The light use of pink and the way the texture looks on the skirt in the light reminded me of skin. Looking on the website and reading about the corset piece “Pink has long been associated with the second skin of lingerie and other types of seductive apparel.” (FIT Online Archive) Since most of the museum is comprised of dresses made for women’s fashion, this piece is the epitome of that idea in my opinion. Additionally, the lace trimming as well as lacing details are historically used exclusively in women’s garments. The way the corset compliments the curviest parts of a woman, the light tone of pink being used, and the details decorating the rest of the dress reflects to me as dainty, and since a man could not fit this dress the way it was designed to look I think this dress is undoubtedly gendered for a woman.
I think the curators included this in the exhibition to show the public how the color pink was used then, but the dress is still relevant to today’s fashion and can show where fashion now has taken inspiration from. Archival pieces are the best points of reference to today’s fashion since fashion trends make rounds throughout time. Taken from the lecture powerpoint I found the perfect quote “All the many different efforts to energize the past, to offer “stimulating visual elan”
