1952
NORMAN NORELL
Dress
1952
Norman Norell,
American, 1900–1972
Bodice of black silk jersey and black silk faille; skirt of black silk faille
Catharine Breyer Van Bomel Foundation Fund,
1995 (1995.319.2a, b)
2016
PRADA
Ensemble
Autumn/winter 2016–17
Prada, Italian, founded 1913
Dress of navy wool broadcloth;
corset of white cotton twill
Courtesy PRADA
The corset, which for centuries defined the fashionable silhouette, was an anachronism by the 1920s. Yet its waist-cinching function returned with Christian Dior’s nostalgic “New Look” revival of the late Victorian hourglass figure. In an act of wit, or perhaps transgression, Norman Norell transformed the hidden shaper into an external element of the dress displayed here. Though it appears to be separate, the corset is integral to the bodice: the contrast between the silk jersey of the upper bodice and the corset’s more lustrous silk faille emphasizes this deception.
Falling out of use for shaping, the corset came to signify the oppression of women through its restriction and idealization of their bodies. However, many designers have rethought its symbolism, advancing it as an expression of empowerment or stripping it of its historical weight. In this ensemble from Prada’s autumn/winter 2016–17 collection, the corset appears as an ironic gesture, having neither a seductive presence, as it is belted over a tailored coat of weighty wool broadcloth, nor a functional purpose, as it is soft, malleable, and loosely laced, lacking any ability to reshape the body.
Falling out of use for shaping, the corset came to signify the oppression of women through its restriction and idealization of their bodies. However, many designers have rethought its symbolism, advancing it as an expression of empowerment or stripping it of its historical weight. In this ensemble from Prada’s autumn/winter 2016–17 collection, the corset appears as an ironic gesture, having neither a seductive presence, as it is belted over a tailored coat of weighty wool broadcloth, nor a functional purpose, as it is soft, malleable, and loosely laced, lacking any ability to reshape the body.