Ephemeral Elegance

It's FRIDAY FASHION FACT! Today's topic is another fantastic example about how fashion was a reflection of society. This is a particularly important example, though, because this fashion reflected the early seeds of feminism, as women fought for the right to an education in an age where they were only allowed to pursue domestic endeavors. We're talking about dishabille.

(Sidenote: This was another section of my masters dissertation, where I also discussed how riding habits reflected another angle of the early feminist movement. You can read my Fact on that here.)

Dishabille, derived from the French word "déshabille" meaning “undressed,” has it's origins as private homewear in the 17th century, yet it first became commonplace as a fashion to be seen when the banyan rose in popularity in men's portraits (read here.) Not long after the style became popular for men, though, women began claiming the trend as their own.

There was a huge range of dishabille among women. It could mean anything from a disheveled look to undergarments and a robe. Sometimes stays were simply loosened, other times women went without stays altogether. A woman might wrap herself in a shawl, or wear an banyan and turban very similar to that worn by men. As with the men, these styles were intended to be worn in private, yet it became a common, and very meaningful, choice for portraits.

Some women may have wished to be depicted in dishabille because it seemed shocking and rebellious. More often, though, it appears as though women wished to display their own intelligence by wearing similar fashions to those worn by male scholars and intellectuals. Women strove to demonstrate that they embraced the pursuit of intellectual endeavors, and were fully capable of achieving academic accomplishments. As with men's banyans, dishabille was a sign of function over fashion. This is emphasized by the fact that over half of all female dishabille portraits depict the sitter with a book in hand, or sometimes a pen. They also are often depicted with a pensive expression. Many of the top members of the Bluestocking Society, an organization which promoted the education of women, were depicted in dishabille. The look was also often melded with classical inspirations, as neoclassicism was simultaneously gaining popularity (read here).

It is important not to confuse dishabille in portraiture with boudoir or toilette genre paintings, which were also common at the time. Those genres were intended to either be seductive images or realistic depictions of everyday life. Dishabille was meant to imply a disregard for high fashion in lieu of more substantive and intelligent pursuits. Of course,  as the dishabille style gained popularity into the late 18th Century, women may have begun to choose to be portrayed in such a manner because it became the fashionable thing to do. Additionally, as it gained popularity in portraits, it also gained more popularity in real life. With the help of Marie Antoinette's casual cotton chemise (read here) women began to wear mild forms of dishabille outside the house. Naturally, traditionalist were shocked and appalled by the loose, relaxed fashions. But as we know, the softer styles would eventually take over the formal rococo fashions, and by the end of the century, classicism reigned supreme.

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Welcome back to FRIDAY FASHION FACT! Today's topic is one that seems to be quite the curiosity to many people, or, more accurately, to many women. That's right, I'm finally covering maternity wear in the age of corsets! It's no wonder why this topic is so perplexing to so many people- it is a shockingly un-discussed area of fashion history. We rarely, if ever, see images of pregnant women throughout history. What we commonly see, though, is women with teeny-tiny waists that are caged in and perfectly flattened by stays and corsets. Clearly, those styles didn't leave much room for a little alien growing in a woman's belly. Yet the fact that we all here today is proof that the vast majority of women throughout history were pregnant at some point in their lives. This means that some sort of clothing accommodating a rapidly growing midsection had to exist. So what did it look like?

Up until the Renaissance, maternity wear was barely, if at all, different from regular dress. This is because in these early days, clothing was not fitted to the body. Fabric was cut in rectangular pieces that were laced together, making it easy to tighten or loosen a dress. During pregnancy, women would simply loosen the lacing, allowing more of her underlayers of clothing to be visible, possibly adding additional layers. Later in a pregnancy, women simply stayed at home, meaning they could just wear loose undergarments and open robes. During the late Middle Ages, it was in fact fashionable for a woman to appear pregnant, whether or not she actually was. They would wear high waisted gowns with extra fabric gathered around her belly, thus making specific maternity wear unnecessary.

By the Renaissance, though, seams and structure became integral parts of fashion. Stays came into fashion (read here) resulting in a restricted bodice. During this era, women would loosen the bottom of their stays as much as possible during the early part of their pregnancy, thus causing the bump to appear rather low. Those who could afford new clothing would wear shortened bodices as their stomachs grew larger. Those who could not had two options. One, they would wear a man's waistcoat paired with their loose underlayers and skirts. This is because during this era men's waistcoats had vents in the back, held together by lacing which could be loosened. The other option was to wear a bodice that laced in the front, leaving the lacing around the belly open. This would then be covered up with an apron. Using an apron to cover an open bodice that accommodated a full belly remained the go-to style for the pregnant poor for the next couple of centuries.

The first official pregnancy garment was created in the 17th century. Known as the Adrienne dress, the style had loose folds of fabric where normally a fitted waist would be found. The Adrienne developed throughout the next century, and by the 18th century it often included a bib that could be folded down for breastfeeding. In the early 19th century Neoclassical era, fashion was once again in a style that easily accommodated a pregnant figure. By the 1820s, though, structured undergarments made their way back into style, soon becoming the cinched-waisted corsets we associate with the word today. However, maternity corsets were also created around this time. These garments were created to shape, support, and minimize the appearance of a belly. They were adjustable, and some had flaps for breastfeeding. There were countless styles created, all boasting some new-found advantage.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, maternity wear would either raise or lower waistlines, depending on which was more fashionable at the time, to accommodate the shape. The crinoline era used empire waists, as well as separate blouses and skirts, often covered by a large jacket to hide the bump. At home, wrappers and robes were extremely common. The bustle era, with its drop waists, attempted to hide the shape by smoothing it down into folds of fabric by the hips. When tea gowns- unstructured, flowing dresses- were developed towards the end of the Victorian era, they became the fashionable choice for women at home, particularly towards the end of their term. Yet the birth (get it??) of the ready to wear industry (read here) and the downfall of the corset shortly after caused maternity wear to shift towards the distinctive garments we often think of today. That, however, is a topic for another day.

Have a question about fashion history that you want answered in the next FRIDAY FASHION FACT? Just click the ASK button at the top of the page!