Riveria Style in Kimberlin Library

Posted on 22/07/2015 by Katharine Short

Swimming display

Riviera Style is an exhibition curated by De Montfort University’s Dr. Christine Boydell (Critical & Contextual Studies) and featuring the collections of Leicestershire County Council. Riviera Style will be on display at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London until 13 September 2015. For more information please visit http://ftmlondon.org/

To celebrate the success of the London exhibition, Dr. Boydell worked with Heritage Centre Co-ordinator Elizabeth Wheelband to add a touch of the seaside to the Kimberlin Library. Dr. Boydell loaned us the black costume, a women’s knitted all-in-one suit from the 1930s, made by I & R Morley (whose factory is now the Clephan building). The style was practically identical to men’s knitted suits.  The tight ribbed knit provided good stretch but the wool yarn absorbed water and would have become very heavy when wet.

Swimming display 2

The printed swimsuit dates from the 1950s and is made from cotton lastex to create two-way stretch. The style relies on creative cutting and a zip at the back to produce a good fit. This costume was loaned by Pasqualina Iarrobino, School of Design.

Swimming display 3

Dr. Boydell used sources from the DMU Archives and Special Collections in the preparation of the exhibition, in particular the fashion journals such as Corsetry and Underwear. These resources are available for all so if you are interested please do stop by.

 

 

About Katharine Short

When I was 13 every careers questionnaire I did at school suggested I become an archivist. In rebellion I studied History of Art at Cambridge and the Courtauld Institute before giving in to the inevitable and undertaking a qualification in Archives Administration at Aberystwyth University. I worked at King’s College London Archives and the London Metropolitan Archives before becoming the Archivist here at DMU in January 2013. My role is hugely varied: answering enquiries and assisting researchers, sorting, cataloguing, cleaning and packaging archival material, managing our environmentally controlled storage areas, giving seminars, talks and tours, researching aspects of University history, liaising with potential donors and advocating for the importance of archives within the organisation. I am one of those incredibly fortunate people who can say ‘I love my job’ and really mean it.
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