Underwear Fashion History Western Europe

7/27/2019 Underwear Fashion History Western Europe

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derwear

awers still reached to the knee and were voluminous around

orm and Fashion: The Nineteenth Century

hips and seat, with open versions still found until around

Health, Freedom, and Reform

14. Before the introduction of drawers, only a cotton or linen

emise would have been worn, usually extending down to knee

Natural Lines and New Technology: 1900 Onward

el. Th

hemise, worn by both men and women, continued in

e until the late nineteenth century. It was a large, shapeless gar-

napshot: The Corset

nt with a wide neckline and broad sleeves .

om the 1820s, the simple fashions of the fi rst twenty years of the nineteenth century disappeales became much more

he fashionable silhouette has gone through bewildering elaborate and formal. Th e fashionare grew increasingly changes during the last two hundred years, and these would

urglass in shape as the waistline returned to its natural level not have been possible withou

apes created beneath. Un-and skirts widened. During the early nineteenth century, mens

rwear and outerwear progressed in tandem. Underwear de-

houettes followed those of women. Frock coats had wide skirts

ners responded to prevailing styles of fashionable dress, and

d nipped-in waists, and some men are known to have worn cor-

hion designers built and relied upon the capabilities of struc-sets to achieve a fashionable fi pecially military men. Mens tural underpinnings as they developed. Th

changes were, in

derwear consisted of drawers and chemises, sometimes with


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n, infl uenced by key social, economic, and technological devel-the addition of vests for wa

rawers and vests could be

ments, which unfolded with increasing speed as the centuries

de from linen, cotton, or wool, though knitted silk also became progressed.

pular for the wealthy as summer wear. As close-fi tting trousers took over from breeches at thethe century, more closely FORM AND FASHION:

ting underwear that extended to the ankle was adopted. From

HE NINETEENTH CENTURY

1820s to the 1850s, there was a further development in womens underwear. Th

umber of petticoats worn multiplied signifi -

era began with a period of startling simplicity in dress,

ntly. During the early 1850s, when skirts had become particularly which was true of both unded outerwear. Womens

de, women wore up to six stiff ened petticoats, some including

thing consisted chiefl y of straight white muslin gowns with

rsehair, in order to achieve the fashionable look, and they rustled high waists, and this pared-k required both a reduc-as they moved. As well as being extremely hot, itchy, and uncom-

n in underwear bulk and new innovations to make the style

table in warm weather, this profusion of petticoats would have work eff ectively. Th

plain yet elegant fashion had its roots in the

ighed a great deal and allowed only limited physical activity.

vious century. During the 1780s, stiffl

orseted dress styles

lief came around 1856, with the advent of the cage crino-

came much simpler and lighter. White cotton muslin was the


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e. Th

ight structure, made from cane, steel, or whalebone,

in fabric used, and waist levels rose to just under the bust.

nsisted of a series of hoops joined with tapes. It held the skirt Th

change was partly motivated by politics; from 1789, the old

t in a dome shape and swung from side to side as the wearer

der was swept away in Revolutionary France, and fashion re-

lked. Despite its cumbersome appearance to modern eyes, it

ected a shift toward a more democratic wardrobe inspired by

resented a huge breakthrough in terms of ease of wear and

cient Greek sculpture.

htness. Th

rinoline was worn by women at every echelon of

igh-waisted empire look lasted until around 1820, and, in

ciety. Reasons for this were the advent of the sewing machine,

der to achieve the fashionable line, it was necessary for women the development of sprung steess production, which

relinquish all but one or two muslin petticoats. It was said that made crinolines aff ordable. Aght of the craze, British

men also gave up their stays. However, surviving corsets and

ms such as Th

psons produced around four thousand crino-

cumentary evidence suggest that most women, except the very

es a day. Crinoline-related accidents in factories testify to their young, wore either short, coys that mirrored the short

e by working-class women.


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dice and supported the bust or long stays that controlled the

til the early 1860s, the crinoline cage retained its domed

gure over the hips and stomach. Gussets for bust support were

ape, growing in circumference and inspiring many satirical car-

roduced, and, for evening wear, cleavage was seen above low-

ns. After this time, it started to fl atten in front, and, from the cut bodices. For those not endth a full bust, this era saw late 1860s, bustle structures were used to hold skirts out at the the ust improvers , sometimes called waxen bosoms or

ck. Th

arly 1870s saw the more general use of tournure s (bus-

osom friends.

s). Th

were created using a wide variety of materials such

important development in underwear during this period

metal, cane, or whalebone hoops or woven horsehair fl ounces.

