History of Women's Clothing and Accessories. (Book Review)
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Valerie Steele, THE CORSET: A CULTURAL HISTORY New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001. 199p. bibl. index. $39.95, ISBN 0-300-09071-4.
Jane Farrell-Beck & Colleen Gau, UPLIFT: THE BRA IN AMERICA. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002. 243p. bibl. index. $35.00, ISBN 0-8122-3643-2; pap., $19.95, ISBN 0-8122-1835-3.
Gayle V. Fischer, PANTALOONS AND POWER: A NINETEENTH-CENTURY DRESS REFORM IN THE UNITED STATES. Kent, OH: The Kent State University Press, 2001. 320p. bibl. index, pap., $24.00, ISBN 0-87338-6825.
Nancy E. Rexford, WOMEN'S SHOES IN AMERICA, 1795-1930. Kent, OH: The Kent State University Press, 2000. 393p. bibl. index. $60.00, ISBN 0-87338-656-6.
Clothing is our second skin. It can be either a barrier to or a means of communication with the outside world. It also speaks volumes about culture, religion, gender, social class, political standing, and personal taste. Numerous garments in Western culture carry deeply embedded meanings having to do with power, beauty, and even sexuality. The four works reviewed here examine the corset, the bra, women's shoes, and pants--or, more precisely, pantaloons--all of which are excellent examples of "charged" clothing.
Costume historian Valerie Steele, in The Corset, examines one of the most highly stigmatized articles of dress in Western culture and attempts to break through the many myths surrounding the wearing of this garment. One of those myths is that women who wore corsets were "victims" of capitalistic and patriarchal fashion. Steele argues that although that may have been so for some women, "adornment and self-fashioning long preceded the rise of capitalism, and applied to men as well as women" (p.2). Historically, corsets did more than just oppress women; some women even stepped out of traditional nineteenth-century roles to become designers and entrepreneurs in the corset business (p.2).
Doctors, women's rights activists, and dress-reformers of the nineteenth century railed against the corset's confining, unhealthy, and "unnatural" shape. Many blamed the garment for a veritable encyclopedia of ailments, from breast cancer to ugly children (p.67). Steele and cardiologist Lynn Kutsche reviewed more recent health studies, including one conducted in 1998 by Colleen Gau, in which test subjects had worn corsets while engaging in physical activity and the only ailment that had been found was shortness of breath--a result that seems understandable (pp.69-70). Steele and Kutsche do suggest that such a breathing impairment could have aggravated a condition like tuberculosis, and that longterm corset-wearing would also, ultimately, have weakened women's backs and might even have caused damage to some women's reproductive systems (pp. 71-76). But they also report that among modern "tight-lacers" who wear the garment for only limited periods of time, there is no permanent damage to the ribs or organs: onc e a corset is removed, the body expands back into place (p.72).
The corset as fetish" is another theme laced through the book. Steele notes the corset's role as a form of sadomasochism and bondage in contemporary "fetish clubs," pointing to the nineteenth-century roots of such practices. Most nineteenth-century women and men, she says, did not consider the corset a sexual object, but rather...
5 Ways to Trace the Origin of Your Clothes and Accessories
Fast fashion and the brands that have grown thanks to unethical and often illegal practices have had a devastating impact on the environment, but also on the preservation of basic human rights. Hazardous working conditions, low wages, child labor, all the way to the use of toxic dyes and other chemicals, brands that produce the world’s largest portion of wearables are making irreparable damage to our planet and our health.
To fight this global trend, slow fashion and ethical accessory brands have started emerging faster than ever before. New, updated policies have been introduced to track and measure the impact of all brands within the industry. The combination of customer awareness and brand values are now reshaping our consumerism ways. If you’re eager to join the movement by making more eco-conscious purchases when enriching your fashion and accessory collection, here are a few tips to help you get there.
Digital tools that help source the garment
Much like you can use a range of smartphone apps to learn about food quality and the sustainability level of chemicals in certain cleaning products, modern software developers are rapidly coming up with diverse solutions that help in beauty, fashion, and accessories, too.
For instance, you can use an app to find out whether a certain brand belongs in the ethical batch or if you should look for an alternative. Then again, the global initiative to boost circular economy in fashion will enable a whole new take on this industry, and more brands are joining in. Over time, we can expect more similar, digitally empowered ideas to come to life and make it easier for us to discover the sources of everything we wear.
Victoria and Albert Museum
1840s
Women
1840s fashion is characterised by low and sloping shoulders, a low pointed waist, and bell-shaped skirts that grew increasingly voluminous throughout the decade. Evening dresses were often off the shoulder. Hair was parted in the centre with ringlets at the side of the head, or styled with loops around the ears and pulled into a bun at the back of the head. Paisley or crochet shawls were fashionable accessories, as were linen caps with lace frills for indoor wear, and large bonnets for outdoors. Capes with large collars were fashionable.
