Cami-knickers made of silk trimmed with machine-made lace, England, ca. 1920

Cami-knickers made of pink silk trimmed with cream machine-made lace. The top is made from the net, and almost straight cut but with shaping darts around the waist. It has pink ribbon shoulder straps and fastens at the centre back with small pearl buttons. The legs are made from silk, knee length, open for most of their length and open, draping from the centre front. They are edged with lace.

This was worn by Miss Emilie Grigsby (1876-1964) who was a wealthy independent American who came to England from New York. She established a salon which was frequented by writers and the military. She was considered to be one of the great international beauties, with extremely pale, almost transparent skin and golden hair. She was frequently the subject of articles in the New York Times during the early 20th century. Her clothes were purchased from couturiers in London, Paris, and New York, and demonstrated an elegantly avant-garde approach to style.

T.194-1967