o relates directly to the fl imsy nature of the gowns worn. Draw-Bustles disappeared after twee years, only to return to

made their fi rst signifi cant appearance, though they were not fashion in a more exaggeratedm the early 1880s. Th

iversally adopted. Worn for modesty under the thin muslin

n grew in size to large horizontal protrusions. Some, such as

sses, they were long and often extended below the hem. From

chimney bustle, were designed to collapse as the wearer sat

und 1820, womens drawers shortened and were gradually

wn. All bustles required women to sit sideways on chairs, and

opted by a larger proportion of the population. For reasons


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y also caused a wobble eff ect when walking. At the front of

hygiene they were often made open, with the two legs joined

body, the new shape dominating womens wear during the

y to the waistband at the top. Even after they were shortened, 1870s and 1880s was a tightly fdice that followed the fi gure

0 TYPES


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RESS

ntinued into the early twentieth century, when lingerie, as it was now called, reached a zene, froth, and femininity . It coin-cided with increased commercialization in the marketing of w

s underwear. Th

dvertising industry was generally becoming

re active and sophisticated, and the greater visibility of underwear, especially corsets, withirketplace may have helped to boost its status. Manufacturers were now competing more active

d openly than ever before. Th

esult was the creation of under-

rments that not only looked beautiful but were soft and smooth

the touch and had much more obvious sex appeal.

EALTH, FREEDOM, AND REFORM

derwear, especially that of women, was the source of much de-

e during the nineteenth century. Motivations behind calls for

ange ranged from the medical to the artistic to those of the growing womens rights moveedical practitioners had been

ling attention to the dangers of restrictive underwear since the eighteenth century. By the60s, articles frequently appeared in medical journals warning of the health problems caustrictive underwear, particularly tight lacing. Although few claims were accurate, existing menditions may have been exac-erbated. Other agents for changenotably in Britain, although

milar movements can be found elsewhere in Europeincluded

Pre-Raphaelites and later the arts and crafts movement, who

ampioned loose, medieval-inspired aesthetic dress worn with-

t corsets (the Pre-Raphaelites were active from 1849, and many

their principles fed into the arts and crafts movement, which

s most active from around 1880 to 1910). Few women adopted

ch styles, but some aspects of artistic dress made their way into the mainstream, such as thwn of the 1890sa loose, fl owing garment that required no corset .


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om the 1860s, campaigners for womens rights began to

ke themselves heard in Britain and elsewhere in Europe. Th

tional Dress Society, formed in 1881, had a pronounced femi-

crinoline of steel hoops held together with tapes, United Kingdom, 1858

t bent. It argued strongly that dress reform was a key element 1868. The bottom section is covth red-and-cream wool, and the hem in the emancipation of women. Th

ociety was against any forms

protected with brown velvet. Museum ref: M.1993.98. Image reproduced of dress that hamedom of movement, including heavy

urtesy of the Olive Matthews Collection, Chertsey Museum. www.chertsey petticoats and

rsets. Th

devised practical garments such

seum.org.uk

divided skirts and loose trousers and advocated a system of hygienic, supportive underwear wning that did not weigh

re than seven pounds (three kilograms). Th

exhibited at

ugly over the hips. Longer, tighter corsetry was developed to

International Health Exhibition of 1884, a hugely successful

ate a fashionably smooth shape, and bust improvers returned

ent with a large section devoted to healthy dress. Eff orts to im-for those who wished to enir fi gures.

ove the comfort and freedom of childrens clothes proved quite

870s and 1880s also saw womens underwear become

ccessful during this era, although the majority of adults did not increasingly fi tted, decor

orful, and luxuriousa trend deviate from conventional fashions, at least in their outerwear.


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t was to continue through the twentieth century. Until this

e exhibitor at the International Health Exhibition was par-

riod, most underwear was white, usually made from linen or

ularly successful in marketing a new system of underclothing

ton, and quite plain. Th

ghter bodices of the last three de-

ng hygienic lines. Gustav Jaeger was a medical doctor and pro-

des of the nineteenth century meant chemises slimmed down,

sor of zoology and physiology at the University of Stuttgart,

d combinations made an appearance as the century came to

rmany. He attributed considerable health benefi ts to his San-

lose. Combinations merged drawers and newly fashionable

ry Woollen System, which incorporated garments of every

misoles into one garment, reducing bulk and promoting the

t. His underwear sold very well and changed attitudes about

ooth, fashionable line. Men also adopted their own form of

at should be worn next to the skin. Th

ystem stated that

mbinations during the late nineteenth century. Combining vest

ything other than animal fi bers would prevent the body from

d underpants, they buttoned down the center and were almost

athing and sweating out noxious exhalations and asserted

iversally worn by the early twentieth century.

