The early 1870s, after the Franco-German War won by the Germans, saw an unprecedented development fuelled by speculation, stock trading, and increasingly rapid industrialisation. In this period, the increasingly wealthier upper classes openly and willingly display their affluence. A pretentious, grossly overdone style prevails.

​Architecture, interior design, fine art and fashion are oriented to the Baroque style of the court of Louis XIV. Bustle Era Men's fashion remains essentially unchanged over the previous decades. Around 1880, the shape of the stand-up collar changed in favour of collar flaps. In 1889, England saw the introduction of the tuxedo, as well as the first collared shirts. In 1896, creased trousers made their appearance. For its part, women's fashion witnesses the comeback - in exaggerated form - of the highly billowing skirts of the late 17th Century. To ensure enough support in the back, a horseshoe-shaped frame is attached around the waist and above the buttocks. It may consist of steel rails or horsehair padding and is called bustle. Inspired by the frame, this trend went down in costume history as "bustle fashion". Worth was also the founder of Haute Couture as we know it today. Among others, he dressed Empress Elisabeth of Austria, Empress Eugénie of France, Queen Victoria and the Princess Pauline von Metternich. Its inventor was the Englishman Charles Frederick Worth. As such, the bustle has to bear enormous amounts of material. Over the petticoat, there were several more layers of skirts of outer fabric, with a variety of ruffles and draping. There was also - even for daywear- the train with the lushest garnishings. The corset is still worn and tied ever tighter in the course of the coming decades. The cleavage is found only in evening wear, often featuring a very wide cut. Daywear is high-necked and provided with long sleeves. In 1878, the bustle comes suddenly out of fashion. Now, skirts are cut extremely tight down to the knees. In fact, they were so tight that wearers could barely run. For the first time in the history of fashion, hips and legsare considered in the garment cut. The slim-line silhouette comes to life. and goes by the name of cuirass waistline.
In 1883, the bustle makes a short-lived comeback only to transition - always in smaller form - into the Cul de Paris and finally disappear towards the end of the decade. The overall silhouette of this second bustle fashion appears narrower overall.
Material consumption and therefore costs are huge. Moreover, trimmings usually need to be sewn by hand which, given their abundance, represents a significant cost factor even at the low wages of the time. In the second half of the 19th Century, daywear is mostly made of silk and wool fabrics. Evenings see precious silk fabrics like brocade, satin and damask. Both day and evening dresses are profusely decorated with ruffles, braids, fringes, etc. Laces and trimmings are specially popular and used ad nauseaum. Costumes are totally renovated in the second half of the century - starting with Britain. , clearly showing the dress reform influence. The costume will eventually become an essential piece of clothing, first for the working women, whose numbers were increasing, but also for the wealthy bourgeoisie afterwards. The 1880s see the strengthening of the English Pre-Raphaelites' dress reform drive, which started several decades earlier. In particular, doctors point out the health risks of wearing corsets and call for their abolition.