Date: c.1920s
Origin: Great Britain
Fabric: Rayon satin, Schiffli embroidered tulle, lace trim, silk ribbon
Brand: Custom made
This boudoir cap has a base of pale pink rayon satin, with machine embroidered cotton tulle at the crown and encircling the head. The base of the cap has a panel of plain cotton tulle, trimmed with a narrow leavers lace and peach satin bows. The cap is embellished with intricate ribbonwork at the front of the garment: peach ruffles are interspersed with multicoloured rosettes.
The boudoir cap is a type of lingerie headwear, most commonly worn during the nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. It was originally worn over undressed hair, worn in the privacy of the boudoir alongside nightwear. In the 1910s and 1920s, it would be commonly worn to protect shorter hair styles during sleep. As the designs became more and more elaborate towards the 1930s, it began to be considered more of a decorative hair net. Like other forms of lingerie, boudoir caps were usually made in fine fabrics such as lace, tulle and satin. Embellishment was often profuse, with techniques such as ribbonwork being particularly commonplace.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
