Ethnic Value Matching & Apparel Industries Project
Jean-Michèlle
”A French Twist On An Old Favorite”
MKTG 301 Fall 2006
Dr. Carter
Stacy Owens, David Davis, & John-Michael Ruder
Project Objective Part “A” - People Values
1. Earth
a.) This link contains a geographical map of France and a map of the globe. It was important as a group for us to understand what exactly was a part of France’s surrounding. The link also helps in enlightening the group on France’s natural hazards, and climate. All of these were necessary in further finding out France, its rich history, and its people.
b.) www.wikipedia.org/wiki/France
c.) This information helped us in understanding much of France’s fashion styles and if possible where they evolved from either from France itself, or its neighboring countries. The Climate is generally one of cool winters and mild summers, with mild weather variations along the Mediterranean. Also, flooding has always been a problem since there are oceans on three different sides of France. Avalanches have been known to occur due to the Alps and Pyrenees Mountains causing great concern for people in Southern France. All of this helps identify the population’s general priorities and necessities as far as fashion is concerned.
a.) This link gave us a topography map of France and aided us in visually understanding the different elevation levels within France and its surrounding countries. The topography map also highlights France’s mountainous regions and well as its wetland regions.
b.) www.visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=1913
c.) The reason our group used a topography map was to show the different regions that are within France. In our research, we uncovered rich deep history of France and fashion trends and movements within the country. The topography map was just another tool the group used to understanding the different ethic groups that resigned within each climate region.
2. History
a.) The history was France dates back to around 56 B.C. and with so much history the group needed a website that summed up France’s major historical events that were relevant to the Apparel Industry. The link below provided France’s history in it’s entirely but the group focused on the periods from 1600 A.D. to Present were the link had greater and more in depth information. Along with a extensive timeline, the website also provided charts with all of France’s rulers, milestones, national heroes, and eras of depression.
b.) www.understandfrance.org/France/History.html#ancre509933
c.) This site was great for outlining all of the important history that helped tie into our fashion. Understanding who and what influenced fashion throughout the centuries gave us better knowledge of our chosen fashion. The most useful information attained through the link was a history of the different periods that swept through France. From the Renaissance, to the Age of Enlightenment, France and the world have changed the with the changing times so did the fashion trends and we were able to track the progression of our chosen fashion.
3. Culture
a.) The culture of France is diverse, reflecting regional differences as well as the influence of recent immigration. France has played an important role for centuries as a cultural center, with Paris as a world center of high culture. This link below helped the group in further understanding the importance Paris has on the culture of France. Paris, being the capital of France is also revered as country’s leader in delivering new and fresh ideas on fashion.
b.) www.wikipedia.org/wiki/France
c.) The culture of France as somewhat unique and different from the rest of Europe. This link gave insight to this differentiation. Wikipedia also had great depth into France’s values since both culture and values are connected to each other.
a.) Along with culture, we also looked into the France language as another part of the French culture. The link is again from Wikipedia but even though being from the same source as culture, still proves a vital asset in digging deeper into understanding the French society.
b.) www.wikipedia.org/wiki/France
c.) .) Most of France's population used to be Catholic, and this is reflected in the calendar of holidays, which mark several major Catholic celebrations. With the waning importance of religious practice, many of those holidays have lost their religious meaning in the general population. Out of 10 national celebrations in France 5 are Christian celebration.
4. Values
a.) French values help explain much about the French people. Values help describe lifestyles, hobbies, preferences, dislikes, and many more. The link found, gives insight as to French preferences, and what the French society deems a priority within their lives.
b.) www.isuma.net/v01n02/brechon/brechon_e.shtml
c.) The vast majority of French respondents (nearly 9 out of 10 people) consider family to be very important. Next comes work (2 out of 3 people), then friends and leisure (4 to 5 people out of 10). However, only one out of 10 people feels that religion or politics is very important.
Project Objective Part “B” - Product Values
5. Form
a.) This first link was a major asset in connecting “old country” and “new country” France together. The site gives in-depth accounts traditional and non-traditional methods people of France did and have done with lingerie. For our group, the link also helped in giving a list of different types of materials used for any given period in France in making lingerie.
b.) www.onelingerieplace.com/french_lingerie
c.) The group used this site a lot in finding our research for the project. From lists of materials, pictures of different types and lingerie, and even the different fashion trends and followed with lingerie through the years in France. The site also informs viewers how the kings and queens of France popularized lingerie and how lingerie was part of the French culture. The main uses of lingerie between 1600 and 1900 were to flatten a women’s appearance and that lingerie was mainly used to accentuate a woman’s outer appearance. Today however, lingerie is used to accentuate a woman’s inner appearance.
a.) In looking for a better connection between “old country” and “new country” the group found another site that gave a brief history on different types of lingerie. The history addresses mainly on the different cultural trends that emerged on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, giving the group a better understanding as to the history of our product through the many centuries in France.
b.) www.lingerie-uncovered.com
c.) The information gathered from this site along with the information from our previous link really helped bridge a connection between both “old and new country” in France. We found out about the different types of lingerie used in history and why they were used in fashion. The Elizabethan corset, 17th century kept a flat-fronted, conical body shape which exaggerated and pushed up the breasts. Waist reduction was minimal. The Victorian corset, mid-19th century cinched in the waist to give an exaggerated hourglass figure. The S-bend corset, turn of the century was an attempt at a healthier, less restrictive corset which was flat-fronted, and forced an unnatural arch into the back, pushing the breasts up and out and the rear down and back.
