Beneath The Surface...

In the middle of Stockholm lies the Hallwyl Palace. After the Hallwyl family stopped living here, it has now become a museum - both in itself, with it's beautiful interiors and collection of art, and as a venue for showing different exhibitions.

From March 8th - June 9th they have an exhibition called Beneath the surface - the Unmentionables and other Sweet Taboos at the turn of the 20th Century. As you can imagine this was something I had to see! So here are some of the goodies that were on display! 

I love this old bra! It was during the 1930s cup sizes were given the letters ABCD, that were supposed to be equivalent to the sizes of A - half a lemon, B - half an orange, C - half a grapefruit, and D - half a melon.

Behold! The very practical combinège - with a very convenient butt-flap!

Bathrobe and swimsuit from the 1890s.

The Hallwyl Palace is equipped with many modern luxuries. Like for example this bathtub...

...and this very comfortable indoor toilet! Wow...

Instruments used for gynecological examinations. Nice...

And this is what women used for their once-a-month "inconvenience"...These are from the 1920s, and are crocheted in two layers, with an opening in one side where they put some kind of absorbing material.

Pregnancy girdle. Worn to support the belly and the back.

Nipple protectors in glass, from 1866. For nursing mothers.

Beautiful wedding dress from 1865. Closest to the floor the with of the skirt is 5,5 meters!

Closeup of the bodice with its intricately hand tied network, fringes and tassels.

White shoes and red slippers from 1865.

This was my second visit to the Hallwyl Palace, and if you go to Stockholm I highly recommend paying it a visit! Even though you might not be interested in the current exhibition, the palace is a museum in itself. I have actually decided to move in there! So you're all welcome to my new home for a cocktail or two! Sort of...

Ancient Lingerie

It has long been thought that the undergarments we call "panties" and "bras" first came into use not so long ago. But during recent renovations of Lengberg Castle in East Tyrol something was found that "totally rewrites fashion history...Nothing like this has ever come up before", as fashion curator at the Museum of London, Hilary Davidson, says about the discovery. What they found - among 3,000 other fragments of clothing - was:

A bra...

...And a pair of panties! They must have been buried in 1480 when the castle was rebuilt, and then managed to stay in a pretty good condition because of the dry surroundings. Radiocarbondating tests has proven the findings are not a fraud. Before this it was thought that women didn't start wearing nickers until the late 18th century, and that they wore only a chemise or a smock as underwear during the Middle Ages. The two pieces in the pictures look very similar to modern bras and panties though, so I guess we will have to add a chapter to the history of lingerie now...