My Little Bazaar

ornamentedbeing:

Draping Bodices in a Worth Showroom 1907

Goodness look at the pigeon breast the lady to the right has on! Bad Charles Dana Gibson!! Bad! 

Just a quick explanation if you were looking around thinking I don’t see a pigeon, what is this crazy person going on about?!  Charles Dana Gibson invented the Gibson Girl who’s silhouette influenced fashion for about 20 years. Basically every woman wanted to look like the Gibson Girl because she represented the feminine ideals of the 1900s.

This is Wiki’s definition of what a pigeon breast is: “In 1897, the silhouette slimmed and elongated by a considerable amount. Blouses and dresses were full in front and puffed into a “pigeon breast” shape of the early 20th century that looked over the narrow waist, which sloped from back to front and was often accented with a sash or belt. Necklines were supported by very high boned collars.” 

 The Edwardian era brought in the S-shaped silhouette. The hips were thrust back (often resulting in painful health issues). The second photo is from Ladies Home Journal (1900) which compares the Victorian silhouette with the new S-shape.

Fun fact: Women wanted to achieve a “mono-bosom” look so they bought undergarments to help get this single breasted look. I.e: Check out this link here and look at the ruffled corset cover that would have helped a woman to enhance her assets. 

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gibson girl

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