Structuring Fashion

At an international conference in the Bavarian National Museum the focus lay on the history of body-shaping underclothing from the Middle Ages to the present day. Costume historians of international repute present their latest research into the subject. For example, highly restrictive garments permitted the characteristic appearance of fashion during a particular era because it was only possible to achieve the desired silhouette when what was underneath was right as well. The narrow waist created with the help of laced bodices and corsets and the extravagant forms of the crinoline also gave rise to contemporary criticism. Frank Matthias Kammel is director of the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich. Johannes Pietsch is curator for textiles, costumes, leather and folk dresses at the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich.