Madame de Pompadour in an elaborately embroidered gown with matching petticoat, 1760s

Infanta Margarita Teresa in pink dress (1660) by Diego Velázquez and Juan Bautista Martínez del Mazo, Prado Museum, Madrid, depicting Margarita Teresa of Spain wearing a extremely wide pannier peticoat.

Modern petticoat

A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt or a dress. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist (unlike the chemise).

In historical contexts (sixteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries), petticoat refers to any separate skirt worn with a gown, bedgown, bodice or jacket; these petticoats are not strictly speaking underwear as they were made to be seen. In both historical and modern contexts, petticoat refers to skirt-like undergarments worn for warmth or to give the skirt or dress the desired fashionable shape. In this context a petticoat may be called a waist slip or underskirt (UK) or half slip (US), with petticoat restricted to extremely full garments. Petticoat can also refer to a full-length slip in the UK,^[1] although this usage is somewhat old-fashioned.

Petticoat is the standard name in English for any underskirt worn as part of non-Western clothing, as with the sari.

History[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

The practice of wearing petticoats as undergarments was well established by 1585. Petticoats were worn throughout history by women who wanted to have the currently fashionable shape created by their clothing. The petticoat(s), if sufficiently full or stiff, would hold the overskirt out in a pleasingly domed shape and give the impression of a smaller waist than the wearer actually had. It would also complement the desired large bust.

Elaborately decorated petticoats were worn under open-fronted gowns and looped overskirts from the mid-sixteenth century. Eighteenth century petticoats of wool or silk were often quilted for additional warmth and were worn with matching short gowns or jackets, which could be fashioned like a man's jacket with military details and trimmings. These ankle-length petticoats remained a rural fashion, especially in the UK, into the nineteenth century and are a part of Welsh national dress.

Elaborate, lacy petticoats were worn with elegant silk dresses in the eighteenth century in much of Europe and America, sometimes supported by whalebone frames. The Laurel and Hardy film adaptation of Auber's comic opera Fra Diavolo offers a glimpse of the intricate petticoats, corsets, and other underwear worn in the eighteenth century, especially in a scene where actress Thelma Todd prepares for bed, assisted by a maid. Colored pictures, called "fashion plates", were used to advertise the popular dresses and lingerie of the eighteenth century, a practice that continued through the nineteenth century until the introduction of photography around 1840.

In the early nineteenth century, dresses became narrower and simpler with much less lingerie. Then, as the waltz became popular in the 1820s, full-skirted gowns with petticoats were revived in Europe and the United States. By the mid nineteenth century, petticoats were worn over hoops, which were placed over other underwear, including a corset cover, a corset, and drawers. The popular novel Gone with the Wind provides considerable, detailed descriptions of these fashions. One scene in the 1939 film adaptation with actress Vivien Leigh gives a good idea of the layers of petticoats and underwear that were worn in the 1860s.

The sheer weight of the clothing, along with the tightness of the corsets, sometimes caused women to faint. The voluminous, layered Victorian petticoats were fashionable in the eras when "full-bodied" was associated with health, wealth, and belonging to a higher class in the social structure, while "skinny" was associated with sickness, poverty, and belonging to a lower class.

The use of multiple petticoats continued to be popular until the 1870s, when the bustle was introduced, resulting in a return of narrower skirts. Some full-skirted gowns with petticoats were revived in the 1890s into the early twentieth century, but most women continued to wear relatively narrow skirts. The "Gibson Girl" look with white blouses and long, narrow skirts was very popular during the late nineteenth and early 20th-century.

Modern petticoats[link]

For the first two decades of the twentieth century, multiple petticoats fell out of fashion; narrow, sometimes tight, skirts became more common. Then, in the late 1920s, chiffon dresses with several sheer petticoats became fashionable. With the Great Depression in the 1930s, narrow skirts returned and petticoats again were unpopular until the end of the decade when revived for some evening, prom, and wedding gowns. World War II, with its rationing and general shortage of materials, brought an end to petticoats.

