From leggings to bell bottoms, miniskirts to maxi dresses, women’s fashions come and go. They are influenced by world events, customs, popular culture, and the role of women in society. Clothing in the Lambton Heritage Museum collection represents one hundred years of change, from the 1860s to the 1960s. Several interesting pieces are highlighted below. The ladies of Lambton definitely had style!
1870s
One of the oldest dresses is also one of the most remarkable. In 1853, Jane Sym married widower Alexander Mackenzie of Sarnia. Twenty years later, he became the second Prime Minister of Canada. Jane accompanied her husband on a diplomatic visit to London, England in 1875. She wore this dress to Buckingham Palace at the invitation of Queen Victoria.
Women’s fashions in the 1870s were complex and restrictive. Styles highlighted mature, full-figured bodies. Corsets and bustles emphasized and embellished curvy hips and artificially narrow waists. Jane’s fashionable black velvet and satin lace dress has elbow length sleeves and a square neckline. This suggests it was a dinner dress rather than a day dress or evening gown. The centre panel guides the eye downwards to the full tiered skirt and a short train.
The dress was made by C. & H. Dickins of London, England. The company’s roots go back to 1803. Known for quality goods and services, their customers included royalty and aristocrats.
1890s
Late Victorian walking suits were practical outfits suitable for travelling and working outside the home. The two-piece brown silk taffeta gown is from the 1890s. The bodice has a high collar, long sleeves, and fastens with a long line of ornamental buttons. Each button is decorated with an image of a bird. The skirt is bell-shaped and would have been worn with a bustle. Skirt and bodice are adorned with elaborate beaded floral appliqué.
A skirt and blouse could be even more casual and was a popular day or morning outfit through the 1910s. This full, floor length skirt is made of fawn-coloured tweed and gabardine. The material is heavy and suitable for cold weather. The style and colour suggest it is also from the 1890s. The skirt is paired with a lined, long sleeved lace blouse with a high neck and pointed cuffs.
1900s
Ladies fashions were extravagant during the Edwardian period, roughly 1900 to 1914. Wealthier women wore several outfits each day suited to different activities. Women achieved an hourglass figure by using an S-bend corset. This pushed the bust up and forward, and the buttocks up and back.
Evening dresses were worn for formal parties, dancing, dining out, or attending the opera. The most revealing dresses, with short sleeves and low necklines, were worn by young, unmarried women. This dress belonged to Anna Mouck. She was photographed wearing it about 1908, when she was in her late teens or early twenties. Originally from Wiarton, Anna moved to Sarnia with her husband James Marshall Arnold after their marriage in 1922.
Anna’s stunning turquoise and gold cocktail dress has sheer, tasselled sleeves and gold detailing. A statement-making blue and orange peacock feather adorns the waist. The rich and pastel hues, gilt lace, net, fringe, multi-layer skirt, and tubular, column-like shape were on-trend and fashion forward for the time.
1910s
Until the First World War, the skirt and blouse outfit continued to be incredibly popular. Skirts got narrower and slightly shorter to clear the ground while walking. A one-piece dress in a similar cut was an alternative.
Olive Kennedy was born in 1885 in Plympton Township. She died in 1927 at the age of 41 of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Three of her dresses date to the 1910s. One in particular resembles an illustration in the April 1912 edition of the Ladies’ Home Journal. The dresses look handmade and are similarly constructed. All three close at the front through an intricate web of hook and eye fasteners that extends from the skirt to the collar.
1920s
By the end of the First World War, women’s clothing had changed. Many women had taken on new roles outside the home and were exploring career opportunities. They were no longer willing to let clothes get in their way! Skirts were shorter, lines were simpler, and uniform-like details were popular. Clothes were more revealing and the size and bulk of undergarments decreased. Party dresses were still extremely decorative. Heavily beaded, silk, slip-like evening dresses are typical of the flapper style.
This fully lined black silk dress with layered skirt belonged to Clara Fairbank. According to the label, it was designed by French couturier Lucien Lelong. Lelong owned a fashion house in Paris. In 1913, the first of his designs appeared in Vogue. His house was prominent from the 1920s to the 1940s and served an elite international clientele.
Clara travelled to Paris several times. She likely purchased this dress in 1922 or 1926. By 1926, Lelong’s fashion house was located just off the Champs Elysées on Rue Matignon, which matches the dress label. Delicate rhinestones decorate the front and back but overall the dress is understated and unostentatious. The plain decoration and relatively modest style of the dress may have suited Clara, who by 1926 was widowed and approaching middle age.
1940s and Beyond
During the Second World War, inspiration was drawn from menswear and military styles. Skirts were flared enough to be loose over the hips and allow for easy walking. As war rationing made fabric less accessible, hemlines rose to just below the knee. Pants grew in popularity. The first jeans marketed exclusively to women appeared in the 1930s.
A shirtwaist dress (or shirt dress) buttons up the front from the hem or waist to the neck. In the 1920s, this style was reserved for uniforms like those worn by nurses and servants. By the 1940s, it was the most popular style for daywear and could be worn for all things.
This shirtwaist dress is likely homemade. The navy polka dot fabric is stretch crepe. There are machine sheered details at the shoulders and gathering at the waist.
The skirt is made of six panels and flares slightly from fitted hips. It has navy buttons, a V-neck, and narrow, rolled down collar. It dates to the 1940s or 1950s. Another example of a shirtwaist dress is made from bright floral print fabric that suggests a date from the 1950s or 1960s. It even has pockets.
Very few items of women’s clothing in the museum collection are more recent than the 1960s. It is sadly lacking in mini dresses, bell-bottoms, and denim. If you have any gems in your closet at home that might be a suitable fit for our collection, reach out to us at heritage.museum@county-lambton.on.ca. We’ll have to wait a few years to continue the timeline of highlights from Lambton’s closet.
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