LIVERPOOL.- An exciting new exhibition looks at a dazzling array of women’s accessories that helped add a sparkle to fashion from when Queen Victoria was a girl up to the outbreak of the Second World War.

The Finishing Touch: Women’s Accessories 1830 – 1940, on view from 27 May through 11 December 2011 features many fashion items from National Museums Liverpool collections never displayed before.

Among the 60 bags, shoes, hats and other accessories including some fans, jewellery and gloves are items sported by royalty. There are shoes worn by Queen Victoria and slippers donned by her daughter-in-law, Alexandra Princess of Wales.

Other fascinating exhibits are a pair of jewelled-heeled shoes from the 1920s flapper era and platforms from the 1930s. A veiled 1840s wedding bonnet, dress caps and a widow’s bonnet illustrate trends in the Victorian era while sophisticated cloche and straw hats reflect later, more relaxed styles.

Alyson Pollard, exhibition curator, says: “The Finishing Touch looks at changing social customs and how these influenced accessories women wore. The changing role of women – from largely passive to more active – is shown through the items on display
.
“Many women enjoy the thrill of a new bag or the excitement of wearing a pair of shoes for the first time. In the past, just as today, they can make a plain garment seem special, make a cheap dress look expensive or give new life to an old outfit. They say something about our personality and the way we feel.”

In 1830 middle and upper-class women spent most of their lives at home – they were expected to be ladylike and delicate. Small hands and feet were desirable, showing that a woman was well-bred.

This was reflected in fashion and accessories – women would cram their hands into narrow gloves and their feet into tight-fitting shoes. Many women suffered from foot deformities as a result.

Shoes were not shaped for left or right feet until the mid-19th century, making them even more uncomfortable.

During the Victorian era the use and style of a bag was often influenced by the shape of the dress. They used pockets tied beneath their loose-fitting skirts instead of carrying a small bag.

From about 1850, when wide crinolines supported by elaborate frames became fashionable, bags were preferred to pockets and women could choose from a wide variety.

The term handbag seems to have first appeared as women gained greater independence and travelled more – they often carried personal items on a long journey. It was not until the 1920s that bags were seen as an essential fashion accessory.

In genteel circles, as well as other sections of Victorian society, hats and gloves were always worn in public. During the 1920s and 1930s rules began to relax. It was not until after the Second World War that hats went out of fashion and gloves were seen more as practical items than fashion accessories.

Fans were essential accessories for formal occasions, such as dinner and the theatre, in the 19th century. They were used to cool the face or shield it from heat and sunshine – the look for ladies was pale and interesting.

From an early age young girls were taught how to carry a fan – to hold it incorrectly was seen as vulgar. Ladies used a fan to show emotions and flirt with an admirer. Fan-makers gave meanings to the way fans were held and used.

For example, to press the half-opened fan to the lips signalled: “You may kiss me”. An admirer who could not read such signals was at a great disadvantage.

Magazines such as Punch featured cartoons making fun of constant changes in fashion. Cartoonists were frequently concerned with fashions that made women look masculine.

They also poked fun at older women wearing fashions intended for young girls such as the large floppy-brimmed hats of the 1850s.

High heels worn with a large bustle in the late 1860s resulted in a forward lean known as the Grecian Bend – giving cartoonists opportunities to lampoon the way women walked and stood in the name of fashion.