It’s no secret that fashion has changed tremendously over the last century. From color to the type of material used, fashion is always changing and progressing. This is particularly for the nineteenth century where fashion evolved greatly from the early 1800's to the mid 1860's. Women's dresses went from being quite basic to extremely detailed; they got fuller and tighter at the waist. In addition, clothing transitioned from plain fabrics and dull colors to patterned fabrics and bright, vibrant colors. At the beginning of the century, men's hairstyles often included the infamous "rat tail"and women's hairstyles consisted of short curls or waves. However, by the mid 1860's, men's hairstyles included the "comb back," and women's hairstyles consisted of long waves or crimps. When most people hear the word fashion, they immediately think of the way an individual dresses or the clothing he/she wears. While this is true, fashion also includes one's hairstyle, shoes, accessories, etc. Most importantly, fashion is also seen as a form of self-expression, that is a way that individuals differentiate themselves from one another. This is especially true during the years 1800 to 1865, where an individual's fashion depended greatly on his/her social class, economic background, race, religion, etc. For example, individuals of the "upper class" would wear more detailed and extravagant clothing. Their clothing would be made out of more expensive fabrics such as silk, whereas individuals of the "middle class" would dress in more simple clothing made of lower grade fabrics such as linen. In addition, women in the "upper class" wore tighter corsets, whereas working women apart of the "middle class" wore looser corsets. Fashion has had and still has an immense impact on our culture and the way our society functions as a whole. This collection will not only display these various changes of fashion from the year 1800 to the year 1865 but the societal changes that resulted as well. 

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