Collection: Silken Petals: Flowers, Femininity & Lingerie

Merchandise from our exhibition 'Silken Petals: Flowers, Femininity & Lingerie'. Includes an exhibition catalogue and photographic prints. Click here to explore the exhibition. 

“Florals for spring? Groundbreaking,” scoffs Miranda Priestly, the fictional fashion editor in The Devil Wears Prada. Despite Miranda Priestly’s scorn, this very universality makes flowers a fascinating subject and the Underpinnings Museum’s new online exhibition will explore how and why flowers are used particularly often in lingerie design. “Silken Petals: Flowers, Femininity, and Lingerie”, guest-curated by Caroline Elenowitz-Hess, draws on the Underpinnings Museum’s permanent collection to explore the ways that flowers have been used as design motifs in undergarments from the 18^th century to today. Highlights of the exhibition include embroidered garters from the 18^th and 19^th centuries, cheeky souvenir lingerie from the 1940s and contemporary reinterpretations of the sensuality of flowers.