How to dress like a 1901 Port Sunlight woman

For Women’s History Month, let’s go back to a 1901 edition of Woman’s World, a women’s periodical by the Lever Brothers company in Port Sunlight. It’s content was aimed at British women, covering topics such as home & family advice, soap advertisements, recipes, fashion, and general discussions on the gender discourse of the time.

In this edition, an article called ‘Taste in Dress’ offered some helpful guidance for how women should dress. No doubt the female employees of the Lever Brothers factory living in Port Sunlight would have received this information – though how much they followed its advice is uncertain!

Your clothing matters

While clothing was of interest to both men and women at the turn of the 20^th Century, the art of fashion was distinct to the female experience. It could also offer insight into ‘the feminine world’ and the social reputations of women, with fashion choices seemingly indicative of their taste, character, habits, and disposition. ‘Dress is not a subject to be taken lightly’, writes Woman’s World, ‘it probably means far more to most of us than we are aware’.

What type of woman are you?

According to Woman’s World, it was fashion styling that categorised women into reputational classes. Regardless of their socio-economic status, clothing choices delineated women into one of the following categories: ‘smart women’, ‘untidy women’, ‘neat women’, ‘dainty women’, ‘careless women’, ‘slattern women’, ‘prim women’, ‘severe women’, ‘tailor-made women’, and ‘artistic women’. At the same time, it was also essential that specific styles of dress were only worn in accordance to the wearer’s body type, height, and occupation. This certainly begs the question of how far fashion, alone, determined women’s public image, or whether it was the socially constructed norms that were associated with certain women and certain garments.

Practicality Vs. Fashion

Clothing that was comfortable, reliable, and practical was paramount for women who were in employment but not restricted to a uniform. Clearly not exempt from judgement, however, these women’s clothing choices had to be simultaneously practical and understated, and could be neither in, nor out, of fashion, as both instances would encourage negative attention, particularly from men. ‘The woman who cannot combine the two’, Woman’s World writes, ‘is, must be, and will ever remain a failure’.

Choose your colours carefully

‘A celebrated dictum of successful dressing is to attire yourself according to your eyes’, advised Woman’s World. All women were best suited to colours that matched their eyes, and if they struggled to style their own colours, they would have needed to seek the help of a dressmaker. Broadly speaking, navy blues, pinks, and reds, were ‘universally becoming’; black and white was the best colour combination; and most women could find at least one shade of green that would suit their complexion. Conversely, grey should be worn with care, and is better suited when paired with other colours, and purple and brown should largely be avoided.

“Obliterate” your imperfections

Balance was key to a woman’s silhouette. While Woman’s World does acknowledge that all figures have an element of ‘imperfection’, it still presents it as an issue to be solved. It recommends that women should closely study themselves in a mirror to locate their ‘defects’. This could be anything from one larger hip, to one higher shoulder, to generally round or high shoulders, or a short neck. After locating an issue, women ‘must do all in their power to nullify and obliterate their existence’, using balancing garments – for instance, a tailored skirt or bodice, a collar, sleeves, or bows.

Discover more stories from the village built on soap here or search #PortSunlightStories on social media for more fascinating snippets of history.