The perfect harmony of white clothes

Abstract

Today, women's underwear is designed in a wide range of colours, even pigmented or dyed in fluorescent, phosphorescent, or iridescent colours. Or even in black, denoting elegance, sophistication, and luxury. However, from a Western perspective, during the 1900s and 1910s, this was unimaginable, as underwear was available in neutrals, pastels, and a wide variety of shades of white.
For the most part, fabrics closest to the skin were designed in white, consolidating a canon of beauty. This aesthetic permeated not only the fibres and fabrics, but also the pores of female skin. While natural skin with facial  hair  was  rejected,  pale skin was  aesthetically validated.  In  this article,  I  explore  the  uses  and representations of the colour white in women's underwear designs during the 1900s and 1910s in Mexico City. In all its shades, this colour, from those ancient times until now, evokes and is associated with hygiene, purity, and cleanliness. Those who wished to achieve this state of beauty had to turn to the cosmetics offered by creams, powders, and waxes at the beginning of the 20th century.