Design for Longevity
Longevity, or how long a garment remains in use, begins at the design phase. Any product—clothing or otherwise—that is designed to be disposable will have a short lifespan. As such, longevity is the cornerstone for sustainable product design. For garments, longevity means quality materials and construction, as well as intentional design that allows for remake and reuse. In the first half of the nineteenth century, garments were designed, patterned, and cut to retain maximum material for future use. Today, similar design elements might include modular or replaceable pieces that give garments multiple purposes and lifespans.
1. Blue Taffeta Dress, 1800
A prolonged life is visible in many components of this gown. Pinpricks of old stitch lines, additions to the sleeves, and unmatched lining fabric are evidence of multiple lifespans. Most notably, the fabric of the gown has been turned inside-out. This method of textile preservation, appropriately called “turning,” was prevalent prior to the Industrial Revolution, when the expense of textiles made them less accessible to lower classes. Gowns were often constructed with enough fabric to accommodate remaking. During this process, textiles could be turned to allow the less-worn side of the fabric to be displayed. In addition to the turned fabric, this gown displays evidence of an updated style. While the original gown was likely constructed in the first decade of the nineteenth century, old stitch lines in the bodice back reveal that the waistline has been lowered to favor an 1820s’ silhouette. See Objects 18 and 15.
Avenir Museum no. 957.505
2. (Object has been removed) Pink Brocade Dress, 1790-1800
This gown stands as a testament to the preservation of a precious textile. The pink floral brocade was created with floats of thread across the fabric, which required more labor and resources. Tiny older stitches in the shape of a curved V can be seen at the gown’s skirt front below the waistband. This indicates the gown originally bore a drastically different shape from late 18th-century fashions. The width of the fabric is also preserved in the edge-to-edge sewing of the skirt. During this period, skirts were sewn as large rectangular tubes with little to no cutting except for length. Skirts were then pleated or gathered at the waist to retain several yards of fabric.
History Colorado Center no. 81.111.2
Remaking
Historical garments often went through several variations of use. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the economic value of a garment was in the fabric rather than the sewing labor. To preserve these precious textiles, garments that were worn out or no longer considered fashionable were frequently recut and remade. When taking apart a garment for remake, fabric was often “turned” so that the wrong side, which was less worn, would become the right side of the garment. This helped instill a sense of newness and novelty in an older garment. Garments could also be updated to the latest fashions through alteration to the overall fit and silhouette. At the turn of the nineteenth century, as fashion began to change from decade to decade, these practices allowed individuals to keep on-trend without buying new.
3. Converted Trousers, 1845-1850
During the eighteenth century, men wore “fall front” trousers, which opened and closed near the sides with buttons. With the exception of naval uniforms, this style fell out of fashion during the first half of the nineteenth century in favor of the button fly. These trousers are an example of this transformation. The original fall front has been remade into a button fly. Evidence of this transformation is barely visible, which speaks to the expert skills of tailors during this time.
Merchant Tailor Museum no. T.28.W
4. (Object has been removed) Yellow Taffeta Gown, 1850s
The interior of this gown reveals secrets of remaking. Originally constructed in the late 1850s, when fashions favored a pointed bodice and round skirts supported by a crinoline underskirt, the gown was remade to suit fashion nearly forty years later when it was worn again in 1894. Silhouettes changed drastically in four decades, but the garment was precious enough to warrant remaking and re-wearing. Inside the gown, the pointed waist was turned up and the skirts restitched. Gussets were also added to the underarms to accommodate a new wearer and more movement. The gown was no longer worn with a round, bell-like crinoline, but instead the slimmer petticoats of the1890s.
History Colorado Center no. H5392.16
5. Converted Frock Coat, 1840s – 1850s
This coat displays evidence of conversion from a tailcoat into a frock coat to keep up with emerging fashions. During the early half of the nineteenth century, tailcoats dominated men’s fashion. Tailcoats were tailored close to the body with the front ending at the waist and the back extending into “tails.” By the 1850s, the frock coat was the ideal in men’s fashion. It was a loosely tailored jacket with longer, symmetrical fronts and backs. The diagonal seams across the front skirt of this coat indicate the addition of fabric to modify the cut from a tailcoat to a fashionable frock coat. This garment was altered to reflect changing styles. Additionally, multiple visible repairs testify to an extended, beloved lifetime for this garment. See Object 13.
Merchant Tailor Museum no. CO15
Mending and Alteration
Fabrics wear out. Bodies change size. Garments require care. Today, the solution to these challenges is to discard old clothing and purchase new. In the past, however, a hole in a sock or a tear in a shirt did not constitute disposing of the garment. Textiles were extremely valuable possessions. Clothing was imbued with an intrinsic worth, whether economic or sentimental. Thus, the mending and alteration of garments to extend their lifecycles was common practice. This led to garments being stewarded via careful repair to threadbare sections or modifying the garment size to accommodate a new or changed body. Repairs and alterations to the garment structure were often quite visible in the form of patches, mending stitches, and piecing. These observable imperfections might have been commonplace in the past, but would they be acceptable now?
6. Shirt, 1840-1850
Multiple large patches around the shoulders and across the back of this shirt disclose a long history of use and care. Some of these patches are made from cottons of differing weight, while the shirt itself is made from linen. This indicates the patches were likely sewn at different times with the materials available. Additionally, the patches are sewn with different methods. Some are completed with a neater, more precise hand than others, meaning the shirt was mended by more than one individual during its lifespan.
