Aestheticism
A late 19th-century artistic and literary movement championing 'art for art's sake,' rejecting Victorian utilitarianism in favor of beauty as life's highest purpose. Associated with Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, and the Pre-Raphaelites, it favored medieval-inspired and Eastern-influenced dress. Common pieces include loosely draped silk or velvet gowns in peacock blue, amber, and sage, embroidered Aesthetic dress reform garments without corsets, sunflower or lily motif jewelry, Liberty of London prints, Japanese kimono-influenced robes, and artistic jewelry in silver and semi-precious stones.
