Date: c. 1920s
Origin: Great Britain
Fabric: Lace and silk ribbon
Brand: Custom made
This circa 1920s boudoir headband is unbranded, handmade, and composed of lace and ruffled silk.
A boudoir cap is a style of lingerie headwear, commonly worn from the nineteenth into the early twentieth century. They were originally intended to be worn over unstyled hair, and in the privacy of the boudoir, typically paired with sleepwear. In the 1910s and 1920s, they were commonly worn to protect women’s hairstyles during sleep. As designs evolved alongside increasingly fashionable sleepwear in the 1930s, these objects became more and more elaborate. Eventually, they were more frequently worn as more of a decorative hair net rather than a utilitarian item. As with other forms of women’s lingerie, boudoir caps were usually made in fine fabrics such as lace, tulle, and satin. Embellishment was often plentiful, with techniques such as ribbonwork being particularly commonplace.
Highly decorative undergarments and accessories of this kind were popularized through the cinema of the period. Stars such as Jean Harlow were often depicted lounging at home, adorned head-to-toe in lace, silk, and fur, reinforcing the association between glamour, intimacy, and luxurious domestic dress. This particular boudoir headband is composed of a decorative white lace, trimmed with a peach-toned ruffle silk, and secured at the back with pink silk ribbon. In both color and material, this piece aligns with the fashionable ideals of 1920s underpinnings, which often favored soft, muted-toned silks, accented with delicate lace and silk ribbon. The collection of the Underpinnings Museum houses a similar object, dated circa 1925, composed of silk ribbon, lace, and cotton tulle by the brand Simonettes.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
Many thanks to Liv Elniski for the object description.
