These various pieces might be of different materials, but were generally dark in color. There was much use of pleating and ruffled flounces. Earings were long and dangling early in the decade, but after 1873 a simpler, shorter, single drop became fashionable, as hair was drawn close at the sides of the head. Towards the end of the decade simple button-type earings were popular, along with higher hair styles. Men's jackets became closer fitting and narrower, though for casual wear the extremely loose styles are still seen.
Shirts begin to appear in more varied colors and patterns.
The seventies necktie was wide and tied in a loose knot with square ends, but conservative and older gentlemen often wore the narrower style of the previous decade. Beards seem to have gradually lost favour over the decade. 1880's Women in the 1880's had more variety to choose from, and could even buy ready-made dresses for work or casual wear. After 1882 skirts were fuller than at the turn of the decade, with some padding at the back. In 1883 the bustle returned to fashion, reaching it's peak in 1886, with side pads that widened the hips.