A fishwife, fish-fag or fishlass is a woman who sells fish. In this context, the word wife means woman rather than married woman. This usage stems from Old English wif (woman) and is similar to the German Weib, also meaning `woman` (nowadays rarely used and usually in a pejorative sense). Often the wives and daughters of fishermen, fish wives we..... Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishwife
In costume, the fishwife is a style of dress that was popular for girls around 1880 to 1885. The fishwife draped overskirt was a long, loose, ankle length skirt that had an integral bodice and was often made from a different fabric than the underskirt, and was gathered at the back and occasionally at the front also. Found on http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/browse/PF.HTM