Petticoats were revived by Christian Dior in his full-skirted "New Look" of 1947 and tiered, ruffled, stiffened petticoats remained extremely popular during the 1950s, especially with teenage girls. Most of the petticoats were netlike crinoline, sometimes made of horsehair. Increasingly, nylon chiffon, taffeta, and organdy were used in petticoats. Many department stores carried an extensive variety of styles and colors of petticoats until the early 1960s. They were also available through the famous Sears and J.C. Penney catalogues. Typically, at least three single petticoats were worn, until manufacturers began making double and triple layer petticoats. A narrow slip was usually worn under the petticoats, especially the crinoline type, because they tended to be "scratchy".^[2]

Edith Head designed a number of gowns and dresses, supported by multiple layers of petticoats, for actresses such as Grace Kelly and Doris Day, who appeared in Alfred Hitchcock films in the 1950s.^[3] Dinah Shore frequently wore dresses with petticoats on her NBC television shows^{[citation needed]} Actress Connie Stevens, who appeared in television series and movies, said she wore petticoats as long as possible because she had wide hips.^[4] Other entertainers who often wore petticoats were Brenda Lee, Connie Francis, and Patti Page.

By the middle of the 20th century, the full petticoat was somewhat rare, having been commonly replaced by simple, ungathered underskirts/waist slips (UK) or half slips (US). However, petticoats were still worn for proms and weddings.

Ruffled white or unbleached cotton petticoats were a brief fashion under Prairie skirts in the 1970s, and remain a component of Western wear. Short, full petticoats in the 1950s style are also commonly worn by squaredancers.

There was a major attempt to revive separate petticoats in 1987. However, by that time, most women who wanted very full skirts for proms, parties, or weddings bought dresses or skirts with attached crinoline petticoats.

Petticoats today[link]

Lately the full, tiered petticoat has made a small comeback in the alternative subcultures, especially the gothic and Lolita subculture. They have also been popular with some cross-dressers. Various petticoats have also been used in films and musicals dealing with the 1950s, such as Grease, West Side Story, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Back to the Future, as well as occasional vintage rock music festivals, especially in Germany.^[5] Although the traditional purpose for the petticoat is no longer in fashion, the general design has stayed the same with minor alterations including ripping and/or the usage of bright or generally non-traditional colors to fit in with modern fashion.

Petticoats are also making a comeback due to recent trends towards lavish weddings and grandiose bridal attire. Petticoats are commonly worn under bridal gowns with full skirts as a means of maintaining the gown's intended silhouette.

Also, people who dress in period costumes have begun wearing petticoats for a more authentic look. A number of websites offer a great variety of petticoats for sale, while other websites show historic and modern photographs of petticoats, often worn by models.

The everyday use of petticoats in the 1950s and early 1960s appears to have passed.

Asian petticoats[link]

A petticoat is the main undergarment worn with a sari. Sari petticoats usually match the color of the sari and are made of satin or cotton.^[6] A notable difference between the western petticoat and sari petticoat is that the sari petticoat is rarely shorter than ankle length.

Petticoats in popular culture[link]

The phrase Petticoat Government has referred to women running government or domestic affairs. The phrase implying the threat to appropriate government by males was mentioned in several of Henry Fielding's plays.^[7] An Irish pamphlet Petticoat Government, Exemplified in a Late Case in Ireland was published in 1780.^[8] Frances Milton Trollope wrote Petticoat Government: A Novel in 1850.^[9] Baroness Emma Orczy wrote Petticoat Government, another novel, in 1911.

A 1943 comedy film called Petticoat Larceny depicted a young girl being kidnapped by grifters. In 1955, Iron Curtain politics were satirised in a Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn film The Iron Petticoat. In the same year Western author Chester William Harrison wrote a short story "Petticoat Brigade" that was turned into the film The Guns of Fort Petticoat in 1957. Blake Edwards filmed a story of an American submarine filled with nurses from the Battle of the Philippines called Operation Petticoat.