Men
Very fashionable men sported low, tightly cinched waists, with rounded chests and flared frock-coats that gave them a rather hour-glass figure inspired by Prince Albert. They also wore tight trousers and waistcoats, with high upstanding collars and neckties tied around them. Hair was worn quite long, but swept to the sides. Moustaches and side-burns were popular.
1850s
Women
In the 1850s, women's skirts were domed and bell-shaped, supported by crinoline petticoats.They often featured deep flounces or tiers.Long bloomers and pantaloons trimmed with lace were popular.Tiered cape-jackets were fashionable, as were paisley patterned shawls.Deep bonnets were worn and hair was swept into buns or side coils from a centre parting.
Men
Men wore matching coats, waistcoats and trousers, with hairstyles characterised by large mutton-chop side-burns and moustaches, after the style set by Prince Albert.Shirts had high upstanding collars and were tied at the neck with large bow-ties.High fastening and tight fitting frock coats were also very fashionable; though a new style called the sack coat (a thigh-length, loosely fitted jacket) became popular.The bowler hat was invented around 1850, but was generally seen as a working class hat, while top-hats were favoured by the upper classes.
1860s
Women
1860s women's dress featured tight bodices with high necks and buttoned fronts. White lace was popular for collars and cuffs, as were low sloping shoulders that flared out into wide sleeves. The skirt continued to be full and bell-shaped until around 1865 when it began to lose its volume at the front and move its emphasis towards the back. Hair was worn with a centre parting tied into low chignons at the nape of the neck, with loops or ringlets covering the ears. Ornaments for evening wear included floral wreaths, ostrich feathers, pomegranate flowers, wheatears and butterflies.
Men
In the 1860s it was fashionable for men's coats and jackets to be single-breasted and semi-fitted, extending to the mid thigh. Waistcoats were often collarless and single-breasted, and trousers were occasionally cut from a narrow check cloth. High, starched collars were worn with cravats and neck-ties. Hair was parted from the centre and moderately waved. A particular hairstyle, known as 'Dundreary whiskers' or 'Piccadilly weepers', were long pendant side-whiskers worn with a full beard and drooping moustache.
1870s
Women
1870s women's fashion placed an emphasis on the back of the skirt, with long trains and fabric draped up into bustles with an abundance of flounces and ruching. The waist was lower in the 1870s than the 1860s, with an elongated and tight bodice and a flat fronted skirt. Low, square necklines were fashionable. Hair was dressed high at the back with complicated twists and rolls, falling to the shoulders, adorned with ribbons, bands and decorative combs. Hats were very small and tilted forward to the forehead. Later in the decade wider brimmed 'picture hats' were also worn, though still tilted forwards.
Men
Coats and jackets were semi-fitted and thigh-length. Generally, both jackets and waistcoats were buttoned high on the chest. Shirt collars were stiff and upstanding, with the tips turned down into wings. Hair was often worn parted in the centre, and most forms of facial hair were acceptable, though being clean shaven was rare.
1880s
Women
1880s women's dress featured tightly fitting bodices with very narrow sleeves and high necklines, often trimmed at the wrists with white frills or lace. At the beginning of the decade the emphasis was at the back of the skirt, featuring ruching, flouncing, and embellishments such as bows and thick, rich fabrics and trims. The middle of the decade saw a brief revival of the bustle, which was so exaggerated that the derriere protruded horizontally from the small of the back. By the end of the decade the bustle disappeared. Hair was worn in tight, close curls on the top of the head. Hats and caps were correspondingly small and neat, to fit on top of the hairstyle.
Men
For men, lounge suits were becoming increasingly popular. They were often quite slim, and jackets were worn open or partially undone to reveal the high buttoning waistcoat and watch-chain. Collars were stiff and high, with their tips turned over into wings. Neckties were either the knotted 'four in hand', or versions of the bow-tie tied around the collar.
1890s
Women
In the early part of the decade, women wore tight bodices with high collars and narrow sleeves, much as they had done in the previous decade. From about 1893 however, sleeves started expanding into a leg-of-mutton shape, which was tight at the lower arm and puffed out at the upper arm. Wide shoulders were fashionable and horizontal decoration on the bodice further exaggerated the line. Skirts were worn in a full-length, simple A-line. Masculine styles and tailoring were increasingly popular, and women sometimes sported a shirt collar and tie, particularly when playing golf or out walking. Hair was worn high on top of the head, in tight curls. Hats were small or wide with lots of trimming, but generally worn squarely on top of the head.
Men
The three-piece lounge suit was very popular and regularly worn from the 1890s onwards, and it became increasingly common to have creases at the front of the trousers. Frock coats were still worn, but generally by older or more conservative men. Collars were starched and high, with the tips pressed down into wings, though by the end of the century collars were more frequently turned down and worn with the modern long, knotted tie style. Hair was cut short and usually parted at the side. Heavy moustaches were common, and older men still sported beards. Some men now went clean-shaven.
