Lingerie Dresses of the Edwardian Era

by Nancy DeWitt
© Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

Say the word "lingerie dress" and it typically conjures up sexy images from the boudoir, not the streets of Fairbanks in 1910. At the tail end of the Victorian Era a new style of summer dress appeared--a pure white, lace-trimmed gown known as the lingerie dress. As their name implied, these romantic dresses resembled the "unmentionables" that had been worn as undergarments by Victorian ladies. Although a white dress once symbolized wealth, a farmer’s wife was as likely to wear a lingerie dress as was a high-society lady. This style of dress would remain popular through the Edwardian Era until around 1915.

Lingerie dresses were often elaborately trimmed, with lace inserts, appliqués, eyelets, hand-embroidery and ruffles. Yet, they were easy to make, thanks to readily available patterns, machine-constructed laces and sewing machines. Women could sew a dress, stitch the lace in place, and then simply cut away the fabric beneath it. Lingerie dresses could also be bought through mail-order catalogs, and they were among the first mass-produced dresses. At the turn of the century, more than half of the dresses offered in the Sears Roebuck’s catalog were made of white, lace-trimmed cloth ranging in price from $4.75 to $11. 

Surprisingly, lingerie dresses were popular with Alaska’s Gold-Rush women, even in the mining camps. Unlike the unwashable silk, velvet, satin and wool dresses of the time, lingerie dresses were usually fashioned from cotton, making them easy to wash at home. Alaska women probably used laundry bluing to keep their dresses white. At right is a photo of Fairbanks ladies at a garden party, probably taken around 1912 (photo courtesy of Candy Waugaman). Several are wearing lingerie dresses, which must have felt comfortable during the warm summer days here.

You can see several lingerie dresses on display in our museum's historic fashion collection. As it has become popular for some brides to wear antique wedding gowns, it is easy to see why Edwardian lingerie dresses are a popular choice for many of them.  To view a video of our Lingerie Dress display, please visit our - Fountainhead Museum YouTube Channel.

Reference - vintageconenction.net