The Crinoline and Corset

Crinoline

The original Crinoline was a horse hair mixed with linen fabric that kept it’s stiffness to keep the desired shape of the skirt. This fashion began in the 1830’s and as the decade wore on more and more layers and pleating styles were used to give extra fullness to the skirts. As well as these different techniques more and more petticoats were being worn to support the growth of the skirt making the garment extremely heavy and stiflingly hot in the summer. Soon for fashion and decency it was considered essential to wear a minimum of six petticoats.

These numbers of layer of fabric would have made moving around difficult and restricted due to the sheer weight of the garment.

In 1865 the hooped petticoat was introduced and took on the name Crinoline. This freed up the weighed down women by having such a stiff structure underneath that only one petticoat needed to be worn to protect themselves from the hard structure of the crinoline. Now the frame was lighters gusts of wind were known to catch the crinoline making it essential for the women to wear new long drawers as underwear.

Though this new structure was lighter the women’s movement was still massively restricted. The dresses were so large that no one could get very close to them and being a stiff structure sitting down became impossible. They were known to cause damage and breakages when moving around some shops making them a bit of a hazard. But still the cage crinoline was widely embraced and reached even the lowest of classes.

It was still essentially a cage restricting women.

Corset

After 1840 the corset was made in a new style constructed from seven to thirteen separate pieces. There were gusseted reinforces stitched corsets made of strong white cotton which used vertical rows of whale bone shaped to the natural body. These were still laced at the back.

Now that the evening dresses had such a low cut with the shoulders exposed corsets could no longer have shoulders straps.  With the dress bodices gaining in length and having some of their own inbuilt boning this gave not only extra shape but also helped to stop the body fabric from creasing.

There was still a massive emphasis on tiny waists and many women went to great lengths such as sleeping in their laced up corsets to get the fashionable shape. With the corsets and bodices getting longer and being combined with the new cage crinoline it would have further restricted their movement. As mentioned before sitting and probably bending over would have been near impossible.  

Fashion1840-1850 continued

Evening dresses

The Bodice

Cut low off the shoulders either square or having a slight dip in the centre. It was often edged with rows of horizontal pleats which curved down to a point at the waist.

A lace tucker was usual and a deep ‘Bertha’ was almost essential. A ‘Bertha’ was a deep falling border made up of one or more lace frills, ribbon or fancy decoration that usually covered the sleeves.

The evening bodice had a pointed waist, boned, which became longer and sharper after 1846.

The Sleeve

The sleeve was short and tight and initialled edged with frill which soon became insignificant being hidden by the deep Bertha and lace frills.

Colours

Delicate tints which were always in harmony became the preference during this period and primary colours were thought to be bad taste. Printed materials with all over patterns though not glaring were common. The new fabrics available presented a host of new pattern usually small floral’s or very narrow stripes.

Outdoor garments

The Shawl

Came in various sizes but most often consisted of very large squares with a richly fringed edge. In the summer figured silks or embroidered organdie and in winter cashmere with woven or printed design. Paisley shawls were also fashionable.

Fashion 1840-1850

The shapes of the dresses from this period were full of angles which pointed to the clinched in waist which was now extremely low. The shoulders drooped and the sleeves were tight and the full skirts almost touched the ground. The Bodice and skirt were usually made as one with a row of hooks and eyes up the back.

A jacket bodice, separate from the skirt was a style adopted from 1846 and The Princess Robe, without a seam at the waist, the skirt being much gored, appeared in 1848 but was very uncommon.

Day dresses

The Bodice

The bodice was tight and fitted to the body shape, long-waisted, and generally carried down to a point in the front. Dresses of light materials were sometimes round-waisted and then worn with a sash tied in front with floating ends.

The bodice was lined and boned in front with three bones spreading up in a fan shape from the pointed waist. Sometimes the lining had its own hooks and eyes under those which fastened the dress. The bodice itself was fastened with hooks and eyes.

Many Bodices were padded with cotton-wool over the bosom and dress protectors of chamois leather were now used to protect the fabric under the armpits.