t the correct fabric was undyed knitted wool. For best results, Virtually all womens undergarmre now trimmed with

ol had to be used for every garment, although few were brave


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bons, whitework embroidery, or lace, and this development

ough to follow the system in its entirety. He devised a variety

NDERWEAR 391

brown cotton chimney style bustle, which collapsed as the wearer sat down, United King831888. It is constructed from seven half-hoop steels and two crossed hoop steels, graduati

dth toward the hem. Museum ref: MT.2389. Image reproduced courtesy of the Olive Matt


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d lifestyle. Changing attitudes toward women were at least

hionable clothing.

rtly behind womens more active involvement in sport, which

lly began to take off during the late nineteenth century. Per-NATURAL LINES AND NCHNOLOGY:

ps the most infl uential sport in terms of dress was bicycling. By 1900 ONWARD

early 1890s, women were actively participating, and bloomers, divided skirts, or knickerbore worn. Th

were exactly

-bend corset and accompanying fl owing petticoats had

types of garments previously advocated by the Rational Dress

len from favor by 1907. Society was ready for a radical change,


13/262 TYPES


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RESS

d a new straight, natural line came into vogue. Waistlines rose, the waist and knees and sllaced voluminous open styles.

d skirts narrowed and shortened to ankle length. Th

erson

other important development at this time was the hugely suc-

nerally credited with this development is the French designer

sful girls liberty bodice , which was produced from 1908 on by Paul Poiret. His fashions ghly eclectic, taking inspiration the English fi rm of Symington, Market Harborough. A mainsta

m exotic cultures and the simple, high-waisted styles of the

childrens wardrobes until the late 1950s, this button-down

ly 1800s. He claimed to have freed women from their corsets,

olen bodice followed rather than restricted the fi gure and dis-but few relinquished them. Iny wore straighter stays that pensed with any boning.

l restricted the legs, though they were not laced tightly at the Th

developments were accelerated by the major politi-

ist. Only one slim, tubular petticoat was now worn over direc-cal events of the fi rst half oentieth century. Th

was

re knickers. Th

narrow, closed drawers were elasticized at

le radical change in fashion during World War I, but women

re called to work in traditional mens roles for the fi rst time.

ce the pressure of the war was over, it became apparent that the position of women in societyanged. In addition, women

ross most of Europe gained the vote during the decade after the war. Th

signifi cant advances in social status, and the shock


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ring 1947 saw the launch of the French designer Christian

ors New Look. It featured tiny nipped-in waists, hip pan-

rs, and wide skirts with many stiff ened petticoats beneath.

tain was still experiencing clothes rationing, and such gener-

s use of fabric prompted much criticism from the authorities.

spite this, the New Look dominated fashion until the mid-

50s. In terms of underwear, the era heralded a return to rigid

rsetry. Th

hort waspie corset was designed to cinch the waist

sharply. It utilized elastic but also contained boning and laced up the back. It was worn over a

or panty-girdle ( a controlling garment that doubled as underpants ), and this formidable

oup of undergarments confi ned womens fi gures in a way not

n since the early 1900s.

pair of white cotton lawn combinations with a silk tie at the waist and open As well as a small wNew Look also demanded a

otch, United Kingdom, 18901910. The neckline, legs, waist, and armholes shapely bosom. Th

ra was a key aspect of 1950s underwear,

e trimmed with lace and cream satin bows. Museum ref: MT.2443. Image providing the mea

hieve new extremes of bust shaping.

produced courtesy of the Olive Matthews Collection, Chertsey Museum. www.

early version of the bra had been worn from the 1890s. Called

ertseymuseum.org.uk

ust bodice , it provided support when corsets were cut lower.

NDERWEAR393

st bodices were usually boned and held the bosom in a single,

d comfortable alternative. Most women never returned to

separated shelf or monobosom. A more natural, unboned,


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ckings.

d separating brassiere took over around the time of World

rend toward brief and invisible underwear continued,

ar I, but the boyish look of the 1920s heralded the use of a

d this was made possible by the technique of molding man-

mple fl attening bandeau. Th

more curvy fashions of the 1930s

de fabrics. Seamless one-piece bras and underpants were

d 1940s saw the development of shaped cups for support and

ailable from the late 1970s. Mens underwear had also reduced

ift. Underwiring was introduced in the late 1930s but came

boxer shorts and vests by midcentury. Th

Y-front brief was

o its own during the 1950s. Th

950s sweater girl bra was the

rst introduced in 1935 and steadily increased in popularity until most popular style of its timshed the bust upward to exag-the early 1980s, when its appeal for younger men waned. Boxer

rated points using circular stitching, stiff ening, and padding.

