An Evening Lecture: A Revolution in Fashion: Clothing of the Federal Era June 17, 2009

Presented by Independent Scholar/Collector Mary K. Doering, guest co-curator of the current exhibition: "Preparing for the Ball: Costume of the Early Nation" (through July 4th), "A Revolution in Fashion: Clothing of the Federal Era" explores women's and men's fashions in the nineteenth century, and the developments in textile manufacturing techniques. Ms. Doering is featured in Washingtonian Magazine's May 2009 issue (page 67), hailing Washington "Experts in Everything," as a preeminent collector and costume historian!

Ms. Doering provides the following historical contexts regarding the evolution of adult fashions over two centuries to serve as a basis for her June 17th presentation, for gentlemen's fashion, she will contend that: The nineteenth-century preference for wool…over elaborately embroidered or decorative silks conveyed a growing professional sobriety appropriate for commercial centers such as Georgetown and the developing Federal City of Washington. These dark wool suits were the precursors of the standard male business attire worn today…. The context for ladies' fashion, according to Ms. Doering, is that: Developments in textile printing technology enabled consumers to acquire stylish linen and cotton garments that were considerably less expensive than hand-woven elaborately patterned silks—the hallmarks of eighteenth-century elegance. Printed fabric designs were made using copper plates and woodblocks, producing diverse monochromatic and multicolored patterns. Roller printing, invented in the 1780s, and later developments in mechanized weaving and printing became the backbone of nineteenth century Industrial Revolution technology. The reduced cost of textiles produced by these methods facilitated a democratization of fashion, though all clothing was still handmade either at home or by professional dressmakers. Also, Ms. Doering will include ideas of how international fashion created trends and change in Federal America and Washington due to: Contemporary political and military events [that] exerted a strong influence on decorative details, such the lacing borrowed from men's military uniforms.

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