Her clothing was restrictive and confining. Servants or other women who had to work for a living wore much simpler clothing in fewer layers. Everyone wore many petticoats, even the poor. Necklines were high. Aprons, shawls, brooches, market baskets, reticules, and lace collars can complete your costume.
Proper undergarments are crucial in achieving the Victorian silhouette.
The wasp waist was a gift of the tightly laced corset, and the skirts were borne out by a vast number of petticoats, starched and flounced, or a lesser number of petticoats and a hoop. The hoop skirt gained a foothold in the mid-1850s and eventually replaced the large number of petticoats formerly worn. Blouses were always long sleeved and high necked and were usually worn with a wide belt of some kind and sometimes a jacket or bolero. A blouse worn without a jacket was considered very informal, on about the same level as a housedress. Blouses were almost always made of plain white cotton, sometimes embroidered or trimmed with lace and buttoned up the front.