Full Description
How did women begin wearing pants? Prior to the 1920s it was a rarity to see women in pants in the Western world, but as the silk pajama trouser suit moved from the boudoir to the beach in the early 1920s it cemented the image of the trousered woman.
Worn by Jean Harlow and Marlene Dietrich, painted by Raoul Dufy and immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night, between the two world wars pajamas came to symbolize much more than sleepwear. This book explores how the pajama phenomenon was not only critical to the careers of designers such as Chanel, Patou, Poiret, and Schiaparelli, but how the versatile garment was also bound to the independence of women and influenced culture more broadly.
Through meticulous research and never-before-seen images, the authors position pajama fashion in the context of the Golden Age of Travel, the rise of Hollywood, and the changing political climate of the early 20th century, to reveal how the rising trend in sleepwear influenced The American Look, modern sportswear, and the image of the trousered woman.
Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Beach Pajama Origins
Eastern Pajamas and the Western Imagination
Sleeping Pajamas and Lounging Pajamas
The Ballets Russes
Paul Poiret and the jupe-culotte
Early Gym Wear and Swimwear
2. Beach Pajamas: 1919-1927
The Advent of Beach Pajamas: "No More Sunburned Knees"
The Rise of Resort Culture
The Lido: "Pajamaland"
Pajamas on American Beaches
Early Beach Pajama Styles
Controversy: "She Shocked Palm Beach!"
Mary Nowitzky
3. Beach Pajamas: 1927-1939
The French Riviera: "The Chic World Turns Proletarian"
Sporting and the Rise of Athleticism
Nautical Style
Sun Worship
The Great Depression: Ready-to-wear, Tubfast, and Homesewn
Workwear Influences
4. Beach Pajamas' Influence
Pajamas and Modernity
Collegiate Fashions
Evening and Formal Pajamas
Hollywood: "Over the Footlights to the Public"
The Beginnings of American Sportswear
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
