The Edwardian era was a breakthrough period for women’s fashion. It was a short and easily defined time interval. The Edwardian period is determined by the time of the reign of king Edward VII which lasted from 1901 to 1910. But this definition applies mostly to the UK, while for the rest of the world it was a period of the late Art Nouveau (applied to the art and architecture).
However, when we talk about fashion design and style of dresses and blouses, we often use the term “Edwardian style”, and for the most people it becomes clear at once. But there are others, who continue to desperately not seeing any distinction between Edwardian and Victorian style. In fact, they have much in common, but the differences are significant.
Victorian blouses have the bold expressive design and vivid decoration with lace, flounces, fancy ruffles and lush frontal frills. In the early twentieth century women began to get rid of the old stereotypes, concerning women’s look and status, imposed by society and cherished for years. They took off the corset and gradually made their clothes more practical and less flashy. Edwardian blouses are more strict, simple, clean in design, less fanciful, more like shirts with small flounces and low puff sleeves.
Thanks to this fashion simplicity, modern Edwardian blouses and shirts are the perfect match for trendy pants and skirts. They look fresh and feminine, but their style is quite strict because of the closed neckline and minimalist design. At the same time, their style is feminine and romantic, thanks to puff sleeves, small frills and gorgeous bow-ties.
Here are the Edwardian style shirts and blouses, that we have seen in the collections of 2017.
