#vestee

Snazzing up the Basic Dress in 1950: McCalls 1521

If you’ve read The Lost Art of Dress, then you know I am fond of the collars and cuff sets that were designed to take a basic dress--relatively plain, but well made, with good lines--and made it possible to wear day in and day out. These were particularly valuable for women who worked in offices in the first half of the 20th Century. This one dating to 1950 has so much variety that it would suit several basic dresses, including one with a deep V neckline and a higher, rounded neckline.

It has the plain rounded collar, then dainty, frilly, and embroidered rounded collar along with the small but sporty collar with brighter tie. Not to mention a small collar with turned back points. Then it veers towards the large lapel collar, the long draped collar, the long shawl collar, and even the long shawl collar with frills and embroidery. One can almost imagine her switching out one at the end of the day if she wanted to go from serious to frilly instantly.

Then there are two that cover far more: an overlay with a Mandarin collar and matching cuffs, and a kind of “vestee” which would be worn under a suit jacket that was never taken off.  Look closely, and you will even see a small winged collar that also manages to scallop at the back. When Harriet Pepin mentioned that the designer who was good at collars could make a career of it, you can see why this talent was so valued. Out of bits and pieces of remnant fabrics, these collars could make a basic dress suit almost any mood. I haven’t made any of them yet, but give me time.

Collar Research- 9/3/21

As luck would have it, this video on making 1910s Edwardian Vestees was uploaded just in time for this project.  Everyone who knows me knows that I love dress history and historical costuming, and I found this video incredibly interesting, from the history on Vestees and how they were worn and used, to the technical end of the process of drafting and sewing these designs.  Nicole Rudolph, a dress historian, is an absolute fountain of knowledge, especially when it comes to the construction of historical garments.  I have a feeling I will refer back to this video once or twice throughout this project as I develop my ideas. Below is a fashion plate from 1914, depicting women wearing vestees.

This video also got me thinking about Regency Chemisettes, a popular accessory in women’s dress during the beginning of the 19th century, so about 100 years before the vestees discussed in this video would have been worn.  The French word ‘chemisette’ literally translates to ‘little chemise.’  It was a garment that was invented at the beginning of the 19th Century, sometimes for modesty, sometimes for fashion, sometimes for both, but mostly was used to fill in the lowering necklines of the dresses.  They were essentially a half bodice that was worn under the dress, and would cover the shoulders and neckline.  I feel like there is a misconception that this was all for the sake of modesty, as many fashion plates and artworks of the time show dresses also worn without the chemisette, so I suspect it was a similar situation to the earlier fichu of the 18th century, where it was primarily for fashion and to add some protection from the sun.   The style changed and adjusted throughout the period, depending on the most recent fashions of the time. Below I have pictured two extant chemisettes from the Metropolitain Museum of Art, as well as a painting of Charlotte Frobank wearing a chemisette.