Striking silhouettes, sumptuous fabrics, bright colours, frills galore, and all manner of ornate accessories define the clothing of the Victorian period, that is, during the reign of Queen Victoria, which spanned seven decades of the 19th century. This was a time of dynamic change as the Industrial Revolution resulted in an expansion of the middle classes. Victorians were persuaded to part with their growing disposable income by mass advertising that ranged from gorgeous colour supplements in popular magazines to striking posters in railway stations. People of all classes were decidedly keen to wear the right clothes for the right occasion, but deliberately not doing so did become a way to express individuality and non-conformity to the rather rigid social rules and gender expectations that pervaded the 19th century.

New fashions quickly spread thanks to new forms of transport and communication, and keeping up with them became, for the first time, a common ideal. Although Victorian society included great contrasts between the haves and have-nots, another development of the period was the aspirational desire to dress slightly above one's station so that a clerk tried to be as well-dressed as his manager, a tradesman could copy the fashion of a man of independent means, and a shop assistant might endeavour, perhaps at the weekend, to dress like one of her lady customers. Even for those who did not follow the fashion trends, clothing certainly became an important aspect of daily life and expectations of a decent public appearance, for all classes, became something few could afford to ignore.

Women's clothing in this period was characterised by strong silhouettes, innovative and fine materials (like silk, cashmere, seal fur, and intricately embroidered muslin), highly decorative additions such as cuffs and collars, and the desire to match clothing with accessories. More practical casual clothing developed for when people remained at home or pursued specific outdoor activities, like archery, shooting, and horse riding. The invention of bicycles with rubber wheels also meant clothes were adapted for this popular mode of transport. In short, wearing the right clothes for the right occasion became a fashion trend in itself.

Some commentators have suggested women's Victorian-era clothing, with its contrived constrictions on the body, was designed to reinforce the popular male view that a lady's role should be limited to the home and family. Women wore whalebone corsets to tighten the figure at the front and create a thin waist, while, in contrast, bustles were used to enlarge one's silhouette in the rear. Attempting to achieve the ideal waist of 20 inches (51 cm) could sometimes have consequences on the long-term health of the wearer. Sleeves became less cumbersome but tighter, necklines a little lower in formal wear and a little higher in daywear, shoulders sloped, and hips were expanded. Details were rendered using intricate pleats, piping, and seams. Favoured colours in the 1840s and '50s were soft pastels like dull green, blue, grey, purple, and pink. For less formal wear, printed dresses became as popular as woven.

As the century wore on, women's clothing became less restrictive; in particular, the ubiquitous back-fastening gown was challenged by a separate and front-fastening bodice jacket and skirt. Another innovation was to have bodices that could be interchanged with the same skirt. Skirts became wider and wider and so necessitated more support structures underneath, a situation that could lead to a lady wearing six stiffened petticoats. A simpler method of expanding the skirt was designed, the 'crinoline', a hooped support made of steel that resembled a giant birdcage. This device was much ridiculed in cartoons of the period, but its affordability meant women of lower social status could wear it. The width of dresses, perhaps inevitably, did gradually slim down through the 1870s, at least for less formal wear, although even then, a sort of compensation was made by increasing the tops of the sleeves to large puffs. With new machines entering the clothing industry, decorative additions like lace and embroidery became ever-more extravagant and affordable.

From the late 1850s, following the invention of synthetic dyes, dress colours became much more vibrant. Conservative males were sometimes shocked by the glorious new purples and vivid turquoises ladies wore. These striking colours were often seen, too, in ribbons and trimmings as a trend developed to create contrasting effects in both colour and material. Practical capes, cloaks, and shawls were popular. Ladies' shoes were meant to be dainty and preferably hidden by the dress. Short boots with low heels were popular informal wear, as were striped stockings, even if nobody was supposed to see them.

By the 1890s, a fashion for women to wear 'masculine' style clothes had begun - like shirts, ties, and tailor-fitted jackets – and materials like wool and tweed, particularly when doing outdoor sports. This was also a way for women to assert their individuality and independence from an industry that was often focused on making women's clothes and their wearers mere items of decoration.

Victorian clothing for men typically aimed to create an elegant and slim figure (although the illusion was not always successful). The frock coat dominated. This coat with tight sleeves had long tails that reached to the knee and was typically made of wool and used dark colours. An alternative was the morning coat with a cutaway front so that both front edges curved backwards. Slim trousers were preferred over breeches by the fashion-conscious, and these were usually in pale colours or even stripes, which contrasted with the more sober coat above. The invention of the trouser press meant sharp creases at the back and front became an essential feature of trousers and an indicator to any admirer that a man was 'well turned out'. A similarly favourable impression was achieved through one's perfectly white and highly starched linen.

As with women's fashion, men's clothing became less restrictive through the century. The 'lounge' jacket with its mix of formal but looser cut, was worn indoors. Professional men began to wear matching jackets and trousers, the first business suits. Shirt collars were high and often tied with a silk scarf, which over the decades gradually slimmed down to become more like the modern necktie. At home, a smoking jacket or dressing gown of comfortable cut and material was often worn to protect the inner clothes from the smell of tobacco.

While sports and weekend activities like boating gave men the chance to wear brighter clothes and designs, it was through his waistcoat that a man could really flash his fashion sense. Charles Dickens was a celebrated wearer of fancy and highly colourful waistcoats. Silk, brocade, 'paisley' patterns or even tartan could be gleefully exposed as a man put his hand in his trouser pocket to open up the jacket front. Buttons were an obvious form of extra decoration, pearls especially. The popularity of pocket watches inspired designers so that waistcoats now permitted the wearing of a watch and gold chain, a fashion popularised by Victoria's husband, Albert.

Important accessories for men and women included hats, gloves, handkerchiefs, fans, parasols, canes, and purses. Finer bonnets, usually tied under the chin, were made from straw, silk, or velvet and were improved with flowers, feathers, and bows. Through the 1880s, women's hats became taller, and the decoration more extravagant; indeed, the insatiable fashion for exotic feathers led to the formation of the Society for the Protection of Birds in 1889. The most popular form of men's hat in the mid-century was the top hat made of felted beaver fur, although from this staple there eventually evolved the even more common bowler hat.

Although few people today are tightening their corset, unrolling a frilly parasol, or sporting a flash waistcoat, Victorian fashion does live on in certain corners, notably amongst fans of burlesque and steampunk. What has been lost, perhaps, is that Victorian ideal of assembling a varied and vibrant wardrobe of clothes designed to be worn for particular pursuits in particular places with particular people.