The corsage was high and closed round the neck, or half high with a ‘V’ opening. All added decorations was usually arranged as to converge from the shoulders down to the pointed waist to emphasise the gothic angle.

The Jacket Bodice

Close-fitting and buttoned down the front from neck to waist and there finished with short basques.  It was worn with a separate skirt which was fastened at the back though some were joined and merely made to look like a separate jacket in front.

The Sleeve

1.       Tight to the wrist and sometime made with a tight short sleeve over the top with a few Macherons on the shoulder.

2.       The Victorian sleeve, same as above but with fullness at the elbow while still tight above and below. Rouching and a few bouffants were common.

3.       A tight sleeve with a small bell shaped fullness just below the elbow became popular in 1848. These sleeves were finished with white washable half sleeves ending in closed cuffs or open frills known as ‘engageants’. These were tied to the arm under the fullness.

The skirt

The skirt was long enough now to just touch the toes of the shoe and was very full with the material being tightly gathered at the waist at first with organ pleating and later with flat pleats.  The skirts were always lined except for some of the one made from lighter summer materials. The bustle at the back and many layers of petticoats gave the skirt its distinctive domed shape.

In this decade some important innovations were made:

1.       A skirt lining made partly or horsehair was used to give stiffness and support the skirts shape. It was known as a Crinoline and was later replaced by a hooped petticoat.

2.       Skirt hems were braided to protect them against wear.

3.       Large pockets were put into dresses instead of placket holes and small pocket watches were hidden in waistbands.

Double skirts were also introduced with the upper layer ending just above the knee. These were most common for summer wear.

Open robes had a pyramidal opening in the front to show off a decorative petticoat underneath. This was a style commonly used for redingotes and pelisse-robes. The shape of the opening was also often imitated by an arrangement of frills and embroidery.

Skirt trimmings

1.       Flounces could be either one or two deep flounces or a series of smaller ones reaching to above the knees. Flounces were sometimes curved upwards at the from to imitate the open robe.

2.       Rows of material were cut on the cross and often scalloped and laid on the dress in tiers. This form of decoration was used with light fabrics towards the end of the decade.

Inspiration : Nicole Dextras

One of the many things that have inspired me on this project is the artist Nicole Dextras. Her use of plants as clothing has made me think about using a element of fresh flowers in my design. It has opened my eyes to the diversity of natural elements.
With the costumes created from plants, leaves, berries and flowers she was exploring the dysfunctional relationship between nature and our bodies. It can also be seen to point an accusing finger at the fashion industry which is constantly portraying skinny models and has no real concern for the environment int it production of clothing.

Nicole is known as a environmental and ephemeral artist in the way she uses natural materials such as ice, twigs, soil and many other constantly changing materials.

Floriology

Being an avid gardener and flower lover i feel that the Camellia is a very central part of this project. With it being set in the glasshouse i want to keep the focus on these flowers which feature so much in the play. I also feel that using fresh flowers in my design would represent various other elements of Camille's character. The frailty of fresh flowers connect with her delicate state of health and her want to project a image of fragility and innocence. So white flowers are important to project the innocence. White is a colour that is constantly mentioned throughout the play.
As a way of introducing the flowers and extra meaning to my project i looked into the art of Floriology. It is a Victorian craze that swept the country during the 1800's and is basically described as the language of flowers. During this period books were created that two lovers would have to help them decipher the meaning in the bouquets exchanged. This became a common way from lovers to declare their love and passion in a time of strict courting etiquette. Below are some examples of flowers and their meanings.

Daisy - loyal love, gentleness, innocence

Foxglove - stateliness, youth

Lily of the valley - humility

Lily (white) - sweetness, purity

Rose (white) - charm, innocence

Rosebud ( white) - girlhood
Snowdrop - hope
Tulip (white) - i am worthy of you

To the right is a breed of rose which is white but streaked with red. This something that has inspired me to use red as a secondary colour to show her passion, craving from love and the blood of her Tuberculosis all creeping through her pure facade.
This is hoe i came up with the previous idea of having the dress with a red lining which would occasionally show through.

