Research: 8 Great Lingerie Books
Contemplating the contextual side of intimate apparel research
I have a great love for the aesthetics and materiality of intimate apparel, but their contextual narrative is just as interesting. Between the often delicate layers of fabrics and contouring seams they collect unique, fun, sweet and sometime outrageous anecdotes that other garments do not replicate in the same way. They can reflect culture, economics, social status, occupation and age. For obvious hygiene reasons there are some garments that unless new, samples or worn away from intimate areas cannot be preserved physically. But construction patterns, fabric samples, photographs, illustration and video preserve some elements of their history. Additional garment twinning technology allow us to replicate and as a part of conservation and collection within museums, special collections and archives, there are a multitude of ways in which their legacy and development is being preserved.
I often find myself disappointed by the lack of inclusion of interesting narratives connected to intimate apparel when on display in museums, or the simplified terminology that does not truly take into account the breath of the range intimate apparel and in some instances it is not included at all as part of permanent collection but only in special exhibitions. Now, I thoroughly enjoy a detailed intimate apparel exhibition but feel that they are treated as so separate to fashion that it in a way the conservation of them treats them like fetish objects as appose to sociocultural revealing foundation garments. I studied Contour fashion for three years and have integrated intimate apparel into my research for many years, my PHD even focuses on it. I have found apart from through my course there were very limited sources of places to explore garments in person that aloud you to handle them or explore the construction methods. It is likely due to modesty of society that such important foundation of fashion contextual explorations are so rare, despite many social practices and occupations being built around them yet they are few and far between within museums, books, documentaries, magazines and various sources and collections of research material.
what stories could they tell us? what social cultural antidotes could be revealed that would enlighten us further about the developments and changes in society? How many informative narratives have we lost because they were not collected? How much contextual information is out there to discover that is sored but not on display?
I am always collecting intimate apparel, lingerie and underwear books, board games and general paraphernalia. And as part of my current research, I have found some real gems among the books, I have whittled the list down to the five I have used the most in my current work.
1. Underwear and lingerie
Woman’s Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
This book holds such interesting construction tips, things I didn’t learn on my course as construction has altered over the years. Some of the methods are no longer necessary due to the accessibility of notions over the internet, such as coloured hooks or trimmings to match fabrics. This book also details the ‘whys’ of particular techniques which gives context to some of the things we still do today.
2. Corsets and crinolines
Norah Waugh
This book is an incredible resource for both the construction and the cultural context and materiality of corset style garments. It has been reprinted over the years, but the original is by far the most interesting contextually and this material is what is mostly edited out of the newer publication. The construction information is always kept and so has developed into a instruction manual with some context instead of a full anthology, still an amazing resource.
3. Fashion & Fetishism: Corsets, Tight-Lacing and Other Forms of Body-Sculpture
David Kunzle
This book explores a breath of lingerie categories focusing on how eroticism is closely linked to the developments, use, and representation of lingerie within society. Focused mostly on the global north culture it does touch on some other cultures. Kunzle gathers information surrounding both masculine and feminine intimates reflecting on sexual self-expression. An interesting and well written book that touches on a breath of areas detailing the erogenous entanglement of lingerie as both symbolism and costume.
4. 1000 Dessous: A History of Lingerie
NERET Gilles
This book focuses on a visual narrative history of intimate apparel and its representation and use in media, society and culture. It an interesting snapshot of contemporary lingerie underpinned by some contextual information and historical reflections.
5. Feminine Ideal (Picturing History)
Marianne Thesander
A very interesting book that has been modernised through editing. While extremely thorough in it historical underpinning and contextual information surround not just intimate apparel but the feminine experience I found it to have a bias in the way it spoke about things that left little room for individualise interpretation and displayed a ethical and cultural bias. Even so, a interesting and well documented book that along side other books give an interesting snapshot into the contextual influence of intimate apparel.
6. Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear
Edwina Ehrman
A fantastically curated book that coincided with the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum’s exhibition on underwear. The V&A have a some books on lingerie surrounding their holdings. This one is a modern snapshot view of the timeline of intimate apparel giving a sweeping view and cramming in a lot of contextual information and images.
7. Lingerie: A Modern Guide
Lesley Scott
An interesting, again visually focused, series of books with a contextual underpinning focusing on specific areas of contemporary design and application, while referencing historical context and influence.
8. Corsets: A Modern Guide
Velda Lauder
Another visually focused guide to the contemporary corset curated by arguably one of the greatest contemporary corsetiers. A collection of images, illustrations and art detailing the use, attitudes and development of the corset in fashion, fetish and function.
