleeves in true 1890s style.