Peignoir

Despite the presence of color that might enliven the silks covering luxury corsets and petticoats in the late nineteenth century, the majority of underwear in the early twentieth century was still fabricated in white cotton and linen. The use of color and ornament slowly became more widespread, and interests in simultaneously modernizing the functionality of undergarments and their interaction with the clothed body, and in exploring lingerie as an outlet for beauty, became concerns that were taken up by several couturiers throughout the twentieth century. Among these were design houses like Margaine-Lacroix and Boué Souers. This luxurious déshabillé, or peignoir set, is almost certainly the work of the latter. Both robe and gown are composed from black Chantilly lace and trimmed with silk satin ribbons that entwine the lace robe to form an interior belt and effloresce around the hips in graceful floral swags. From the precise placement of the lace motifs and the finely crafted silk flowers to the fashionable asymmetric neckline and train of the nightgown, the mark of quality and refinement associated with the house of Boué Soeurs is apparent.