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Victorian tea at library to include look at history of underwear 03-22-2008
The Morning Sun
By LINDA GITTLEMAN
Gratiot Managing Editor
In elegant Victorian surroundings, the Friends of the Alma Public Library is sponsoring a tea and a program on a subject few Victorian ladies would likely have been party to: underwear.
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Beginning at noon on April 12, Mt. Clemens' Crocker House Museum Director Kim Parr will present "Mentioning the Unmentionables: a History of Undergarments"at the library.
The history will include underwear from the Middle Ages through World War I, she said.
"I will demonstrate how a lady would dress in the Victorian era,"she said.
Although the focus will be on women's fashions throughout the centuries, men aren't forgotten.
"Pink became a popular color for men's underwear right after World War I,"Parr said. "We have one here and it's a kind of jumpsuit, boxer shorts and a top. Actually, there were many pink (styles) of underwear for men.
"This was a time when many towns after World War I outlawed displays of mourning,"she continued. "There was a lot of suicide and depression and the mentality was, "I don't want to think about war. I want to have fun.
Parr said she will bring examples of vintage underwear as well as reproductions.
Why women went out of their way to make their rear ends look bigger is another subject Parr will tackle.
"You had the hoop skirts, but then the environment changed,"she said. "Women were riding buses and trains and hoops didn't work.
So in the later 1800s, fashions went back to the bustle, first popularized in the late 1700s, she said. In the earlier century, it not only provided extra material in the back, there were, believe it or not, bumps in the front as well.
"It was intended to show pregnancy, whether you were or not,"she said. "It was like the women we're saying, we're not like our grandmothers (who hid their pregnancies.)
To have lots of material floating around the body also signified status and wealth and bustles helped to hold all that weight.
The meeting room in the library will be transformed into a Victorian garden, said Jean Kimball, a member of the Friends. A tea, including finger sandwiches and sweets will begin at noon, followed by Parr's program.
Cost for the tea is $25 and tickets are limited. You may call 989-463-1776 for more information and reservations.
Parr will present a second program only, no tea, at 3:30 p.m. Cost for those tickets is $10 each; they are available at the library.
The money raised will be used for the library and its programing.
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