a.) Our group also found this really great site that lists all the different types of textiles used today and of the past in making lingerie. From centuries along, France had been using delicate and expensive materials to product many of the fine under garments. Today, with the invention of man-made textiles, these processed and delicate materials have incorporated themselves into everyday production of lingerie along the world.
b.) www.biggerbras.com/lingerie-fabric-guide
c.) The group wanted to know exactly what was used in making lingerie in the old days in France. It was interesting to find out what traditional methods were used in creating the sometimes elaborate garments for people in France. This in turn, also helped us understand that different textiles were used for different people mainly for their wealth status. In France, a woman who was up-to-date with their fashion needed the most modern of lingerie to create that look. If a person was wealthy they were more than able to purchase these necessities and were often created with great care and attention to detail.
6. Function
a.) This link addresses the different fashion movements of women’s clothing from the periods of 1700 to present. In the website it states how fashion in France was driven by attaining a specific look for the body by using different forms of lingerie. Because France values fashion so much, the French would stress great importance for women to use lingerie to stay fashionable “up with the times”.
b.) www.costume.org
c.) This site shows pictures of many different styles of dresses from any given period in France starting with the earliest dresses dating back to 1700. We also benefited from the site giving us details as to how French women styled their clothing, hair, and hats around how their body looked. For instance, early on in France, from 1600 to 1700, the fashionable look for women was to have a flat front section with a busty top. This was only attainable using the primitive Elizabethan corset. Then in the mid 19th century, the fashionable look for women was to have a cinched waist giving a woman an hourglass figure. Throughout France’s history in fashionable movements, it was lingerie that made these highly stylized and very popular movements a reality. The website we found only solidifies our findings.
a.) On the internet, the group was able to find this great link that explained, in detail, how lingerie embodied the French culture. The link also gave a history on the different types of bras that were created through time and how the French were closely connected to the development of the bra. Lingerie came from the French language meaning support, but the French chose to call a bra soutien-gorge.
b.) www.fashion-era.com/bras_and_girdles
c.) This site was essential to explaining the link between French culture and lingerie. The website gave the group information into the history of not just France, but the French culture in fashion. With so much history and evolution about lingerie within France, the group thought it would be very important to include this history in the final report.
· Vogue Reports the First Brassiere 1907
Bra history began as far back as Cretan times, but 1907, was the year when the word brassiere was first reported in an American copy of Vogue. The original French meaning was support, but the word was out of use and the French chose to call a bra soutien-gorge.
Reform Bodice BraEarly supposedly healthier Reform Bodice bra with mesh net cups that gave virtually no support. / Old country / New country
· Early BrassièresPre 1915
Most of the major designers of the era have tried to lay claim to designing the first bra. Poiret, a famous French designer, probably had the strongest claim. What is certain is that all the designers promoted a simple breast retaining garment for the newer simple straight dress styles. Initially at the turn of the 20th century even the word camisole was used too, but replaced by 'Bust Bodice' by 1905.
Wrap around camisole style bra. / Old country / New country· Mary Phelps-Jacobs's Patented Bra 1914
Bra fashion history truly began with the first bra to be patented. The first bra was patented in 1914 by Mary Phelps-Jacobs. It is not thought to be the first bra ever, but it is the first patented record and that gives her the credit. Mary Phelps-Jacobs patented her bra design under the patent name of Caresse Crosby. Some suggest it was her French maid who provided the idea or the stitching help. Two silk handkerchiefs were tied together, baby ribbon sewn on to make straps and a seam set in the centre front. Phelps Jacobs couldn't get much interest for her idea and sales were minimal, so for $1500 she sold the rights to Warners, and a few years later earned an estimated fifteen million dollars. Warners have been involved in bra production ever since. Within a year, breasts were measured in inches rather than being categorized small, medium or large.
The Phelps-Jacobs Bra Specification Patent / Old country / New country· Bras after 1930
After 1930 all the names we know well in lingerie and corsetry today began manufacturing bras with quite separate cups. They used quality cotton lace and net. One famous bra designed in the 1930s was the Kestos bra and later the Kestos Utility Bra. It’s simple seaming looks classy and could be effective today.
The Kestos Bra / Old country / New country7. Facilitation
a.) During the old age of France, lingerie was worn to help keep clothes clean. They were considered the first undergarments. However this turned into a luxury by some and a fashion trend even further down the line in the Golden Age. Early on, the fabrics used to make these undergarments were not as nice as the ones we know today. But they were widely available and for the purposes of keeping clothes a little cleaner, were in fact useful. As the textile industry grew, fabrics like satin and silk were used to make lingerie and then made it more expensive, therefore making it a luxury for royalty and people of nobility. These new, more expensive, more comfortable articles of lingerie we worn at dinners and dances and gatherings. With the invention of the corset and the brazier, women were able to help shape their body and make themselves more attractive to men. Obviously women of that day weren’t in body exchange working out and looking fit so by wearing lingerie like the corset and brazier women were able to fool men into believing they were more attractive than they were.