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150 years females in fashion
Stations of underwear on the “up-coming” way

At the beginning of the 20th century the “up-coming” of underwear has experienced a stylish highlight with the exclusive Chanel fashion made of men’s underwear-textiles.

Within the last 150 years underwear has played different roles in fashion. The leading role of lingerie as an integral part of Haute Couture is completely new. For the Triumph International Fashion Award designers have created around and with lingerie breathtaking pieces of Haute Couture.

In the last 150 years this “up-coming” impulses for underwear can be watched. The history of woman can be read parallel to it. Woman has escaped from bondages which may not be reduced to a corset: she presents her femininity.

At the end of the 19th century women of most countries of Western Europe got the possibility to enter universities. But often subjective decisions of the faculties decided against the acquisition of education.

When the “Miss” rules: disturbing “mis”rules or necessary “new”rules
Women are often reduced to external signs. Perhaps this is the reason why they often chose the way over clothes to reform social structures. 1851 the American feminist Amelie Bloomer supported equal rights for women in the area of clothes to make it easier for women "to move freely".

The woman trousers "bloomers" named after her have caused a lot of excitement although they were completely covered with a broad knee-length skirt. Trousers were wearable for the lady merely under the most ankle-length skirt as underwear, "Pantalons”. The visibility of lingerie was regarded as a violation of the social rules. But however, the new “Miss”-rules couldn’t be held back in the western world in the middle of the 19th century any more.

Stylish eruptions with the help of sport
Women still have another area for “Miss”-rules besides fashion which conspicuously often appears together with the stylish eruptions: sport

Although Amelie Bloomer's lady trousers were not accepted on the streets, but they were very fashionable in the gymnastics hall. The bloomers also became an example for the knickerbockers of the cyclists at the end of the 19th century. The next attempt was made in London in 1909: the split skirt became fashion at the horse-riding.

Women go for men’s underwear
The “up-coming” of underwear has experienced a stylish highlight with Coco Chanel 1914/15 which should influence fashion-designers of the following decades lastingly. Chanel used beige cotton knitwear of men’s underwear for the outer clothing of sportive ladies.

A new style was developed from this uniting fashion. With the use of textiles from another genus in ladies' wear the sportive, elegant style which is the base of today's "Business/Casual" was born. This style has achieved the highest share worldwide with average 50% in the ladies' wear due to the growth of women’s employment in the meantime. In comparison with this Sportswear and Formal Wear in most countries rank on the second and third place of the carrying habits.
Source: International Wool Textile organization, I.W.T.O.: Vision and Perspective of consumer Behaviours and trends in Clothing. A Global Study executed by Kurt Salmon Associates. Deutscher Fachverlag 2004

So the history of “up-coming” has also statistically provable consequences in fashion: by the equal rights of women a whole division of clothes was established. Business clothes were restricted to the man up to the second half of the 20th century.

The body in the centre of stylish liberation
The body is the central topic in the history of the last 150 years of women’s wear. It is all about that differences of the body which restricted the liberty for women as pointed in the trousers question of Amelie Bloomer 1851.
At the beginning of the eighties not only the business outfit has become an indispensable topic for women who have for the first time reached the leadership floors. A further material from the underwear area is included in the outer clothing: Lycra. Azzedine Alaïa puts the body dramatically into scene with bondage-elements and elastic material. The sport again accompanies this stylish eruption: overalls with cyclist trousers are Alaïa's greatest success.

In 1988 the next designer follows the "up-coming" movement. His greatest fans are from the show biz like Madonna: Jean Paul Gaultier was inspired by corsets and bras for his famous outer clothes. By the high stylization of lingerie the ban was broken. The reduction to something nobody can see, like the corset, was eliminated by showing it. The woman isn't further subject to the compulsion of veiling/revealing. And this doesn't have only to be related to her body but on her femininity as a whole.

Femininity newly designed
Designers from the whole world have fashionably explained the female icon "Pin-up" for the Triumph International Fashion Award 2005. The current form of expression of femininity in fashion is in the centre of the competition. More than 700 sketches sent in show the wide spectrum of international creativity. 7 designers selected by an expert jury present themselves in www.fashionoffice.org/triumph.

Rafael Gomes, one of the selected designers for the Triumph Award 2005, described his inspiration for the Pin-up as follows:
"This year's motto for the Fashion Award immediately fascinated me. I sat there for hours and tried to design clothes which granted looks at the Triumph lingerie. Discontent met me. I was sorry to cover the parts to which I wanted to give effect. Basta!
I disengaged from the idea underwear belongs to be covered. This was the idea! The Pin-up of today carries the “under” as part of “outer” wear. The self-confidence of women has changed! In Triumph lingerie the Pin-up completely secures her glamorous appearance! The materials are so various, of highly quality and feminine that they will perfectly fit for the Oscar’s Night." Rafael Gomes

Photos and text about the collections of Triumph International: www.triumph.com/press
Contact for interviews, more information: Dr. Karin Sawetz, fashionoffice.org, phone +43.1.76985-101, email home@fashionoffice.org