Curious Curves
A history of exaggerated shapes in women’s fashionable dress.
An exhibition about cork rumps, bum rolls, bustles and hoops where visitors can find out about the many extraordinary garments worn by women in the past to accentuate their figure. Visitors explore how dress and additional padding were used to draw attention to the hipline and behind to achieve that all-important look of a tiny waist.
Focusing on 18th and 19th century dress, this exhibition makes reference to objects held in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum’s Costume and Textile collection. Visitors were invited to see and feel what it was like to wear these fashions by trying on replica foundation garments.
Venues
The Guildhall , Exeter - 7 to 19 April 2008
Saltram House, Plymouth – 24 May to 14 August 2008
Torre Abbey, Torquay – 1 September to 2 November 2008
Fairlynch Museum, Budleigh Salterton – 11 April to 27 September 2009
