Dresses are fitted very tightly on the upper body, and skirts are often tied back against the front of the legs to achive the desired slender effect.
Sleeves are slender, and an extra piece has been added to bodice patterns to allow closer fitting.
Following are some examples of my dress designs from this era. This is an example of a house dress or wrapper that would be appropriate from about 1877-1889, depending on the underpinnings you wore with it. The bodice is interlined to the hip level, and the fabric is a bright paisley print. This dress was fashioned after a description of Lily Langtree's ascot dress from 1878. It is a polonaise form, with a trained underskirt.