Merchant Tailor Museum No. S.38.SL
7. Green and Purple Damask Dress, 1850’s
Creative solutions to changing body sizes are discernable in the careful mending and alteration of this dress. The seams along the side back of the bodice have been let out to allow for more room. The center front of the skirt has an addition at the waistline, probably to adjust for a larger body or pregnancy. It is likely that the raised waistline, visible in the garment interior, was implemented for similar reasons. Mending stitches in the underarm reinforce an area that wears out quickly and are further indications of this dress’s prolonged life.
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery No. 78X.249.1
8. Floral Cotton Dress, 1850s
As a casual day dress, this object likely saw frequent use, and the experiences of changing body sizes were as common in the past as they are today. The seams of this bodice have been let out to their fullest capacity, with the skirt regathered and reattached after the alteration.
Avenir Museum No. 2013.15.08
9. Cotton Drawers, 1840-1850
These distressed cotton drawers, a type of men’s undergarment, provide an intimate peak into historical mending practices. The crudely sewn patches reinforced the worn-out holes and threadbare sections. Since these undergarments were hidden by layers of outer garments, the stitching did not receive the same level of care and attention as a more visible garment, such as Object 7.
Merchant Tailor Museum No. D.9.C
10. Fashion Plate, Women 1857-1859, Plate 042
Les Modes Pariesienne, 1858
Metropolitan Museum of Art Digital Collections
11. Austin Abbot’s “Dear Old Coat” Letter, 1860s
This heartfelt letter to an ageing, weathered coat was found in the coat pocket by curators at the Merchant Tailor Museum. It is a brilliant example of the sentiment and stewardship extended to clothing in the past. For this reason, the letter is the inspiration behind the title and main concepts of this exhibition.
If you wrote a letter to a beloved piece of clothing, what would it say? How would you express your gratitude for the comfort, protection, and joy it provided?
The second page of this letter cannot be displayed due to conservation concerns. The typed transcript to the left includes the entirety of the letter.
Transcript:
Austin’s address to his old coat.
“Dear Old Coat,”
Friends as we have been for many years: irreversible fate decrees that our intimacy must be broken.
How can I cast thee off with-out rendering to thee a tribute of respect? Yes! “Dear Old Coat,” the fear of regret moistens my eye at thought that thou wilt never again embrace me, thou hast often protected me from the inclemency of the storm. Thou hast snugly wrapped thyself around my shivering form to defend me from the chilling blast of a December wind. Yea: still more: thou hast done all in my power to shield my back from the scorching rays of an August sun. How tenderly, day after day, hast thou encircled me? always suiting thy-self to my necessities. But with all the kindness, thou hast like frail humanity, had thy faults. Not like the fashion of the cold hearted world will I cast thee aside without rehearsing some of them. No! No! Dear Old Coat, I cannot do thee such injustice. Thou knowest full well, we were living in an age of progression. While I have been extending my dimension indifferent, no arguments could prevail upon thee to enlarge thy borders. Thy greatest folly is, thou hast allowed pride and vanity with their rough brushes to wear away the gloss and beauty of thy once noble fabric, and now thou art a mu[illegible] wreck. Yes, when diligent hands would have gladly repaired thy torn body – thou hast as often, with a haughty air, turned aside. But, “Dear Old Coat,” surrounded as thou hast ever been with pomp & delusive fashion, I will freely forgive the [sic] all thy follies, and to repay thee for thy faithful services to me, I will reserve for thy use the most favored niche in my wardrobe, where thou will be preserved from the accumulating dust of years, and thou canst screan [sic] thyself from the gaze of the multitude. Carefully will I watch over thee, that no evil cometh near the habitation and when future generation [“s” struck through here] enquire concerning thee they shall know that thou wast one of my most faithful friends in youthful days.
Austin
Merchant Tailor Museum No. A012
12. A collection of sewing notions from the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising.
Remaking (Fashion Plates)
13. Fashion Plate, Men’s Wear 1850-1859, Plate 099
Gentleman’s Magazine, 1858
Metropolitan Museum of Art Digital Collections
14. Fashion Plate, Women 1834-1839, Plate 226
The Last and Newest Fashion, 1839, Evening Dresses
Metropolitan Museum of Art Digital Collections
Design for Longevity (Fashion Plates and Case)
15. Fashion Plate, Women 1827-1829, Plate 035
Petit Courrier des Dames, October 1828
Metropolitan Museum of Art Digital Collections
16. Engageantes, 1854
Half-sleeves, or engageantes, are a prevalent feature of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century fashion. These accessories could be tied or pinned to any gown with sleeves for added appeal and interest. This form of clothing modularity allowed the wearer to change the look of a garment with ease.
Avenir No. 81.2.14a&b
17. Two Bodices, 1830-1840
These two bodices, carefully laid open to reveal their interiors, are examples of common historical construction techniques which promoted garment longevity. The seams at the side back have an inch of “seam allowance.” This would allow the garment to be expanded by at least four inches around the body when either the wearer or future owners changed size.
Avenir Nos. 961.32A & 75.2.10
18. Fashion Plate, 1800-1819 Part 1 Plate 046
Ladies Magazine, February 1804
Metropolitan Museum of Art Digital Collections
19. Fashion Plate, Women 1800-1819 Part 1, Plate 059
Verner Hood & Sharp, August 1806
Metropolitan Museum of Art