![]() Those of us who had signed up for the first online event of 2025 were delighted by the fascinating insights offered into an unusual collection of men’s underwear that has recently been donated to the Fashion and Textiles Institute at Falmouth University. Dr Shaun Cole, Associate Professor in Fashion at Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, has been researching this collection together with Falmouth’s Textiles and Dress Collection Curator, Di Downs. Using photographs of items in the collection, as well as his own illustrative material, Dr Coles led us on a wonderful tour of the changes and developments in men’s bodywear from the 1940s to the 2010s. Dr Cole, who has written widely on menswear and gay fashion, was able to use his detailed knowledge to highlight important turning points in the history of men’s underwear, including the all-important patenting of jockey shorts with a double layer front panel by Coopers in the USA in 1935. When these new-fangled garments were put on sale by Coopers in Chicago they were viewed by some with suspicion, particularly because Chicago was facing its coldest winter ever! But the first batch of 600 pairs sold out almost immediately – they were an instant hit, and Coopers never looked back, particularly after patenting their famous ‘Y-Front’ adaptation in 1942! ![]() Another sea-change occurred in 1982 with the introduction of the famous branded waistband white Calvin Klein shorts. These were very like jockeys but with a reduced rise and tighter fit, and their introduction was coupled with a new style of advertising, this time focusing on the physical attractiveness of the models in their underwear rather than its practicality and comfort, with smouldering media and sports stars photographed from low angles which emphasized their – ahem – masculinity. Suddenly, underwear was overtly sexy, becoming a real fashion item and an important part of most fashion houses’ collections. Dr Cole used some wonderful historical advertising material to illustrate his talk, and was able to show how men’s swimwear developed alongside underwear, both reflecting not only technological developments in fabrics and construction methods that enabled the creation of more comfortable, closer-fitting garments, but also changing social attitudes. It was this linking of the fashion trends in underwear with social history which I found particularly fascinating. For example, it was the first time that I heard the suggestion that the Aids epidemic in the late 20th century could have been a contributing factor to the returning popularity of looser boxer shorts for men; Dr Cole acknowledged that there was undoubtedly some cross-over from rising interest in sports wear and the longer, looser shorts favoured by stars such as Michael Jordan, but also pointed out that the reaction against Aids caused people to favour less figure-hugging garments and move towards a less explicitly sexualised male silhouette. Towards the end of his talk Dr Cole discussed the ways in which new breathable fabrics and the technology that enables manufacturers to produce seamless, structured circular knits, has led to more emphasis both on healthy bodywear and the ability to use underwear to sculpt the torso more effectively. Certainly more liberal attitudes have seen the introduction of humour into mainstream advertising, as evidenced by snooker player Willie Thorne’s range of briefs called ‘Big Willie’, boasting models such as ‘Mr Maximum’! But he also noted that although men, like women, do now use ‘foundation wear’ to enhance their physical shape, he felt that we were still a long way away from there being a standard underpants crotch sizing scale for men! This was a really informative, interesting talk, delivered with gentle humour, tact and a real ability to link the technical aspects of fashion with the social context in which they developed. It gave rise to some detailed and thoughtful discussion afterwards, and certainly made us all want to read Shaun Cole’s book ‘The Story of Men’s Underwear’ and also to see some of the swimwear garments from the collection which are due to make a guest appearance in Amber Butchart’s new exhibition ‘Splash – A Century of Swimming and Style’ at The Design Museum, Kensington, London, opening on 28 March 2025. Jenny Fletcher ![]() Shaun Cole's book 'The Story of Men's Underwear is available here: The Story of Men's Underwear: Cole, Shaun: 9781646993673: Amazon.com: Books
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![]() For thousands of years men and women have joined together pieces of fabric and decorated them with stitches. Joy Evitt’s fascinating talk explored the many inventive tools and implements they have used through the ages. Not only was her talk full of fascinating facts, examples and stories, Joy also brought along an extraordinary collection of original sewing tools and paraphernalia. There were fifteenth century pins dredged up by mudlarks from the banks of the River Thames, decorative needle cases, pin cushions, scissors and ingenious novelty tape measures. Perhaps the most intricate pieces were two nineteenth century chatelaines, the Victorian housekeeper and dressmaker’s answer to the Swiss army knife, with every implement she might need hanging decoratively from her waist belt and ready to hand. ![]() Many needle working tools were both practical pieces of engineering and beautiful, tactile implements. They were treasured by their owners, given as gifts - like the pretty tomato-shaped pincushions traditionally given as housewarming presents for good luck. Needles were packaged in decorative wrappers and stored in precious and charming needle cases. ![]() The Victorians particularly coveted beautiful sewing boxes full of bone handled button hooks and bobbins for the home sewer and dressmaker. Then came a collection of early sewing machines. The Singer name is now synonymous with machine sewing but many other companies developed the technology. Joy demonstrated several machines with the panache of Isaac Singer himself. We heard how he dazzled the sewing world with his entrepreneurship and charismatic sales techniques, not to mention his many mistresses and 23 children! ![]() Many sewing tools were treasured by their owners. It was a delight to see, and handle, so many original pieces – a great afternoon and fitting subject for our return to the Castle Museum Auditorium after a long break, for our January meeting. Outlaws – Renegades of Fashion
At the January Crafty Chat Shobha Edgell shared some pictures from her visit to the Renegades of Fashion exhibition at London’s Fashion and Textile Museum. This is a celebration of the most extravagant dress in 80s London, centring around the legendary nightclub, Taboo, opened by designer and performance artist Leigh Bowery in 1985. Original outfits lent by former club-goers illustrated how it became a magnet for fashionistas and designers. The clothes are radical, vibrant and extraordinary, and demonstrate how creative and influential their creators were. Take a look at some of them here. |
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January 2025
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