orts then returned to favor, only to be ousted by tighter-fi tting Th

aby boom of the immediate postWorld War II era led

gh-length trunks, made popular by U.S. designer Calvin Klein

the youth revolution of the 1960s. New, younger styles domi-

ring the 1990s.

ted fashion from around 1964, with emphasis on slim, natural

ring the late twentieth century, the ultimate in brief un-


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gures. Th

revailing fashions for women were simple, tubular

rpants was adopted in the shape of the thong . A narrow strip

ft dresses and miniskirts, which reached their shortest around of elasticized fabric located betbuttocks rendered

66. In terms of underwear, the desired shape was assisted by the womens underwear complisible from the outside. How-development of spandex, a manmade elastic with much greater

er, in a contrary and perhaps surprising development, fi gure

etch capacity than its natural counterpart. Th

most successful

nimizing underwear has also grown in popularity from the

m was Lycra, created by DuPont. Lycra was widely used in

rly twenty-fi rst century. Usually in the form of heavily Lycra-underwear by the mid-1960sntinues to form a key compo-

nforced tights, knickers, or all-in-one garments, these pieces nent of both underwearterwear. Th

miniskirt also ush-

e designed to slim the fi gure as smoothly and subtly as pos-

d in another key development. Stockings were ousted, almost

le. Provoked perhaps by rising obesity levels, it suggests a lim-wholesale, by tights. Th

were not new. Ballet dancers had been

d return to the control and support of strong foundation wear

aring them for many years, but tights off ered a more modern

beloved of previous generations.

apshot: Th

Corset

hough it has its origins in outerwear, the corset is tradi- adult-style stays at adolescence. Du1820s, corsets re-tionally defi ned as a tight-fi tting undergarment. The boned


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om around 1820, the unrestrictive straight stays of the

evailing fashion, as did the extent to which it was boned and

90s and 1800s were modifi ed in line with the newly fash-

ht-laced. During the crinoline era of the 1850s and 1860s,

able hourglass fi gure. From this period until the early years corsets extended just over the

ey were not laced par-of the twentieth century, the fashionable womens silhouette

ularly tightly since the waist already looked small in com-

manded a slender waist. Corsetry was almost universally

rison to the wide skirts. When bodices clung to the body and

rn, and to relinquish ones stays was seen as socially unac-

ended over the hips during the 1870s and 1880s, corsets

ptable. Although children were laced into rigid boned stays

re more heavily boned and made much longer in order to

ring much of the eighteenth century, by the nineteenth cen-

ntrol the fi gure. They were laced more tightly to emphasize

y attitudes had changed. Little girls did wear models de-

waist and bust, and their length hindered leg movement.

ned for growing bodies, but these followed and supported

e early 1900s S-bend corset, initially designed as a healthier

fi gure rather than compressed it. Girls were only put into

ernative, put the body under even more pressure. Laced to


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4 TYPES

F


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RESS

coffee-colored cotton sateen Victorian corset made by the English fi rm Y&N and dating from 1

1895. It has steel boning and a spoon-shaped busk and is lined with white cotton twill. The bannels are picked out in cream cotton, and the cotton fl ossing matches the scalloped cotton tr

top edge. The corset has additional diagonal seaming for support and shapinga feature o&N brand. Corsets were widely used in West Europe in the nineteenth century, changing scording to the latest fashions. Museum ref: M.2009.03. Image reproduced courtesy of the O

atthews Collection, Chertsey Museum. www.chertseymuseum.org.uk

ashionable tightness, it pushed the bust forward and threw

steels were now held inside casings that were stitched onto

hips back in an unnatural curve.

outside of the corset. From the 1860s, the sewing machine

halebone, inserted into stitched channels, was the most

d a vital role to play in mechanization and mass production,

mmon material for corset construction during the eight-

ich, in turn, led to affordability. Before this time, profession-eenth century. It continued to rt of high-quality corsetry ally made corsets were out of reach for most working-class

ll into the nineteenth century, although cheaper alternatives

men, many of whom made their own. Some manufacturers

re sought. Steel, wood, and cane were all used, but it was

med new models directly at the less-wealthy market. The

t until the 1890s that rustproof sprung-steel supports were

glish fi rm Symington of Market Harborough produced a

ccessfully incorporated into corsets on a large scale. By this

del called the Pretty Housemaid, billed as the strong-

te, basic construction methods had also changed. Bones

and cheapest corset ever made. Steam molding was

NDERWEAR395


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orporated into corset production from the 1880s onward.

