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Fashion has always played a large part in women's lives.
No Place for a Lady: Tales of Adventurous Women Travellers (from the book of the same title by Barbara Hodgson). Exhibit held over at the Vancouver Museum until January 1, 2007 Tripping Lightly: Women’s Travel Costumes from the 1900’s to 1960’s. Presented by Ivan Sayers & Co. on Thursday October 5th, 2006, in conjunction with the above exhibit The exhibit, No Place for a Lady, at the Vancouver Museum highlights the history of globe-trotting women on their journeys abroad when it wasn’t considered very proper for a woman to travel alone. These adventurous ladies recorded, photographed and wrote about their exploits, which are showcased at the museum in all of their splendour. In addition to this fascinating display, Ivan Sayers & Co. presented an extensive fashion show of clothing ladies wore during the early 1900’s up to the 1970’s. Things were much different for females in those days, as proper society not only dictated their etiquette and manners but their clothing as well. Ivan read from a book that was a sort of manual for women’s behaviour. The section on women’s travel elicited plenty of laughter from the audience as he read rules such as what types of fabric were acceptable to what must be carried in the various handbags they carried (for example, not extra money or first aid things, but spare cufflinks and collars- can you imagine the catastrophe if a woman was seen without a cufflink or collar!). Also required underneath their dress in the early part of the 1900’s were gloves, a corset, a corset cover (for a tiny waist), a bustle (for a larger behind, to accent the tiny waist), shoulder pads or a puffy-shouldered style (to minimize the waistline), 3-4 petticoats (to make the waste appear smaller), a bust enhancer (also to emphasize the small waist… you get the idea), and bloomers. This made for a very heavy “costume” and the need for women to seek assistance when stepping onto a train or other activities that the restrictive clothing would not allow. As the wars came and went, so did the length of the hemlines and the use of bare stockings that revealed the shape of the leg with, of course, the line at the back to ensure she was wearing them. Ivan called it “beauty by impairment,” which is seen in so many cultures throughout the ages. Fashion goes back much longer than the 20th century, but even from that timeline we can see how much a woman was defined by her clothing. The corset is a good example of that, which made it hard for a woman to do the most basic of functions, breathe. The exhibit is a wonderful example of women trying to expand their roles in society and inspires us today to step out of the structures that define us and make our own rules. The show has gained such popularity that Barbara Hodgson, the curator and author of the book that the show was based on, will be leading a gallery tour to tell the stories of some of these amazing women. The museum hosts the gallery tour with Barbara Hodgson on Thursday October 19th, 2006 and is free with the museum admission. The Vancouver Museum1100 Chestnut Street Vancouver, B.C. Tel: (604) 736-4431
The copyright of the article Early Women’s Fashion in Body Image is owned by Lori Henry. Permission to republish Early Women’s Fashion in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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