Camellia House, Wollaton Hall

The location for this project and which inspired me to do this project is the Camellia House at Wollaton Hall. An unlikely place to get a connection i know but it made sense to me.

The glasshouse was built for the Willoughby family in 1823, the owners of Wollaton Hall at the time. It was designed specifically to house their stunning collection of Camellia Plants. Sadly by 2004 the building was closed to the public due to vandalism and it's state of disrepair.
It has now undergone extensive restoration and was reopened in 2007.
The building itself is laid out with four quadrangles each of which is covered with a glass pitched roof. The water from the roof was drained through the supporting columns and stored under the glass house to heat and keep the humidity high. Two of the four perimeter walls are fully glazed with the other two walls being rendered brick. To the rear where the wall form a retaining wall there is a boiler house. This is where it is believed that the rainwater would have been heated the keep the atmosphere hot and humid.

Hot air was circulated throughout the building via an ingenious system of pipes, underground gullies and vents as well as through brick vaults under the beds themselves. The design of this building is unique and incredibly sophisticated. 

The overall restoration project cost roughly £1.1 million and the work lasted just under two years. During the restoration the Camellia's were left in situ and were thankfully undamaged and in flower by the time it was reopened.

Wollaton Hall itself was built in 1580 and took 8 years until it's completion. It was comisioned by Sir Francis Willoughby from the architect Robert Smythson. Francis had a very unhappy marrige and had six daughters several of whom ran away to be married.

In 1801 the building was repaired and remodelled by Lord Middleton, the head of the Willoughby family. In the original grounds there was also an orengery which no longer exists.

This building also underwent extensive restoration around the same time the Camellia house was brought back to life.

Paris 1848

At this time King Louis Philippe was on the throne and on the 22nd and 23rd February riots broke out across the city. The poorest citizens and the middle class came together and built barricades in the streets using anything they could find.

In the last few years there had been a massive population boom in Paris causing the divide between the rich and poor to grow ever bigger. The city itself was unmapped and had become a dark and polluted warren of ally ways which overwhelmed the senses. It was not uncommon for pedestrians to get badly injured or killed due to the sheer amount of horse and carriage traffic crowding the narrow streets.

It was not until 1870 that Paris got its wide tree lined streets it is now renowned for. The new Paris was built on the plans drawn up by Napoleon III.

Marie Duplessis

Marie Duplessis was born in 1824 as Rose Alphonsine Plessis in a poor family she was passed around as a child and only moved to Paris when she came of age.
While in Paris she was constantly in and out of jobs and soon came to realise that her looks were best asset. So she began her life as a courtesan and began to work her way up to the wealthiest citizens of Paris.
Her head was turned by the wealth and her days were now filled with shopping and getting ready for the Salon's, Parties or Opera's she now regularly attended. She also developed an appetite for gambling and had her portrait painted by Edouard Vienot, a well known and respected artist of the time.
During her life she was briefly married twice and first met Alexandre Dumas in 1842 when they were both just 18.
They met again in 1844 when they had an affair in which Dumas became insanely jealous of Marie's other lovers. Shortly after her affair with Alexandre Marie's health greatly deteriorated greatly. She suffered from severe Tuberculosis which eventually killed her at the age of 23 in 1847. During her failing health her life began to fall apart and her lovers cast her off and left her at the way side.
Only two weeks after her death all her belongings were auctioned off to pay her many debts.

Alexandre Dumas, Junior

The author of Camille was Alexandre Dumas Junior, the illegitimate child of Marie-Laure-Catherine Labay and Alexandre Dumas. He was born on 27th January 1824 and in 1844 he moved to Saint Germain en laye to live with his father. It was here that he met Marie Duplessis a young infamous Courtesan with whom he had a year long affair.
His work was often inspired by his life and only five months after Marie's death he Wrote Camille.
He later moved to Paris where his career really took off and eventually overshadowed that of his father. His work dominated the French stage for the second half of the 19th Century.
In 1864 he married Nadjeschda von Knorring and had two daughters. After her death he remarried Henrietta Regnier in 1895.