The Clothing of Summer 1920: Undergarments

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. “Woman In Undergarments, Ca. 1921.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1919.

My primary focus for this project will be the clothing I will make and wear. Through these garments, I will be able to explain changes and events in society and the world. I will make a variety of clothing that would have been worn by a working class woman in mid-summer, 1920. I will begin my research and my making with the foundation layer: undergarments!

There is an incredible amount of research to do– I know very little about this time period, and am just getting started on learning about fashion history in general. Therefore, I will give lots of credit to other fashion historians, as well as spend a lot of time looking at old catalogs, advertisements, and photographs.

The first thing to recognize is that we are talking about the year 1920- not 1925! In reality, the majority of the clothes we wear are not brand-new. Everything I am currently wearing (modern, you should know) was bought at least a few years ago, and all of it second-hand! It is rare that we would find ourselves dressed in clothing all as new as a year old. This was the same as how people dressed in the past– arguably more so then, as cloth and clothing were more valued/valuable in 1920 than they are today.

A person in 1920 would have been wearing clothing that had been made in the past few years. That is the variable I will hold to as I research and make these garments. Also, I will take nods and hints from clothing created in the 1921-23 range, as they will be similar to what was going on in 1920.

These will include:

COMBINATIONS

1919 LADY SEALPAX Women’s Underwear Fashion Print Ad via Ebay

As depicted in this advertisement from 1919, the layer that was worn closest to the body was a lightweight, breathable union-suit-esque garment called combinations. The advent of sportswear for women in the preceding decade(s) obviously had an influence on the styles and messaging, as seen above.

I will be making combinations like these or like others you can see under the corsets in the following pictures.

CORSET

Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog, 1918.

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. “Woman In Undergarments, Ca. 1921.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections.

I grew up with a strong aversion to corsets, this being due to a woman I met when I was about 10 at a historical event who told me she wore a corset every day, and that it had so successfully pushed her organs out of place that she had a wonderfully small waist! I therefore was trepidatious when I first began learning about corsets from a historical standpoint, as I have recently been doing. I have learned a lot from people such as Cathy Hay of Foundations Revealed about how corsets are not necessarily terrible– in fact, they were part of women’s wardrobes for over 200 years, and they simply would not have lasted that long if they were not useful!

Here is a link to a Foundations Revealed article on Busting Corset Myths. If you are curious about this subject that is useful to read. In my short version, corsets seem to have provided useful support as well as considerable warmth. I had an “ah-ha” moment when I realized that one of the reasons shawls were so popular “back in the day” is because the torso would have been warmed by the corset, leaving the arms and shoulders needing to be covered with a shawl. Though, it is harder to do things in a shawl compared to a jacket or sweater. Luckily, in the 19-teens and 20’s sweaters were very popular for women, as I will describe in a later post.

I will be making the “Rilla” corset by Scroop Patterns, a modern corset pattern dated for 1913-1921, perfect for a woman in 1920.

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. “Barkers Display Of 10,000 Royal Worcester Corsets.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1918.

 

CORSET COVER & PETTICOAT

Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog, 1918.

The two garments that come next, the corset cover and petticoat/slip, would be worn over the combinations or union suit and corset. They are both practical and holdovers from fashion of the nineteenth (and earlier) century. It is my understanding that they will go out of fashion in the years following the early 20’s.

The corset cover is worn as a layer to hide the corset from sight, to smooth out the bust line, and as a layer under sheer shirtwaists.

The petticoat, a precursor to the half-slip, is worn under skirts for modesty and cleanliness, and warmth in winter. In summer it would have been one lightweight petticoat, and in 1920 the fashionable silhouette became very long and lean, so the frills of Victorian petticoats were abandoned for simple, straight lines.

I may also make a slip to wear under dresses, which I will research further.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog, 1918.

STOCKINGS

Last but not least, stockings are needed to complete this summer wardrobe. Yes, even in summer, stockings were worn for modesty and fashion’s sake. I already own two pairs that would be suitable for 1920, and will try making some of my own!

Sears, Roebuck and Co. Catalog, 1918.

So with that, I leave you with the primary items on my list to make, and the foundation garments of a summertime outfit in 1920.

Up next: Dresses, skirts, and blouses (known then as shirtwaists, or just waists).

In the meantime I hope to update with some posts of completed undergarments and the process it took to make them.

The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection, The New York Public Library. “Correct Poise Is Attained And Natural Poise Is Improved Through The Wearing Of “Jurna” Corsets.” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1918.