Recently, with the resurgence of period dramas like the newly released fourth season of “Bridgerton” and “Wuthering Heights,” historical fashion elements such as cameos and corsets have become popularized. Influences in film and media reflect interest in vintage fashion, which carries stories of the past into today’s culture. Examining the lineage and function of these garments reveals the stories they tell and why they continue to resonate today.
What does this return to historical fashion suggest about identity construction in a fastmoving internet era? Interviews with University of Oregon Costume Shop Manager Heather Bair and Art History Professor Victoria Ehrlich trace the history embodied in these trends. Fashion — as a function of identity and performance — continually reimagines the past in the present.
“You have to get far away enough from the strictures of that era to actually be able to enjoy the things that were part of it,” Bair said.
Fashion changes alongside culture, shifting garments from their original function.
Bair challenges the misconception that corsets are symbols of oppression. “They were just underwear,” originally designed to protect the body from the elaborate and expensive outer garment, which were rarely washed.
Bair points to Madonna wearing the Jean-Paul Gaultier cone bra in 1990 as a turning point in bringing undergarments into public view. A shift in women’s liberation moved away from hiding the body without sacrificing women’s respectability.
Cameos are another example of a vintage style resurfacing within a new generation. They were mass produced in the 60s and 70s during the flower-power era. Youth culture emphasized looser silhouettes and vintage style, including cameos, which offered a connection to the past.
Looking further back to the 18th-century, the popularization of cameos began with pendants collected during the “Grand Tour,” when wealthy Europeans brought back renditions of famous artwork as souvenirs, signaling education and wealth.
“It’s people’s imaginations that are engaged, it’s why they want to wear these things, why they identify with them… taking what you think is beautiful from the past and bringing it forward,” said Bair.
Though clothing choices are always influenced by what is trending, they reflect a deeper desire of the times in history that these garments represent.
Many cameos depict scenes from ancient Roman mythology. Though the Renaissance era was dominated by Christian values, these ancient myths were embraced for their moral lessons and for their role in shaping the social expectations of the current population.
The interest in Roman roots during the Renaissavnce stemmed from a change in Italy’s education system around the 15th century. Ehrlich said, “they’re being surrounded in their education by this epic poetry, these mythological heroes that often served as kind of moral exemplars… were now reimagining themselves as descendants and heirs of, you know, this flourishing moment of culture.”
Connecting identity to those who came before us is nothing new. With endless access to visual media, today’s trend cycle has collapsed into a timeline where the past is constantly reinterpreted in the present.
“There’s something about thinking about a past that you want to feel connected to that kind of helps you get through the modern moment,” said Ehrlich. “It is a bit of escapism.” Whether or not people’s clothing choices are historically accurate, fashion is a tool of self-expression, shaped by a fast-moving trend cycle yet rooted in a broader past. In reimagining history, garments facilitate world-building that helps forge a new connection to the past and, sometimes, allows us a break from the present.
