NEGLIGEE AND NEGLECTED

In French the word negligee is derived historically from "to neglect." But now the words are once again linked since the wearing of negligees has itself become neglected. In its heyday, the negligee was an important garment in a woman's wardrobe. The negligee was worn at home, either in the morning or at night, in a casual and comfortable manner. Originally it was worn before or after a corset was put on - and so the negligee's ease and lack of preparation is what gave it its French name. Soft, loose-fitting or sheer fabrics were used, and by the late 1920s and early 1930s, negligees were usually made of chiffon or silk with lace trim. In Hollywood films, the look of negligees that combined luxury and sex appeal quickly spread, and this in turn created an increasing demand for sexy negligees in the marketplace. 




Carole Lombard in a pleated chiffon negligee, 1936.

It was no accident that the negligee was the costume of choice in Hollywood' scenes of seduction. Depending on the particular enforcement of the Film Code censorship, more or less skin could be exposed. Regardless, there were myriad ways for a negligee to look sexy, and by this time, the negligee itself had become shorthand for a scene involving romance. In the photo above, Carole Lombard's negligee or nightgown was sophisticated enough to be worn as an indoor evening gown - a style that was developed by the Hollywood costume designers and then spread to Paris and around the world.




Norma Shearer in an Adrian designed negligee in "A Free Soul," 1931.

 Norma Shearer so loved her look in the negligees that Adrian designed for her that she regularly asked for more of them for her MGM films. They even came to be known as "Norma's Nighties." Above she wears a tangerine-colored velvet negligee Adrian designed for her in A Free Soul in 1931. The look helped spread the style of the negligee as gown.




Carole Lombard in 1934.

Travis Banton was another Hollywood costume designer that popularized the look of the glamorous negligee. He dressed two stars in the mid-1930s that made this job a joy: Carole Lombard and Marlene Dietrich.



Marlene Dietrich is pictured above in a combination negligee and pyjama.  Silk pyjama outfits became popular in the late 1920s, and pyjama pants combined with the negligee made a great look for Marlene - seen here in the late 1930s. 

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Rita Hayworth made negligees the pin-up look to dream of for American G.I.s in World War II. It all started with this 1941 Life Magazine cover.

The 21 year old Ava Gardner is pictured above in her first big starring role in The Killers, in 1946. In this film noir Ava played  a seductive and sultry femme fatale opposite Burt Lancaster. The negligee's look on film was now one of complete sexual allure.



Starlet Elaine Stewart models a negligee, circa 1952.



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Claire Bloom in The Chapman Report, 1962.

And black is always fetching for negligees. It's the alternative to white, and just as important, its opposite - seen here on Claire Bloom.

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The negligee's use has strayed a long way from its original mode of dress. With its specialization to scenes of seduction it lost its function for normal home use. And with its symbolic qualities of sex it was soon adopted in fashion for the underwear as outerwear looks created by Jean-Paul Gaultier and worn by Madonna. Such use still appears today. The photo above is from the Christian Dior fall-winter 2012 ready-to-wear collection - seen March 4, 2011 during Paris Fashion Week. Alas, such beautiful images of negligees are rarely ever seen - except in fashion shows - and classic Hollywood movies.