The changing face of fashion

Sep 5 2008 by Jo Henwood, Chester Chronicle

THE changing female shape is at the centre of a new Grosvenor Museum exhibition.

Evolution of the Female Form: Dress Shapes 1840 - 2000 is a small display of fashion which includes a mourning dress from the 1870s, a beaded Flapper dress from the 1920s and a very short mini from the late 1960s.

The exhibition looks at how the female shape has altered through fashion, not only through the cut of clothes but also through clever foundation garments such as bustles and crinolines.

There are nine costumes on display in a first floor room at the museum plus a few of what are described as foundation garments.

Evolution of the Female Form: Dress Shapes 1840 - 2000, Chester Grosvenor Museum, August 9 - February 8 2009, Mon-Sat 10.30am - 5pm, Sun 1pm - 4pm. Telephone: 01244 402008, e-mail: grosvenormuseum@chester.gov.uk. Free. No disabled access.