Underwear: A Brief History opens at the Minneapolis Historical Society

THE 6TH-ANNUAL RetroRama celebration that took place last Thursday at the Minnesota Historical Society Museum in St. Paul was a raving success. According to museum staff, this year’s party broke attendance records with 600 tickets sold, and that’s not counting any tickets sold at the door the day of the event. Could the boost in attendance be a result of the promise of unmentionables? Coinciding with this year’s RetroRama is the opening of the historical society’s newest exhibition “Underwear: A Brief History,” which documents the history of Minnesota’s Munsingwear underwear factory -- at one time employing over 3,000 people.

When the 94-year-old factory shut down in 1980, thousands of the company’s underwear samples were dropped off at the historical society, where they stayed in archival storage, hidden from the public. Historical society employee, and local author and filmmaker, Susan Marks became entranced by the old underthings -- many of which include original patented designs that pioneered the underwear industry -- and eventually got permission to pen a history of the Minnesota company. The finished book entitled, In The Mood for Munsingwear: Minnesota’s Claim to Underwear Fame (which I reviewed for City Pages), is a fantastic read and a few of the samples Marks highlights in her book are on display in the exhibition. (Several weeks ago Susan read exerpts from her book at a reading that I co-hosted). “Underwear: A Brief History” is very brief. One small room has been filled with just a sampling of the 3,500 garments Munsingwear donated, but they are admittedly stellar examples of vintage design spanning several eras, presenting an intriguing look into underwear’s past that is not to be missed.

For those of us at the party who found ourselves wanting more peaks at fancy underwear, RetroRama hosted a fashion show -- as it does every year for the event -- but this year’s fashion show was special in that it had an underwear-theme as well. Susan Marks kicked off each fashion show -- one at 8pm and again at 9pm -- with a quick history and slide show of vintage underwear featured in her book, which lead nicely into the show itself, which began with a truly vintage cover-up: a union suit. A flapper-esque model with perfect bobbed hair strutted the runway clad in a classic Union Suit, one of those one-piece numbers with a drop-seat over the bum that is meant to be worn during cold weather. This style of underwear was an important piece of Munsingwear history, for a long time it’s patented design was the company’s claim to fame. Original pieces were showcased as well, by local designers Danielle Everine, Heather Luca, Sarah White, Samantha Rei, and Chrstopher Straub (you may know him from Season 6 of Project Runway).
The Historical Society building is a grand location for a party, with stories-high windows, marble steps, and grand views of Minnesota’s Capitol city, party-goers danced to live jazz performed by The Southside Aces, drank, and sampled hors d’oeuvres under an plane which hangs dramatically from one of the buildings rotundas. It was only fitting, then, that the signature cocktail of the evening was the Aviation, a classic made with gin, lemon juice, and a dash of maraschino cherry juice. Party-goers could shop in pop-up vintage clothing booths, watch cocktail and baking demos for the perfect party fare, and play around at the make-your-own-souvenir stations designing “retro specs” by embellishing old glasses with bright feathers and glitter. There was even a spot to decorate your own boxer shorts. It was a crowded affair, but not uncomfortably so. After all there are worse deaths to be had than being crushed amongst crinoline.
Visit Underwear: A Brief History, on display through September 11, 2011 at the Minnesota Historical Society. In The Mood for Munsingwear: Minnesota’s Claim to Underwear Fame is available in the museum’s gift shop as well as online.