mestic Magazine explicitly links tight lacing with fetishism Finished garments were coated irch and put onto

d sadomasochism.

am-heated copper molds. This set them permanently to the

ring the early twentieth century, the narrow waist fell out

sired shape.

favor. Corsets remained but were modifi ed for increasing

e corset was a focus for debate and controversy during

mfort in tune with modern lifestyles and new innovations.

nineteenth century, and it remains so in the early twenty-

the 1960s, the fashion conscious had all but relinquished

rst century. Medical practitioners blamed it for a wide variety corsets in favor of toned mwever, modern designers

ailments ranging from deformed ribs, bifurcated livers, and

ve harnessed the sexuality and powerfully feminine legacy

duced lung capacity to cancer and tuberculosis. The pres-

the corset to great effect. During the early 1990s, Jean Paul

re exerted on the lower abdomen was also said to cause

ultiers dramatic corset-inspired pieces hit the headlines

olapsed uterus and miscarriage. Medical science has since

en Madonna wore them on stage. Since the mid-1980s,

counted a number of these claims, but corsetry is still a

signers including Vivienne Westwood, Thierry Mugler, and

bject for debate. Scholars disagree on whether corsets

ristian Lacroix have also initiated a major reincarnation of


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re the cause of impaired health in a large section of the

corset as fashionable outerwear. No longer hidden under

male population, and some state that corsets were unlikely

ers of clothing, this classic fashion component has been

have caused the majority of the diseases for which they

ccessfully resurrected for the modern era.

re blamed.

e corset has also been assessed from a feminist stand-

EFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

nt. Some nineteenth-century campaigners for womens

hts stated that the corset contributed to sexual inequal-

nzle , David . Fashion and Fetishism: Corsets, Tight Lacing ity. More recently, feminist histove argued that the

d Other Forms of Body-Sculpture . Stroud, UK : Sutton , nineteenth-century corset was a tooerting mens au-2004 .

rity over women, keeping women submissive, immobile,

berts , Helene E. The Exquisite Slave: The Role of Clothes

d semi-invalid. Others refute this, stating that women were

the Making of the Victorian Woman . Signs: Journal of

t forced into corsets by men, rather that the corset was a

omen in Culture and Society 2 (Spring 1977 ): 554569 .

ans by which women could consciously control and ne-

ele , Valerie . The Corset: A Cultural History . New Haven gotiate their own sexuality in a phere, being at once a

d London : Yale University Press , 2001 .

mbol of propriety and obvious sexual allure.

mmers , Leigh . Bound to Please: A History of the Victo-


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s clear that the Victorians were fully aware of the corsets

n Corset . Oxford : Berg , 2001 .

xual allure, as might be expected of an intimate garment

arren , Philip . Foundations of Fashion, The Symington

t enhanced the sexual characteristics of the female body.

rsetry Collection 18601990 . Leicester, UK : Leicester-Corsets feature in erotic art and literad, during the mid-shire County Council , 2001 .

ace Evans

eteenth century, a much-quoted set of correspondence

blished in the mainstream journal

e English Womans

e also Gender ; Subcultural Dress .

ferences and Further Reading

wton , Stella Mary . Health, Art and Reason, Dress Reformers of the Nineteenth Century . Lonhn Murray , 1974 .

rter , Alison . Underwear, the Fashion History . New York : Drama Books , Ribeiro , Aileen . d Morality . London : Batsford , 1986 .

92 .

ele , Valerie . Th

Corset, a Cultural History . New Haven and London : Cunnington , C. Willett , and Pnnington . Th e History of Un-Yale University Press , 2001 .

rclothes . Originally published London : A. Joseph , 1951 ; rev. ed.

arren , Philip . Foundations of Fashion, the Symington Corsetry Collection A. D. Mansfi eldlerie Mansfi eld . London : Faber & Faber , 18601990 . Leicester, UK : Leicestershire Cuncil , 2001 .

81 .

augh , Norah . Corsets and Crinolines . London : Batsford , 1954 .

ing , Elizabeth . Dress and Undress, a History of Womens Underwear .


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ndon : Batsford , 1978 .

ace Evans

ngley Moore , Doris . Th

Woman in Fashion . London : Batsford , 1949 .

vitt , Sarah . Victorians Unbuttoned: Registered Designs for Clothing, Th

Makers and Wearers, 18391900 . London : George Allen and Unwin , 1986 .

e also Snapshot: Synthetics ; England .

Underwear Fashion History Western Europe

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