Petticoat Junction is a TV series that originally aired in 1963, ran for seven seasons, and achieved enduring success in syndication. The opening sequence featured a display of petticoats hanging on the side of a large railroad water tank where three daughters are skinnydipping.

References[link]

1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary (1989) "A light loose undergarment .... hanging from the shoulders or waist"
2. ^ Interview by R.E. Nylund
3. ^ American Movie Classics
4. ^ Interview with Connie Stevens, reported in www.pettipond.com
5. ^ Petticoat Pond
6. ^ http://www.indiangarment.com/myshop/buyinless/lesspetticoats.php3
7. ^ p.21 Campbell, Jill Natural Masques: Gender and Identity in Fielding's Plays and Novels Stanford University Press
8. ^ p.184 Higgins, Padraig A Nation of Politicians: Gender, Patriotism, and Political Culture in Late Eighteenth-Century Ireland University of Wisconsin Press 2010
9. ^ Frances Milton Trollope (1850). Petticoat government: A novel, Volume 1. Henry Colburn. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=B-IVAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22petticoat+government%22#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 8 August 2011. 

External links[link]

• Quilted Petticoat, 1750-1790, in the Staten Island Historical Society Online Collections Database

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Petticoats

v t e Lingerie Upper torso Types of bras (History) Balconette brassiere • Bandeau • Cupless bra • Male bra • Nursing bra • Push-up bra • Sports bra • Training bra • Underwire bra Other Babydoll • Bustier • Camisole • Negligee • Torsolette Lower torso Bikini • Boyshorts • French knickers • Girdle • Girl boxers • Panties • Tanga • Tap pants • Thong (G-string) Full torso BodyBriefer • Corsage • Corset • Corselet • Nightshirt • Playsuit • Slip • Teddy Hosiery Garter • Knee highs • Pantyhose • Stocking Historical Basque • Bustle • Chemise • Crinoline • Farthingale • Hoop skirt • Liberty bodice • Pannier • Pantalettes • Petticoat • Pettipants • Waist cincher • Yếm Accessories Falsies • Lingerie tape Brands Aerie • Agent Provocateur • American Apparel • Andrés Sardá • Baby Phat • Bali • Berlei • Bruno Banani • Calvin Klein • Chantelle • DKNY • Formfit • Frederick's of Hollywood • Fruit of the Loom • Gerbe • Gilly Hicks • Hanes • HerRoom • Intimissimi • Intimo Lingerie • Jockey • Jolidon • La Senza • Maidenform • No Nonsense • Olga Intimates • Passport Panties • Peach John • Playtex • Pretty Polly • Trashy Lingerie • Triumph International • Ultimo • Underalls • Valisere • Van de Velde • Vassarette • Victoria's Secret • Wacoal • Warner's • Wolford • Wonderbra • XTG Extreme Game

Laura Ashley (7 September 1925 – 17 September 1985) was a Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman. She originally made furnishing materials in the 1950s.She later expanded into clothing design and manufacture in the 1960s. The Laura Ashley style is characterized by Romantic English designs—often with a 19th-century rural feel—and the use of natural fabrics.

Early life[link]

Although her Welsh parents lived in London, just before her birth, her mother returned home to allow Laura Mountney to be born Welsh at her grandmother's home, 31 Station Terrace, in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil. She was raised in a civil service family as a strict Baptist. The chapel she attended in Dowlais (Hebron) was Welsh language and although she could not understand the language, she loved it, especially the singing. Educated at Marshall's School in Merthyr Tydfil until 1932, she was then sent to the Elmwood School, Croydon. She was evacuated back to Wales aged 13, with so many World War II evacuees there were no school places left, and she attended the Aberdare Secretarial School. In 1942, she left school at 16, and served in the Women's Royal Naval Service. During this period she met engineer Bernard Ashley at a youth club in Wallington. After the war, Bernard was posted to India with the Gurkhas, and the pair corresponded by letter. From 1945 to 1952 she worked as a secretary for the National Federation of Women's Institutes in London, and married Bernard in 1949.^[1]

