Belle Epoque Style

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2008-02-11T19:43:00.000-08:00

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2007-04-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

All articles to be moved to my author website: camillabartley.com

Part II: Underclothing

2006-10-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

It was in this period that underclothing took on the sensual connotations of the word "lingerie". Ornate, overtly sexual and colorful underclothes began to shift away from the boudoirs of courtesans and into the bedchambers of respectable housewives and independent women. Whereas Victorian underclothing had been functional, the sole function of Edwardian underwear was to attract and tantalize men. Along with the word lingerie used in place of undergarments, other terms changed to reflect the emphasis on seduction; the shift was first called a camisole and then simply known as a "slip" by this period, drawers turning into knickers and petticoats into "frillies". This was the age of frou-frou, that exciting (to men at least) sound of paper-thin lace and chiffon undergarments that whispered as a woman walked--though by the middle of the era, the sound of a swishing petticoat was deemed vulgar.

For the wealthy and unfashionable woman, the proper layer of lingerie was important. The corsetier and couturier one purchased one's lingerie from was a symbol of status, not to mention the knowledge that the lady had a special someone with whom she flaunted her undergarments. The time spent attiring a lady was consuming, despite the fact that she was required to change her dress at least four times in one day, sometimes up to ten times if attending social events or at a Saturday-to-Monday.

For the fashionable lady, her first layer of clothing were combinations, a kind of pant and vest in one piece which gained popularity in the 1870s with the introduction of the "Princess style" dress. This "combination" greatly reduced the bulk that would have accompanied a separate chemise and pantaloon. Generally made of wool or a mixture of wool and silk, they came in a number of styles: strapless for eveningwear, or with a skirt in the back to hide the slit in the pants.

Laced tightly over this was the corset. Late Victorian corsets were usually made of coutil, sateen, silk, satin, jean or batiste and often decorated with lacing. During this period, vibrant, bold colors such as blue, yellow, pink, and red--and even striped and embroidered corsets--began to replace the staid black, white, grey and brown, the emphasis of the corset as an undergarment shifting from a utilitarian piece of clothing and into one of titillation. Due to over-hunting, whalebone was extremely expensive during this period, most corsets boned with cheaper substitutes such as Coraline and featherboning(made from chicken feathers). Heavily boned, most corsets featured up to 30 bones! The holes the laces (mostly grosgrain ribbon) passed through were metal grommets, the busk fastening with metal clips down the front. By 1905, corsets began to feature a basque (otherwise known as stocking suspenders) upon which a lady could clip her stockings to in lieu of garters. The shape of the late Victorian corset remained unchanged: fitted over the bosom and hips with curved busks that compressed the stomach and supported the spine--though a movement for "health" corsets gained precedence as this decade wore on. With the turn of the century came the S-bend corset; called thus due to the peculiar arch of the back this corset produced, causing women to thrust their bosom forward and their hips backwards, giving the hourglass shape then popular. With the shift in fashion around 1908 (the rise of the
Regency-throwback, Directoire style), skirts and bodices narrowed, the emphasis now placed on an overall slimness. As a result, corsets were designed to compress the waist and hips, no longer covering the bosom. They were also quite long, ending at mid-thigh, early corsets of this portion of the era causing a slight difficulty in sitting and standing. The longer cut of the corset needed fewer boning and instead of running through the entire corset, the busks and boning were shortened, allowing freer movement. In reaction to the over-all slim, simple silhouette, corsets returned to plainer colors of pink and white, though most continued to have trimmings.

A special occasion corset was the "ribbon" corset: it was actually made up of silk ribbon. Due to its delicacy, this style wasn't worn for tight lacing or for everyday usage, but was worn in the boudoir, specifically for wedding nights or for lovers. They were popular with very young ladies and tended to be worn by the very slim and active, as ribbon corsets weren't constructed to support a fuller figure.

For a brief period in the 1900s, to achieve the womanly, wasp-waisted hourglass silhouette of the Gibson Girl, bustles were worn. Generally made of cloth stuffed with horsehair, "healthier" versions were made of mesh. The rule of thumb for usage was under the corset if one was shortwaisted and over the corset if one was longwaisted.

Over this came the camisole, a kind of under-blouse that buttoned down the front, was gathered at the waist and was trimmed with lace around the neck and puffed sleeves. During the 1910s, underclothing became simpler, reverting from the frillies and frou-frou of the 1890s and 1900s, often having square necklines instead of being very fitted with darts and seaming. The chemise which was usually made very full and long (coming down mid thigh or almost to the knees), evoloved into the lighter, shorter and simler camisole.

A pair of frilly knickers was then put on. Sometimes buttoning at the waist and sometimes tied with tapes, they (and the camisole) were made of very fine material such as lawn, nainsook, and nun's veiling, and were always white.

