Embroidered in history
 Jill Salenâs exhibition on vintage lingerie, on display at the Royal Welsh College for Music and Drama intrigues one to explore the piece of womenâs clothing that has seen most innovation through time.
By Rumela Basu
The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) is currently housing an exhibition that portrays a different history- one embroiled in lace and delicate fabric.
Inspired from a book written by Jill Salen, a freelance costume designer and Lecturer of Costume Design at the college, the exhibition is a collection of pieces of womenâs lingerie from the Victorian to the modern. From the hand embroidered Victorian corset and knickers, to the famous and fashionable conical brassieres of the 50s to the more contemporary body shapers, every piece has a story to tell.
âThere is this one particular rather fascinating piece-made in satin and lace and made by nuns from Ceylon. When you look at the barely-there design and the use of net and lace, one wonders how a nun could have designed this but that is indeed where it comes from,â says Jill
Wartime real silk stockings, hand embroidered night suits and yards and yards of heavy lace characterise the older pieces while satin, net and delicate lace dominate the modern designs. It takes you to the realistic realm of the glamourised costumes we see on screen or on sexy, retro postcards and that is sometimes what every costume maker or history lover looks for because after all, as Jill says âEvery piece of clothing is a part of social history.â