Kristian Mercer

Dressing for the Belle Epoque 

Mr. Mercer and I are just back from a whirlwind weekend in Vancouver, BC. Our trip was pure indulgence – well, indulgence on my part, and endurance on the part of my good-natured husband.

My sole purpose was to view an exhibit currently showing at the Vancouver Museum, "Women's Fashions of La Belle Époque, 1890 – 1914." (It's running through March 23, so you still have a chance to see it if you're interested!)

The gowns on display were an intriguing collection of international design. I saw dressmaker labels from New York, Philadelphia, Oslo, Berlin, and Singapore – not to mention a stunning evening cape designed by Worth, the premier couturier of the age.

What shocked me, though, were the corsets. I knew, of course, that a tiny waist was considered the epitome of femininity, and I’ve seen photographs and illustrations that proved the point. But the reality of “tight lacing” is still staggering. Take a look at this image – the measurements were 33” bust, 21” inch, and 32” hips.

Remember in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House in the Big Woods where Pa says he could span Ma’s waist with his hands? Now I believe it!

My one regret is that I didn’t time this trip to coincide with the upcoming photography exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. “TruthBeauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845-1945” opens on February 2, and will showcase some of Julia Margaret Cameron’s haunting Pre-Raphaelite style images, among others. I may have to talk Mr. Mercer into another trip north…

And now it’s time for Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey on PBS Masterpiece, so I must close!