Photo Lingerie on display at the "Undressed" exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Credit Anthony Devlin/Press Association, via Associated Press
LONDON — Enter any clothing store these days and you are likely to find yourself faced with the G.L.R.: the Great Lingerie Resurgence. White paneled silk slips trimmed with whispers of black lace at Céline, scallop-edged organza shorts and chemise tops at Dior and a seductive mishmash of boudoir and boardroom in the form of peek-a-boo bralets and power suiting at Givenchy and Balenciaga — we are in an underwear-as-outerwear moment.
And the theme is not limited to the runways: This month, the luxury department store Selfridges unveiled its Body Studio, a 37,000-square-foot space dedicated to off-duty dressing, and an exhibition described as the largest ever devoted to the subject opened Saturday at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
"Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear" examines the big role that undergarments have played in shaping cultural attitudes, gender tensions and shifting style trends, and it helps to explain our endless fascination with what lies beneath.
Photo Tamila lingerie set from an Agent Provocateur collection for spring 2015. Credit Sebastian Faena, via Victoria and Albert Museum London
From corsets, caged crinolines and whalebone stays to bras, briefs and padded boxer shorts, more than 250 objects, along with film images, packaging and advertisements, depict the history of underwear from the mid-18th century to the present.
"It is serendipitous that we are opening right at a moment where underwear, and its ongoing transition from a deeply private to provocatively public garment, continues to be a major creative and commercial trend," said Edwina Ehrman, curator of both the exhibit and the Textiles and Fashion sections at the museum, noting the surging popularity of athleisure clothes, pajamas as daytime garments and luxury loungewear.
"A show must always include contemporary pointers as well as the historical ones, if visitors are to successfully make sense of it,'' she continued, "and we are currently in an ever more informal era that embraces the gap between dress and undress."
The exhibit, however, demonstrates that underwear as outerwear is nothing new and devotes an entire floor to its historical antecedents. Showstoppers include a simple 1911 silk evening slip by Paul Poiret that could have gone down a runway last season and 1920s pajama playsuits for the cocktail hour. Contemporary selections include a white chiffon Alexander McQueen bustier dress plated with gold and padded at the hips, and an Empire-style embroidered muslin gown with matching lace panties by John Galliano for Givenchy, both of which took cues from the allure of 18th and 19th century bedroom attire.
Photo A corset dress from Antonio Berardi's spring 2009 collection, worn by Gwyneth Paltrow at a 2008 red carpet appearance in Paris. Credit Sipa Press/REX Shutterstock, via Victoria and Albert Museum London
On another floor, and in a break from convention, the layout turns thematic rather than chronological, deconstructing the shared sociological underpinnings of fabric scraps spanning centuries, nationalities and classes. Section titles include Fashion; Health and Hygiene; Volume; and Performance Underwear — and include some unexpected revelations.
For example, panties are a relatively recent innovation: Drawers didn't make an appearance until the early 1800s. And many of the most progressive and enlightened underwear designers of the 19th century were women, harnessing new technologies and materials in the design of corsets and bustiers to allow women greater ease of movement and less physical strain.
Thoug h Ms. Ehrman was at pains to stress that corsetry should not be seen purely as an instrument of paternalistic and physical oppression — "Cut, fit, fabric and visibility continue to play a powerful role in the way a wearer of an undergarment is able to present themselves to the outside world, sculpting their sense of dignity and self-confidence," she said — the brutal beauty of a cerise satin corset alongside X-rays revealing its impact on internal organs is startling.
And a Spanx-style waist trainer, the kind of slimming tool endorsed by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, posed stretchy, neutral-toned questions on how much 21st century underwear continues to subjugate, rather than empower or celebrate, the female physique.
Photo A 1936 advertisement, designed by Hans Schleger for the Charnaux Patent Corset Co. Ltd. Credit Hans Schleger Estate, via Victoria and Albert Museum, London
But Sarah Shotton, creative director at the lingerie retailer Agent Provocateur, an exhibit sponsor, said that today more women were buying such items for themselves rather than for male delectation.
"There are more styles in the market than ever before, incorporating more body shapes and sizes, and that scope and scale allows women to find an expression of femininity, confidence and her desires that suits her best," she said.
"As attitudes and boundaries continue to shift, more women are finding what works for their bodies, and that's beautiful to see."
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