Stockings, mostly made of silk or lisle thread, of cashmere in the winter and of merino for country wear, were strictly made in the colors of brown, black, white, grey and bronze in the 1890s and 1900s, though they were sometimes allowed to match the dress or shoes. Many were decorated with woven styles such as clocks or birds. By 1908, brighter colored stockings grew fashionable: greens, purples, etc, and often matched to neckties. 1912 brought about the stocking made of artificial silk by the American Viscose Company, its appearance of silk enabling working-class girls the opportunity to flaunt their stockings like ladies; the slits in skirts worn to dance the tango or the turkey trot making expensive (or expensive looking), colorful stockings essential.

The last undergarment essential to a lady was the waist-petticoat, made of lawn or rustling silk. It was laid upon the floor in a circle and the lady stepped into the center, the maid lifting the petticoat up and tying it around the waist. Tightly-laced, secured and buttoned up, the lady was then ready to be attired for whatever occasion of her day or night.

For men, the union suit, a long-time staple of both men and women(until the mid-19th century), was de riguer. Made of a knitted material,they possessed a flap in the front and the back for neccessary needs. The jock-strap was invented in 1874 by a Chicagoan named C.F. Bennett to provide protection when gentlemen rode bicycles. By the end of the 1910s, the union suit was split into upper and lower parts, inventing the undershirt and drawers for men. Soldiers in WWI were issued underwear somewhat similar to the modern-day boxer shorts and due to its popularity, supplanted the union suit as the mode of men's underwear.

Go Back: Part I Coming Next: Part III: Women's wear

Intro

2006-09-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

Over the past three years, during which I have been writing avidly, my fondness for the period known as "Belle Epoque" has deepened to the point where I have two dozen books in my personal library devoted to the time era. Sadly enough(to me at least) the period isn't well known to anyone besides scholars.

In my research I've found that there was a resurgence of interest in the Edwardian era(1901-1914) during the 1970s--which is why many of my books have 1970s publication dates--but after that decade, interest and in fact, knowledge seems to have faded away to a few select people. In fact, more people seem interested more in the Victorian era(1837-1901) than in the "last hurrah" of the aristocracy(actually, WWII was the death knoll for the dazzling, whirlwind way of life the British and European aristocracies and monarchies had enjoyed for the past centuries). I sum it up with the fact that many people associate time periods with popular novelists still enjoyed today, such as Dickens, Eliot, Dumas fils, and their ilk. But surprisingly, authors who are rarely considered to be "Edwardian" or "Belle Epoque" were a product of this ever-changing time period. Writers such as Virginia Woolf and her Bloomsbury group, D.H. Lawrence, Tolstoy, E.M. Forster, W. Somerset Maugham, and James Joyce, for example, were authors who wrote a number of titles in the period before WWI.

My other fascination for this period stems not only from the luxurious, sumptuous fashions, but for the technology that we have either long taken for granted, or have moved on to better, faster technology. Electricity, that invention of Edison, was used more frequently, rapidly finding its way from public buildings and into the homes of those who could afford it. It was the 1900 Universal Exposition in Paris, in which the entire city was lit by electricity, that earned the city its long-lasting moniker of La Ville Lumiere, or "The City of Light". The cinema found its roots in the mid-1890s, first with Edison(America and England) and the Lumiere Brothers(France), before quickly spreading as a new form of entertainment for the masses with a twenty year period. The record player, better known as the gramophone in Britain, and as the phonograph in North America gained presidence, as a it brought music to people, as opposed to the longtime habit of going out to listen to music. It was also the gramophone/phonograph that brought about the widespread popularity of ragtime and its accompaning dances, and later the tango, during the first fifteen years of the twentieth century. The most important technological advance was that of the motorcar. You can read my article written for All About Romance here. Also being developed during this period was the radio and early prototypes of household appliances such as the vaccum cleaner, the refridgerator, etc.

As for fashions, while men remained relatively unchanged in style(even up until the 1950s!), with only additions for sportswear, womens fashions changed radically. Not only were new fashions aimed at the New Woman--the young, independent lady of middle-class origin (and sometimes upper-class) who most likely either attended college or was employed--but as the time period wore on, the amount of clothing women wore began to lessen until, by the year 1914, hemlines had begun their discreet ascent.

But even as the period was marked by a spirit of progression, the old Victorian ways still clung to society. Though many servants moved to cities to work in factories, the large houses still required a bevy of servants to run them. The aristocracy, though encroached upon by American millionairs, Jewish bankers and industrialists, still reigned surpreme in the eyes of man. Young aristocratic ladies remained almost as secluded as their mid-Victorian counterparts(though oddly enough, a young, unmarried lady was allowed to travel by train with her horse, but wasn't allowed to walk down the street without a maid). And young men sowed their wild oats with expensive courtesans and women of their own class, and dreamt of the church, the military or politics.

I hope my enthusiasm for the period has shone through, and I hope you'll come to enjoy it as much as I do.