Understanding Vintage Silhouettes-The Edwardian Era
As vintage fashionistas, we know how overwhelming it can be sorting through the maze of clothing styles that define each decade. The foundation of each era’s signature look was dictated by the lingerie of the time and is one of the best ways to understand and identify vintage clothing. Although vintage lingerie itself is difficult to date in terms of specific year or season, there are distinct characteristics that define each decade. We’re dedicating our premiere blog posts to a short history of lingerie from the 1890s through the 1950s to provide a better understanding of how our forebearers achieved the perfect silhouette…
Illustration by Charles Dana Gibson Actress Camille Clifford, one of the original
Gibson Girls
The Edwardian Era, 1890s &1900s
The clothing we wear and the styles that come and go are a reflection of our changing times. The dawn of the 20th century was a period of great change and advancement for women. They began to exert their freedom and independence in a society that was previously dominated by men. They became more active in athletic pursuits and social activities outside the home, competed with men in the workplace and pursued their political freedom through the right to vote. It may be difficult to imagine our female forebearers living without the privileges and rights we enjoy today but it’s easy to see how this new freedom must have been exhilarating for young women at the time.
Even without the benefits of modern technology, the Edwardian woman wasn’t that much different from today’s media savvy woman. She was greatly influenced by what she read in magazines and what the popular “celebrities” of the time were wearing. The definitive fashion icon of the Edwardian era was the “Gibson Girl”, named after Charles Dana Gibson, a Life Magazine illustrator whose satirical pen and ink drawings created a new idealized (but greatly exaggerated!) style of feminine beauty and perfection personified by actresses like Camille Clifford and Evelyn Nesbit. By the 1890s, fashion trends began moving in yearly cycles with small periodic changes in sleeve style, skirt shape and length, etc. but the Gibson Girl silhouette (and the foundations used to achieve the look) prevailed throughout the 1890s until it’s demise with the onset of WWI in the mid 1910s.
The S-bend or hourglass figure...Coveted by women of the Edwardian Era
The Edwardian Age was the last period in fashion history where a mature female figure was still
considered the feminine beauty ideal. Known as the S-bend or hourglass, this idealize figure featured a full bosom and hips with an emphasis on a tiny exaggerated waist. The silhouette was achieved through a tightly laced corset with a firm front busk that forced women to tilt awkwardly forward forcing the breasts up and pushing the hips back. Although the bra wasn’t embraced as a separate undergarment until the mid 1910s, the bust of Edwardian ladies was supported by the corset’s tight lacing and extensive boning which resulted in a round, full mono-bosom known as the "pouter pigeon". For those less well endowed, bust enhancers were already in use in the form of soft padding. A soft, rounded hip and rear could also be emphasized with the addition of light padding.
The clever Edwardian woman's version of cosmetic enhancement...bust pads & a little lift to boost her behind!
The Edwardian Era overlapped with La Belle Epoque in Western Europe and the Gilded Age in America. It was a time characterized by innovations in technology, science and culture and the world entered the 20th century with great optimism for the future. This was also a time of economic prosperity for many. It was an era filled with beautiful clothing and luxury living for a select few. Wealthy, privileged women spent a great deal of time and effort dressing every day (often with the assistance of a maid). The corset was an essential piece of equipment to achieve the desired silhouette but many additional layers of underpinnings were also worn before a woman even considered her outermost layer…which was changed throughout the day in accordance with her activities and social engagements.
While Victorian undergarments were designed to be functional and sturdy, Edwardian undergarments took on the sensual connotations of “lingerie” and were designed to be attractive and tantalizing to both sexes. Functional cotton, wool and silk knits in the form of vests, long johns and union suits were worn as a first layer during cooler weather but other under-layers such as combinations, camisoles and petticoats in fine luxury fabrics were becoming more decorative and were meant to be seen and admired.
The Edwardian silhouette required much slimmer undergarments than previously worn. Separate camisoles and open crotch drawers or petticoats worn next to the skin morphed into one-piece garments called combinations. Separate drawers could also be worn with a one-piece Princess-seamed chemise or slip. Both these options greatly reduced the bulk of previous layers and also served a practical purpose. Corsetry was difficult to clean and maintain. Layers worn next to the body could be delicately hand laundered and served to protect a lady’s foundations from excessive soiling.
The first layer...the combination...camisole and drawers or petticoat in one...worn under the corset
Next came the essential corset and over that the corset cover or camisole, a decorative, button-front and relatively fitted garment which protected the outermost layers of clothing from the busk of the corset. A petticoat, generally cut with gores to eliminate fullness at the waist, completed the look.
Corset cover and petticoat...ready to dress for the occasion!
This extravagance began to dwindle with the start of WWI. The shift toward a more active lifestyle, increased awareness of health problems associated with tight lacing and the concern for women’s comfort and safety as they entered the work force during WWI all signaled the demise of the Edwardian corset…
Next up…the WWI Era, the 1910s…
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