Illustration by Sarah Tseung.
Whenever I think about designs, clothing items or artistic pieces, one of the first things that springs to mind is colour. From Chanel’s ‘Little Black Dress’ to Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’, the consistency of tone in a piece adds reason, symbolism and meaning, creating an impactful and prolonged effect. This use of colour shapes a distinct and creative legacy that leaves behind a lasting imprint on the minds of the observer, wearer, and admirer of the piece.
The History of Fashion
History and textiles, especially fashion, often go hand in hand to create beautiful shapes, forms, and structures with developed context, influence and meaning behind each piece. Fashion can be glossed over by historians, dismissed as an inferior source compared to text or photography, due to its less traditional form as a valuable source of research. Fabric and costume can be restored, somewhat limiting its reliability. However, in recent years the focus increase on fashion and textile sources can be seen to mirror the development in understanding the processes for restorations, increasing their authenticity in the modern age. Personally, the more I looked into fashion and delved into the different textile pieces, the more I realised it can (and should) be evaluated as a significant and reliable historical source due to its exciting new approach and the research opportunities it offers, making it by far my favourite to look at!
Upon thinking about the historical significance of fashion, one of the initial images that jumped out to me was that of the rosettes, badges and sashes Women’s Social and Political Union, aka – The suffragettes. These accessories were encouraged to be worn at all times. By displaying the motto of the suffragettes ‘Votes for Women’, they were used to create an unmistakable message, subtly distributed throughout society on the jackets of suffragettes, draped over their clothing or seen leading the way during marches. The mainstream nature of these accessories, fashioning the consistent and symbolic suffragette colour scheme of green, white and violet, created a universal understanding of their goals. It was a clear display of the momentum that the movement had, displayed by the large number of people donning these items.
These images, over a hundred years after the start of the movement, have made a lasting impact in the minds of many, truly showing how powerful the influence of fashion when paired with a strong motive or symbolic message can be.
The Power of Fashion
Nevertheless, I will be the first to admit that when I covered the Suffragettes at around 13 or 14 years of age, the clothes and outfits worn by this group were not the first things I looked at as a key factor of the movement. Rather, the exciting debate regarding the methods used by the Suffragettes is usually the central focus when they are discussed in school, and is still, to this day, one of the things that drew me to the topic. However, once I had explored these aspects in depth, I began to look below the surface level of this narrative. In doing so I uncovered plenty of implicit messages about the movement just by looking at what these women wore to campaigns, protests and even for daily activities.
Each garment reveals a story from a political, economic, social, and cultural perspective. These stories explain the vast scale and nature of the Women’s Suffrage campaign to reach all classes. From rich to poor, the fabric used and the tone it was produced in could indicate numbers of that social class becoming involved in events, marches or general campaign efforts. A purple silk or hand woven patterned dress could indicate a member of high wealth but a woollen garment in a well loved condition could show a working class comrade. All garments are crucial for understanding how the issue of women’s rights was a universal campaign no matter the socio-economic status of a protester. It’s a window into the past, a bright light which points the way and suggests different historical ideas.
If you were a detective, using these clothes as clues, you would dissect the piece and end up with a great story to tell. The Suffragettes are the perfect narrative for this investigation, by using just three key elements from the field of fashion and textiles. Through tone, shape, and structure, the fashion used by Suffragettes not only physically liberated women, but also revolutionarily changed social restrictions for years to come.
Tone, Shape and Structure
Colour tone was – in my opinion – the most subtle development of textiles during the movement. From the very start of the Women’s Social and Political Union, it was clear how much each element of artistic design was considered. Their consistent use of the tonal shades green, white, and violet acted as a political motif. The letters of these three colours (G,W,V) matched the Suffragette’s key message and slogan: ‘Give Women the Vote’. This subtle technique used fashion to tie the political efforts of the campaign together in a symbolic and artistic way. The replication of this tri-colour scheme was everywhere within the campaign: Banners, Rosettes, Motifs, Literature, they all featured this fundamental pattern of tone – creating a lasting association of these colours to the WSPU through its consistency.
While campaigning many Suffragettes ironically chose to adopt a typically feminine garment, the Edwardian Tea Dress, to convey their political message. The pure white garment was designed to signify innocence with its lace details and used a colour palette that associated the dress with biblical imagery rather than strength and power. The floor length style created an image of femininity and elegance. The Suffragettes used this statement piece to symbolise ‘purity’ creating a contrast with their violent and militant tactics. The fashion choices of the movement were, once again, used to draw attention to the campaign.
Crucially, colour, shape and structure in clothing epitomised the message and aims the WSPU were attempting to achieve. Their use of garments with a freeing fit like the Edwardian tea dress – seen to be less respectable but more comfortable – was ground-breaking for 1920s women. This dress didn’t conform to how women were expected to be seen at the time: submissive and obedient as a consequence of the lack of freedom they had, devising a signature mode of unity in attire that is both ingenious and unique.