The company[link]

While working as a secretary and raising her first two children, she undertook some development work for the Women's Institute on quilt work. Taking up the craft she had learnt with her grandmother, part-time she designed headscarves, napkins, table mats and tea-towels which Bernard printed on a machine he had designed in an attic flat in Pimlico.^[2]

The couple had invested £10 in wood for the screen frame, dyes and a few yards of linen. Laura's inspiration to start producing printed fabric came from a Women's Institute display of traditional handicrafts at the Victoria & Albert Museum. When Laura looked for small patches carrying Victorian designs to help her make patchworks, she found no such thing existed. Here was an opportunity, and she started to print Victorian style headscarves in 1953.

The Ashleys' scarves quickly became successful with stores, retailing both via mail order and high street chains such as John Lewis - Bernard left his city job to print fabrics full time.^[3] This put them on the road to becoming an international company with a brand that is recognized around the globe. Laura designed the prints and Bernard built the printing equipment; Laura remained in charge of design until shortly before her death, while Bernard handled the operational side.

Employing staff to cope with the growth of sales, the company was originally registered as Ashley Mountney (Laura's maiden name), Bernard changed the name to Laura Ashley because he felt a woman's name was more appropriate for the type of products. The new company moved to Kent in 1955, but when the third of their four children was born, the family moved to Wales in 1961, the country where Laura was born and had spent much of her childhood.

Laura Ashley's first shop was opened in Machynlleth, Powys (35 Maengwyn Street) - it still trades as an interior design shop, and the Laura Ashley association is commemorated by a small plaque. The family lived above the shop for 6 years before moving to Carno, Powys.

In 1975 Laura turned down the offer of an OBE (she was upset Bernard had not been offered one). The addition of a home in France enabled Laura to go back to her roots of fabric design, and the company launched its home furnishings collections.

Two months after her death in 1985, Laura Ashley Holdings went public in a flotation that was 34 times oversubscribed.

Personal life[link]

Laura and Sir Bernard were a great complement to each other, both inside the business, and in their personal lives. Laura had four children, and loved family life, but the expansion of the business meant the need for an escape point, and for creativity. They bought a house in France in the early 1970s. Sir Bernard's qualification as a pilot enabled them to keep in touch with family and business.

The Ashley children were all involved with the business. David (born 1954/55^[4]), the eldest son, designed the shops; one of the daughters, Jane was the company photographer; another daughter Emma and their second son Nick were part of the company's fashion design team. Sir Bernard Ashley was the company chairman and Laura kept a close eye on fabrics. The astonishing success of what proved to be the ultimate cottage industry, meant that the Ashleys could afford a yacht, a private plane, a French chateau in Picardy, a town-house in Brussels, and the villa Contenta in Lyford Cay, New Providence, Bahamas, later purchased for $8.5 million dollars by T. J. Maloney.^[5][6]

Death[link]

In 1985, on her 60th birthday, while she was visiting her children in the UK, Lady Ashley fell down the stairs of her daughter's English country home and was taken to hospital in Coventry, West Midlands; she died 10 days later of a brain haemorrhage.^[7][8] She is buried in the churchyard of St John the Baptist, in Carno, Powys, Wales.

Sir Bernard died of cancer on 14 February 2009.^[9]

Foundation[link]

The Laura Ashley Foundation was set up in 1987 by her widower to help individuals realise their potential and release talent. The Ashley family are actively involved in its day-to-day running.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Laura Ashley company (requires Macromedia Flash)
• Laura Ashley designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• National gallery portraits
• Funding Universe article on Laura Ashley plc
• Designer portrait on Rosenthalusa.com
• Laura Ashley Fireplaces 2010

v t e Textile designers 18th century Anna Maria Garthwaite William Kilburn 19th century John Henry Dearle William Morris C. F. A. Voysey Early 20th century Alexander Girard Dorothy Liebes Ruth Reeves Franco Scalamandré May Smith Thelma Johnson Streat Silver Studio Late 20th century Laura Ashley Hiroshi Awatsuji Helen Berman Valerie Campbell-Harding Lucienne Day Ada Dietz Joan Glass Lily Goddard Bernat Klein Hans Krondahl Marimekko Maija Isola Vuokko Nurmesniemi Marianne Straub Mary White Contemporary Celia Birtwell Benoit Pierre Emery Ivana Helsinki Campion Platt

