Date: 1926
Origin: Great Britain
Brand: Twilfit / D. H. Evans & Co.
This catalogue from 1926 was for the corset and undergarments label “Twilfit” by D. H. Evans & Co., a London-based department store. The catalogue showcases a variety of foundation garments, ranging from maternity corsets, brassieres in lace, “artificial silk Milanese,” net, coutil, and other materials. There are corselets with light boning that fasten at the sides with hooks and eyes, “fashonese” (a seemingly proprietary “dual purpose garment combining corset and brassiere in one”), hip belts and belt corsets with hose supporters incorporated, and corsets which appear to start at the waist and focus their support on the wearer’s hips and stomach, in line with the straight and boyish silhouette popular in the 1920s. The corsets are described to be made of “specially woven materials, double-stitched in all wearing parts, made with English thoroughness and attention to detail, thus ensuring lasting wear.” The catalogue assures readers that “Women of all types of figures are catered for in the ‘Twilfit’ range. ‘Twilfit’ corsets are comparatively light in weight, yet designed to control the figure and afford support where most needed.” Out of approximately 51 models shown in the catalogue, roughly 20% reference slimming or “reducing” in their descriptions. This, with the illustrators of slender, straight women without a prominent hourglass shape, emphasises the fashionably body shape of the 1920s, which was boyish and thin.
The corsets could be bought in store at Oxford street or ordered through the mail, and the catalogue clarifies that non-local consumers can have the product sent to assess fit and quality, in exchange for a deposit and covering the shipping cost. If the garment is not up to the customer’s satisfaction, they could be refunded or replaced.
Twilfit corsets were sold into the 1960s, and were featured periodically in Harper’s Bazaar (a February 1950 article, The Corset Story, praises Twilfit for producing an “excellent strapless bodice.”). As corsets and girdles became less fashionable, sales dipped, and Twilfit was unable to attract a younger clientele. D. H. Evans was incorporated into the House of Fraser in 2001.
Many thanks to Katherine Shark for the object description and research.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
