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Start Over Exhibit Tags Garments

11. Look L

Description:
By 1910, the ‘S’ curve gave way to the narrow sheath dress with a higher, empire-style waistline. A more free-form silhouette came into fashion and the ideal body consisted of slender hips and a more girlish lower body. In 1913 another major fashion change came about: collars were no longer up to the ears and the V-neck became popular, causing a great deal of excitement as more skin of the upper chest was exposed. Keeping with the trend of lavish spending, labor intensive ornamentation characterized of this period. The hand beadwork and exquisite detailing on this 1914 court dress of cut velvet and chiffon is a wonderful example of the physical embodiment of prosperity and wealth.
Attribution:
Unknown
Date:
1914

12. Look O

Description:
By the end of the 1920s hemlines plummeted and curves began a subtle comeback as the 1930s saw bias-cut, creatively seamed dresses hug the body’s silhouette. Fashions of the time revealed the shoulders, exposed the back, and skimmed the body in narrow sheath dresses that showed off the curves beneath. Height also became newly desirable. This dress was designed by prominent French fashion designer Edmond Courtot.
Attribution:
Edmond Courtot
Date:
ca. 1931-1932

13. Look Q

Description:
After the war the United States saw a nation-wide return to “traditional” gender roles and family values, which resulted in the baby boom. Post-war women’s fashion was influenced by Dior’s 1947 “New Look.” The tiny waist of yesteryear returned to fashion, emphasized by voluminous skirts with longer hems and a dramatic bust that played up the hourglass figure. Advertisements of the time even pushed weight-gain supplements to help women “fill out” their figures. The red suit shown here was worn by the donor to her daughter’s wedding in November of 1951.
Date:
1951

14. Look T

Description:
The power of the press in fashion was greatly undermined in the 1970s. No longer could a designer—or the press—declare a style popular, like Dior had done with the “New Look.” The public would make their own decisions. While the fashion press pushed for the midi skirt in the early 1970s, the mini skirt remained in fashion. Hot pants also came into fashion during this time, while maxi skirts gained some popularity in the late 1970s. With women’s liberation and second-wave feminism, alongside implementation of Title IX and greater inclusion of women in sports, women’s fashion in the ‘70s saw increased affinity for health and fitness. The long, lean figure remained desirable, but now included the addition of toned muscle. Women’s manipulation of their bodies shifted from external controls, such as corsetry and girdles, to internal controls, such as diet and exercise, and allowed for revelation of bare midriffs and legs.
Date:
ca. 1970

15. Look V

Description:
The fitness craze of the late ‘70s became even stronger in the ‘80s with the explosion of aerobics. High-cut leotards emphasized the length of the leg, a key aesthetic component of the ideal ‘80s figure. The thong leotard was highly popular, showing off toned gluteus muscles. With the growing popularity of exercise, control of body shape continued to revolve around diet and exercise.
Date:
ca. 1980s

16. Look B

Description:
Once Empire waistline dropped to the natural waist, the ideal waist size inevitably became smaller and smaller. The corset therefore came back into fashion as an important, if not critical, undergarment—even for young girls. As waistlines shrunk, skirts grew larger, which further emphasized the tiny waist through contrasting proportions. The child’s corset displayed here is dated between 1825 and 1835.
Attribution:
Unknown
Date:
ca. 1825-1835

17. Look D

Description:
The ensemble shown here is meant to be worn with a hoopskirt. The silhouette of this time period largely depended upon the shape of the hoopskirt: in the 1850s it was symmetrically round and grew larger and larger. Eventually the cage crinolines became flatter in the front and fuller in the back. The cage crinoline featured here is not perfectly circular and some of the fullness has shifted to the back.
Attribution:
Unknown
Date:
1863

18. Look E

Description:
The hoopskirt, also known as a cage crinoline underskirt, was introduced to the world of women’s fashion in the 1850s. The steel-hooped cage crinoline was patented by R.C. Milliet in 1856. Though this style of undergarment may appear cumbersome to us today, scholars argue that it was actually an “instrument of liberation” for women of the time because it was much more lightweight and therefore less restrictive of movement as compared to the layers and layers of petticoats that were previously worn.
Attribution:
Unknown
Date:
ca. 1850-1865

19. Corset

Description:
This tan corset appears to be wired with hook closure in the back. The piece is adorned with pink laces in front and tan lace trim at the top.
Attribution:
Unknown
Date:
Unknown

20. Look J

Description:
During the period between the turn of the century and the beginning of World War I, Americans and Europeans were spending increasingly amounts of money on clothing and accessories. The ideal female figure at this time featured a small waist, modest skirt, and larger chest that was sometimes called a “pigeon breast.” This dress is another of Mrs. Romyn Hitchcock’s, worn when she and her husband were presented in the Court of St. James, London. Corsets of the time pushed the bosom up and forward, while shifting the hips back in an attempt to prevent downward pressure on the abdomen. This corsetry gave the body a dramatic and voluptuous ‘S’ curve. The “Gibson Girl” look was the ideal of the day in the early 1900s, and often included a shirtwaist blouse that elongated the neck with high-boned collars and lightweight fabrics that puffed out from the small waist of a tailored skirt.
Attribution:
Unknown
Date:
1903