Combination undergarments, which combined chemise and drawers into one garment, first appeared in the late 1860s or early 1870s. By the 1890s, combinations had largely replaced the long chemise worn over a separate pair of drawers. The advantage of the all-in-one combination undergarment was its relative lack of bulk. Drawers had a gathered drawstring waist and when worn under a loose chemise, petticoat(s), corset and dress, they created an unnecessary layer of bulky, gathered fabric at the waist. A 1905 advertisement for the Leona combination undergarment sings the praise of combinations in general, and the Leona in particular, declaring "Leona leaves no fullness, puckers or bunches at the waist or hips."1
Combination undergarment Cotton 1900-1910 Gift of California Hospital Medical Center S2007.165.1
For the Victorian woman, correct dress was an essential component of social acceptance. Women of the aristocratic classes and the nouveaux riche changed outfits multiple times each day, always with the knowledge that dress played a crucial role in determining social standing. Understanding the correspondence between the details (trim, fabric, neckline, etc.) of a particular gown and a specific social occasion was valued knowledge, "from which one could not depart without appearing lacking in education."1 Fortunately for the "uneducated," magazines like Harper's Bazaar and Godey's Magazine contained articles on dress and etiquette for all occasions. The gown pictured below is of a type called a morning gown, intended for breakfast at home with the family and possibly some light housework or correspondence.
Morning gown
1893-1897
Gift of Marilyn Habicht
S2002.41.1
The slim, youthful silhouette of 1920s fashion signaled the emergence of a new ideal of feminine beauty. Unlike her predecessors of the late 19th century, who favored the silhouette of a mature, well-endowed woman swathed in layers of fabric, the 1920s woman dressed in a style that emphasized youth. Lightweight daydresses for adult women were designed to expose bare arms and lower legs, parts of the body typically covered by all except young girls. Elasticized undergarments de-emphasized the breasts and hips, creating what is often described as a "boyish" silhouette. The appearance of masculinity was reinforced when women bobbed or cropped their hair.
Daydress
c. 1926
Gift of Santa Monica City College
95.622.1
For much of the past 500 years, women have used underpinnings to mold their bodies into the dominant fashionable silhouette. The basic underpinnings usually consisted of a chemise, corset and petticoat(s). Other items, including sleeve plumpers, crinolines and bustles, came and went as fashion dictated. In the late 19th century, the fashionable figure was womanly and voluptuous, with full curves and a defined waist. This undergarment ensemble features some of the underpinnings a woman might have used to create this silhouette.
The task is to form the future from the materials of the past-Vivienne Westwood1
For centuries, corsets were an essential, but unseen, part of a woman's
wardrobe. Visible only through their shaping of the body, actual
corsets were typically seen only in the most intimate of situations.
This remained true until the 1970s, when punk fashion demonstrated that garments associated with sexuality and/or deviancy (including corsets) could be worn as everyday streetwear. In the early
1990s, corsets became a widely accepted part of the fashionable
wardrobe, thanks in large part to the Jean Paul Gaultier corset worn by Madonna on her Blonde Ambition tour of 1990-91.
Corset Vivienne Westwood
Spring/Summer 1994
Museum Purchase
2003.5.12
Before the introduction of the cage crinoline in 1856, women typically wore multiple layers of petticoats. The petticoat layers (sometimes as many as 6!) not only shaped the skirt into a fashionable bell-shape, but also provided warmth. Between about 1825-1850, petticoats with elaborate quilting were fashionable. Called "quilted coats," "wearing quilts" or "quilts," these petticoats were simply large quilts meant to be worn on the body. They were often created in the same manner as bed quilts, with women working together to complete the patterned stitching. After stitching up the single, vertical back-seam and gathering the drawstring waist, the quilted petticoat was ready to be worn.
Quilted petticoat c. 1840-45 Gift of Anna Bing Arnold 2003.795.12
A well-designed and well-installed museum exhibit appears effortless, as if the objects on display were always meant to be viewed in that exact context. Despite this apparent ease, museum exhibitions require a tremendous amount of long-range planning. Christina Johnson and Kevin Jones, co-curators of High Style: Betsy Bloomingdale and the Haute Couture spent three years planning the exhibition. An important aspect of their planning was deciding how to best display the garments. As you've seen from the images we post on this blog, the FIDM Museum has an extensive collection of dress forms and mannequins. Christina and Kevin decided, however, that Betsy Bloomingdale's haute couture garments would be best displayed on floating forms. Unlike mannequins or dress forms, floating forms do not extend beyond the boundaries of the garment. This allows you to focus entirely on the garment, without the distraction of legs, arms or facial characteristics.
As you might imagine, creating floating forms is a complicated process. All of the floating forms used to display the garments in High Style were created by Carolyn Jamerson, FIDM Museum Study Collection Manager. Carolyn worked on the floating forms for almost a year! She recently gave a presentation about the process and we're going to feature a brief overview today.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the fashionable female silhouette included voluminous, full skirts. To achieve the desired bell-like skirt shape, women relied on multiple layers of petticoats. These petticoats were usually made of linen, cotton or flannel, though some were made of a stiff, woven, horsehair fabric called crinoline. No matter what they were made of, multiple layers of petticoats were cumbersome and heavy. In 1856, the lightweight "cage crinoline" was introduced. Consisting of a series of graduated steel rings or hoops, strung together with thin strips of fabric tape, the cage crinoline provided the same skirt shape with a much reduced weight. Despite its ominous name, it was actually considered a positive innovation because it was lightweight and relatively inexpensive. A cage crinoline would have been worn underneath the striped wool/cotton/silk gauze two-piece dress in the image below.
Two-piece dress 1858-63 Gift of Vicki Nelson 83.530.1AB
