What’s Underneath the Clothes: History of the Slip

A brief history of the slip. Read when the slip became in fashion as underwear, how it was looked at in different times, and when the underwear-as-outerwear popped up during the various fashion eras.

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History of the Slip: Smocks and Chemises

In Midevil Times, a smock, a loosely fitting lightweight underdress  cut from rectangles of linen or silk for the poor and Rich, respectively, served as underwear to protect the outerwear from sweat. Smocks also served for protection of the skin during bathing while the plague run over Europe. More on fashion and their relation to epidemics.

However, there are underwear issues beyond hygiene. For dresses to flow nicely and not clinch in dry cold weather, what is underneath is key. Therefore, It became fashionable to wear these slips underneath dresses as well. In France, the word chemises referred to smocks.

The 18^th Century France

At the French Court, Queen Marie Antoinette and her female personal wore a so-called chemise as leisurewear when meeting casually among close girlfriends. Two versions existed: the chemise a la Reine (shirt of the Queen), and the chemise a la Guimard. Historians believe that the latter name referred to the famous French ballerina and Paris Opera star, Marie-Madeleine Guimard (27 December 1743, Paris — 4 May 1816). Chemises had a loose cut, and came in various fabrics and colors. A drawstring or sash at the waist or neck gave shape to the garment.

Chemise and underwear only differed in so far that the female court members wore the chemise over stays and a petticoat. No wonder that Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun‘s painting of Queen Marie Antoinette (photo below) in her chemise created a public scandal.

Motorfashion, Suffragettes, the Great War, and the Golden Twenties

The invention of the car, and young wealthy women driving them led to motor age fashion. The industrialization not only of clothes making increased the number of women in the work force. Consequently, parctical reasons together with the first women movements contributed to the end of griddles, and corsets. Finally, after the Great War, the slip replace those types of underwear.
Obviously, a loosely fitting, lightweight slip went well as underwear for the flapper and shift dresses of the 1920s. Some historians consider the flapper dress as an early version of the modern slipdress.

Slip as Underwear to Save Fabric for Lining

In the 1930s and during WWII, fabric was rationed. Therefore, a slip could substitute for lining to give dresses for nice flow. The wearing comfort of slips increased with the introduction of the biascut that permits more stretch of the garment.

Post WWII the Slip Gets Shape

Starting in the 1940s, the cut of slips defined the bust, and waist. Typically, lace and/or satin trims, small satin bows or a little fake pearl embellished the garments to add a sexy allure. They were made from silk, rayon, and later polyester. The full-slip was supposed to be about an inch to and inch and a half (2-3 cm) shorter than the dress. It was considered inappropriate when the slip would show.

No wonder that after WWII, Polish refugee women wore slips these beautiful slips as daydresses. The West German women ridiculed them for not knowing that slips are underwear. At that time, in West-Germany, a lot of frustration existed among the people who had faced the war in the Rhine-Ruhr area. They lived in bombed-out houses, while refugees got assigned appartments in the newly-built housing.

The style of the full slip remained similarabout 30 years. The second women movement finally made it acceptable for women and girls to wear pants in school and at work. As a result, by the 1970s, young women considered slips as old-fashioned underwear only worn by women in midlife and beyond.

Birth of the Halfslip

In the 1950s, the peticoat was a half-slip worn underneath the new dress and skirt style introduced by Yes Staint Laurent. In the 1960s, slim, straight-cut half-slips aka underskirts came up. Their hame typically had a lace trim. Young women considered it sexy when the lace became visible under their sheaths when sitting down.

Sartorial Minimalism of the 1990s

In the 1990s, slip dresses became part of the underwear-as-outerwear trend. Typical fabrics were charmeuse, layered chiffon, silk, cotton, or polyester often with lace trims. More on what to wear with a slip dress.

The Underwear-As-Outerwear

Towards the end of the 2010s, the underwear-as-outerwear or lingerie trend resurfaced. This trend includes corsets, bras, and the slipdress.

Slips, and Halfslips in Alaska

Recall the photo of Lady Diane Spencer in her summer skirt? Back in 1981, I considered it sexy in a romantic way. Call me a prude if you want. But today, I wear halfslips under summer dresses and skirts to avoid such see-thru. One reason is also that every fabric you can see thru also means that harmful UV radiation can travel thru the fabric as well. Living in a region with the Sun up 24/7 for nearly 90 days, you want to reduce your sun exposure.

Needless to say, slips are also great for slim layering. With about seven months of winter, slips are part of my strategy to create thin air layers between fabrics for insulation. Consequently, I wear them in layering for thermal comfort during winter.

Stylish Monday Linkup Party: What to Wear Underneath

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References

Bendall, S.A., 2018. Back to the Basics: The Smock in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries

Cunnington, C. Willett, and Phillis Cunnington. The History of Underclothes. London: Michael Joseph Ltd., 1951. Reprint, London: Faber and Faber, 1981.

DeWitt, Nancy, 2016. Motor Age Fashion, Toppan Leefung Pte. Ltd., China.

Döbler, Hannsferdinand, 1972. Kultur und Sittengeschichte der Welt – Kleidung, Mode, Schmuck. Bertelsmann Verlag, München, Germany.

Smithsonian, 2019. Women: Our Story. DK Publishing, New York.

Outfit details featured photo: Coach bag, Very Fine Dance Sport sandals, Rebecca Collins necklace, gemstone bangle, Covered Perfectly top,  Nordgreen watch (use code HLSTYLE for 15% off), sunglasses c/o Eagle

Photos of me: G. Kramm

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