|
Date: |
|
Description: | In December of 1936, the senior school presented its first dress parade, with a commentary in French and English. Garments had traditionally been modelled by student -mannequins (student models) for viewing at the annual exhibition of work, but this was the first time a dress parade was staged. Dressing for Court Ever since the ruling monarch held formal courts, the women who attended them wore the most expensive clothing they could afford in order to display their social standing. Over the years, a court dress developed which was far more decorative and elaborate than the clothing worn outside the court. By the end of the mid-1920s, a thriving business had been built up by the leading West End dressmakers, fashion houses, and department stores supplying court gowns and accessories. Social etiquette deemed it desirable for women who took part in London's society events to be presented at court. Formal presentations were dropped during WWI, but were resumed in 1922. This led to extra demand for skilled workers who could design, embroider, and make the formal gowns and trains. From the late 1920s to the 1940s, just after the beginning of WWII, the prospectus for the school included a photograph of a court presentation gown made by the students, and indicated the importance given in training for making formal court wear. It was important that students be familiar with the regulations pertaining to court wear: court gowns of the inter-war period usually followed the same line as fashionable evening dress with the addition of a prescribed headdress, veil, feathers. The 1937 edition of Dress Worn at His Majesty's Court* states that "trains should not exceed 2 yards, and the veil held in place by three white feathers mounted as a Prince of Wales Plume and should be no longer than 45 inches." Although white was the preferred colour for debutantes, coloured gowns were permitted. Black was worn for mourning. Court gowns, without their trains were often reused for formal eveningwear. * Herbert A. P. Trendell, editor, 1937. Dress worn at His Majesty's court . London: Harrison & Sons. Trade overalls Notes in the archive indicate that, from the 1915 inception of the Trade School for Girls at Barrett Street, pupils wore trade overalls that reflected their area of study. From the photographic archive, the following convention seems to have been followed up until the mid-1930s, with some possible exceptions for hairdressing students during the early years of the school: · Dressmaking students - wore white overalls with red and green embroidery. · Embroidery junior students - wore white overalls with collars embroidered in orange and gold · Embroidery senior students - wore white overalls with embroidered monograms · Tailoring students - wore blue overalls (these appear dark in the black and white archive images) · Hairdressing junior students - wore short sleeved overalls with black and white embroidered collars · Hairdressing senior students - wore plain white overalls During this period, overalls may also have been characterised by the cut of the neckline: round necks for embroidery students, square necks for dressmaking students. This differentiation is at times seemingly inconsistent in the photographic archive, although it has been reported by at least one historian who has studied the history of the London trade schools. Around the early to mid 1930s, trade overalls for students were changed to wrap around garments. No uniforms were required for mature evening students of any period. | Subjects: | photograph uniforms trade overalls ostrich feather fan female students eveningwear annual exhibition veil womenswear beadwork headdress dresses train Dressmaking/Design: fashion show Prince of Wales plumes embroidery court presentation gown | Source: | Vads | Creator: | Artist: Photographer unknown Creator Corporate Name: Barrett Street school | Identifier: | http://www.vads.ac.uk/large.php?uid=7626... | Go to resource |
|
|