Therese Oneill's book Unmentionable The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners is a fun light hearted read. One of those books you pick up and read a chapter, giggle a bit and put aside for some amusement another day. It will burst many idealized views of the Victorian era something which Horrible Histories has been doing for a while. The nice thing about this books is that it focuses on women and their plights.
It strips away much of the glamour that is shown in the standard movie set during the Victorian times. Most of the movies show the people as looking very glamourous in their dress and freshly bathed. Both these things were not really part of the Victorian life. Therese Oneill gets down to much of the nitty gritty about a Victorian life, lack of clean water being a big part of that. People very seldom bathed and their general cleanliness or lack there of would make most of us shudder. We must always remember they did not have the general conveniences of running water let alone showers.
She also covers menstruation, cosmetics, undergarments and the many perils connected with them. Each of these things could result in sickness and perhaps even death. Often women were institutionalized when they suffered from maladies of womanhood, though this was a method more affluent society used to deal with their women. Women of the working class had to learn how to deal with strenous labour, being responsible for the running of the household and during this have multiple children. Once you start studying any era, class distinction becomes an important part of it. Therese's use of historical publications through their pictures and ads is a humourous addition to many of the chapters.
A fun addition to my collection of fashion related books as many of them are very textbook like. This is a more accessible book to the average reader(someone who isn't fascinated with the history of textile mills) as long as you are ok with the humour and snarkiness it contains. The chapter titles reveal a lot about the book - The Treacherous Art of Bathing, Being a Good Wife: How to Avoid His Eventual Resentment for as Long as Possible, Public Behaviour:Avoiding Scorn, Dangers and Museums just being some examples. This was a wonderful book to take with me on transit as it is perfect for reading in snippets, and not so acedemic that being surrounded by distractions is a problem.
(ICI) developed and trademarked Crimplene in the 1950s. The thick polyester yarn is called Crimplene as is fabric made from this yarn. The yarn can be woven, but was most usually seen in a double knit. Crimplene fabric is heavy, wrinkle-resistant, wash-and-wear and easy to sew.
Crimplene will always give me fond memories. As a young child I remember having numerous outfits and other things made from the fabric. We lived in an area where various family friends worked at the Celenese plant in Millhaven. It was the Millhaven Fibers Plant and was the third polyester plant in the world opening in the fall of 1955. I always just remembered it as Celenese in Millhaven but see that name entered in 1972. It had started life as a polyester tire plant but in the late 60's early 70's it switched to yarns. The reason I had numerous things made from crimplene was the fact that the plant sold ends by the pound. I remember digging through a garbage bag, picking out colours, and then cutting squares so a blanket could be made. It seemed everyone in the neighbourhood had one of these blankets in their car, on the porch, with the picnic basket. It was something that could be thrown on the ground and easily washed out and then hung on the line if it got dirty.
During the 80's lines kept shutting down in the plant and they became one of the many textiles plants that closed or were retrofitted to create something else. Millhaven Fibers ceased to exist and now Celenese creates emulsion polymers and medical molds etc, not crimplene.
Various adverts can be found like the one above showing men's shirts made from the fabric. I mostly just remember men wearing the pants and seeing what was referred to as leisure suits on TV. Like Mr Furley on Three's Company, this is how I practically always picture Don Knotts.
This following pattern picture is one of the most common looks I remember. These are also similar to what you can mostly find at vintage or thrift shops now. The vibrancy of the colours and prints were exceptional and it is one of the reasons crimplene is so recognizable and still has a following. Much of the clothing you can find nowaday looks new, the main thing when looking at it is to check for pilling, snags and pulls. But then if you are a purchaser of vintage or used clothing this is one of the standards to check for on anything.
This is more similar to what I would of been wearing. Though by the time I reached the age of the girls in the advert I refused to wear crimplene. It may be extremely easy to care for because it was wash and wear but I assure you on a hot day it is not your friend.
Now if I could of had an outfit like Diana Riggs/Emma Peel from The Avengers I probably would of lived in it. This is one of the iconic looks of Emma Peel. I always was envious of her wardrobe and I have to admit I still am. She was one of the first strong self-sufficient women I remember from TV and she had the coolest clothes and boots.