Betsey Johnson
Johnson at the 2007 Red Dress Collection show for The Heart Truth campaign
Born	(1942-08-10) 10 August 1942 (age 69) Wethersfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Fashion designer
Spouse	John Cale (1968—1969)
Children	1
Website
Official website

A yellow Betsey Johnson dress, 2006.

Betsey Johnson jewelry, 2011.

Betsey Johnson (born August 10, 1942) is an American fashion designer best known for her feminine and whimsical designs. Many of her designs are considered "over the top" and embellished. She also is known for doing a cartwheel at the end of her fashion shows.^[1]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Johnson is the second of three children born to Lena and John Johnson. She has an older sister, Sally, and a younger brother, Robert. Johnson took many dance classes, which inspired her love of costumes.^[2] Following her graduation from high school, Johnson studied at the Pratt Institute and then later graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Syracuse University^[3] where she was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta women's fraternity.^[4] After graduation, she spent a summer as a intern at Mademoiselle magazine.^[1]

Career[link]

Johnson's fashion career started after she entered and won the Mademoiselle Guest Editor Contest. Within a year, she was the in-house designer for Manhattan boutique Paraphernalia. Johnson became part of both the youthquake fashion movement and Andy Warhol's underground scene, along with The Velvet Underground, Edie Sedgwick and Lou Reed. In 1969, she opened a boutique called Betsey Bunky Nini on New York's Upper East Side. Edie Sedgwick was her house model and Johnson designed the clothing Sedgwick wore on her last film, Ciao! Manhattan.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1970s, Johnson took control of the fashion label "Alley Cat" which was popular with the rock 'n roll musicians of the day. In her first year, her debut collection for Alley Cat reportedly sold $5 million in volume.^[5] In 1972 she won the Coty Award.

In 1978, Johnson started her own fashion line.^[6] In contrast, her second collection did not sell well, leaving her with 3,000 pieces of spring clothing and insufficient funds to stage a fashion show to attempt to sell them. In response, Johnson opened a retail store in the SoHo area of New York City.^[3] As of 2011, she has more than 65 stores worldwide.^{[citation needed]} In 2002, Johnson was inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame. Her bronze plaque held one of her original sketches. In 2003, she expanded her line for 2004 to include handbags, accessories, hats, and scarves. ^[7]

In 2008, Johnson was a contributor to Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna's book Cherry Bomb.^[8][9] The National Arts Club awarded Johnson the 2009 Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement in Fashion.^[10] She once described her style as a formula: "Take a leotard and add a skirt."^[1]

On April 26, 2012, Betsey Johnson, LLC filed voluntarily for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.^[11]

Personal life[link]

In 1968, Johnson married Velvet Underground's John Cale but divorced him less than a year later.^[12] Following her split from Cale, she relocated to San Francisco, California and New York City.^[13][14] In 1975, Johnson gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Lulu. Lulu was born immediately after Johnson did a children's wear collection show.^[15] In 2006, Johnson's granddaughter, Layla, was born to Lulu.^[16]

In 2002, Johnson was diagnosed with breast cancer.^[17] Ultimately, she underwent a lumpectomy and radiation treatment.^[18]

References[link]

• Betsey Johnson

External links[link]

• Betsey Johnson
• Betsey Johnson designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Betsey Johnson: America's 25 most Fascinating Entrepreneurs
• Betsey Johnson: New York Fashion Designer
• Sewing patterns by Betsey Johnson
• Pink Patch Dresses: Betsey Johnson
• [VIDEO] Betsey Johnson Spring 2012 Fashion Show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York
• Women Making History: Betsey Johnson