"Fashion After Dark"
Reviewed by Vonnie Alto, Regional Coordinator
The "Fashion After Dark" exhibit of women's fashion from 1860 - 1920's re-imagined the 19th century era of artificial light (with its gaslight and early electricity) and its effect on fashion with shimmering silks, dazzling sequins, and sparkling gemstones, man made pearls, and glass beads.
Similar to the D.A.R. Museum exhibit, "An Agreeable Tyrant" in 2016, "Fashion After Dark" positioned faceless mannequins in conversational poses in luxurious historic interior rooms as if they were attending a party, dining, dressing, and conversing in elegance with each other. Other rooms such as the kitchen offer a look back into historic food preparation and the working life of servants.
Interestingly, children and men were excluded from this exhibition because children stayed home during parties and men's fashion was more somber looking minus the sparkle of women's fashion.
Both day and evening wear was embellished with beaded trimmings (i.e. seed beads made of glass, glass beads made from leaded crystal, sequins, rhinestones, and pearls) which glowed and sparkled in the dark interiors.
Notice the contrast between the dim lighting and gleaming gowns. Shades of pink, coral, orange, and red were better colors to wear in the gaslight ear because they shimmered and glowed. This exhibition noted that, "warm colors tended to glow and soften under the warm-toned gaslight." Also, very bright and soft, pastel shades brightened the dark rooms.
Fabrics such as silk and taffeta undulated and shimmered in the shadows and darkened light with their added embellishments (i.e. sequins, glass beads, pearls, rhinestones).
Black and dark evening colors were typically illuminated with beaded trimmings and helped to light up a dim room.
Sequins, popular in the 1890s, presented a fashionable challenge. The exhibition noted that they eventually lose their brightness and easily fall off making a gown look shabby and worn even after few times.
Glass imitation pearls known as pearlized glass created a more softer, delicate shimmer than rhinestones and sequins.
How intriguing to see how gas lighting influenced fashion with fabric and embellishments that compensated for artificial dim interiors but which provided an elegant ambiance to evening activities!
Reviewed by Vonnie Alto, Regional Coordinator
The "Fashion After Dark" exhibit of women's fashion from 1860 - 1920's re-imagined the 19th century era of artificial light (with its gaslight and early electricity) and its effect on fashion with shimmering silks, dazzling sequins, and sparkling gemstones, man made pearls, and glass beads.
Similar to the D.A.R. Museum exhibit, "An Agreeable Tyrant" in 2016, "Fashion After Dark" positioned faceless mannequins in conversational poses in luxurious historic interior rooms as if they were attending a party, dining, dressing, and conversing in elegance with each other. Other rooms such as the kitchen offer a look back into historic food preparation and the working life of servants.
Interestingly, children and men were excluded from this exhibition because children stayed home during parties and men's fashion was more somber looking minus the sparkle of women's fashion.
Both day and evening wear was embellished with beaded trimmings (i.e. seed beads made of glass, glass beads made from leaded crystal, sequins, rhinestones, and pearls) which glowed and sparkled in the dark interiors.
Notice the contrast between the dim lighting and gleaming gowns. Shades of pink, coral, orange, and red were better colors to wear in the gaslight ear because they shimmered and glowed. This exhibition noted that, "warm colors tended to glow and soften under the warm-toned gaslight." Also, very bright and soft, pastel shades brightened the dark rooms.
Fabrics such as silk and taffeta undulated and shimmered in the shadows and darkened light with their added embellishments (i.e. sequins, glass beads, pearls, rhinestones).
Black and dark evening colors were typically illuminated with beaded trimmings and helped to light up a dim room.
Sequins, popular in the 1890s, presented a fashionable challenge. The exhibition noted that they eventually lose their brightness and easily fall off making a gown look shabby and worn even after few times.
Glass imitation pearls known as pearlized glass created a more softer, delicate shimmer than rhinestones and sequins.
How intriguing to see how gas lighting influenced fashion with fabric and embellishments that compensated for artificial dim interiors but which provided an elegant ambiance to evening activities!