Object: Dress
Date: c. 1905
Medium: Blue silk velvet, blue soutache, and cream lace
Country: USA
Credit Line: Museum purchase
Object number: P84.20.1
DescriptionTwo-piece dress with two bodices in royal blue silk velvet. Bodice with velvet yoke, sleeves; trimmed with padded cream crochet lace insets; velvet bodice with blue soutache trim and chinoiserie embroidery CF, lace at yoke, cuffs. Gored skirt with soutache edged release pleats, back fullness
Label Text:By 1900, the fashion silhouette had shifted from emphasizing a full posterior to a prominent bosom. Bustles had fallen out of fashion and new “straight-front” or “s-bend” corsets (purported to be healthier than earlier corsets, though they were more uncomfortable) thrust the wearer’s chest forward, creating a “monobosom.” Intricate lacework and drapery were used to further enhance the bust.
Exhibitions:
- The Body: Fashion and Physique