- [Narrator] This is Mary Poppins.
You know her from Disney's "Mary Poppins".
You know this outfit
and this one.
But are they accurate?
We got fashion historian Bernadette Banner
to walk us through what the movie got right
and what they got wrong about these looks.
First, let's establish the setting.
- "Mary Poppins" quite classically takes place in London
and as Mr. Banks so kindly informs us.
♪ It's grand to be an Englishman in 1910 ♪
♪ King Edward's on the throne ♪
♪ It's the age of men ♪
- His Majesty died on the 6th of May, 1910,
and judging from the blossoming cherry trees present
in subsequent outdoor scenes later in the film,
we can quite confidently narrow down our time period
to approximately April of 1910.
The Banks family seem to comfortably occupy
a place in the upper middle class,
judging from their employment of three members
of full-time domestic staff.
A cook, housekeeper, and of course, a nanny.
- Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way.
[classical music]
- While the term nurse and nanny
were in this time period relatively synonymous,
the difference between the nurse, the nanny,
and the governess was that the governess
had the further task of educating the young girls
of the family.
Boys, on the other hand, would be sent to boarding school.
However, the level of authority that Mary Poppins
seems to assert over the Banks household
is undoubtedly intentionally, unusually above her station.
- Oh I make it a point never to give references.
A very old-fashioned idea to my mind.
- Is that so?
- [Narrator] Anything else?
- The original novel, "Mary Poppins",
was written by P. L. Travers in the 1930s,
and while the story in the novel
doesn't necessarily have a time period associated with it,
it was a conscious decision made by the production team
of the film to set it in the Edwardian period.
- [Narrator] Let's get into the looks.
First up, Mary Poppins' navy suit.
- Although clearly a bit of whimsical liberty
was taken with some of the elements of this look.
Whimsical liberties, as well as some deeply-ingrained
1960's beauty aesthetics.
The two-piece matching suit and shirt waist combination
was very much a feature
of the respectable woman's wardrobe in 1910.
However, the biggest departure from Edwardian dress here
begins with the all-important foundation layers.
- [Narrator] So this is somewhat accurate.
Let's draw Mary Poppins' outfit
from the undergarments up.
[pencil strokes]
First up, the undergarments.
- First and foremost,
Mary Poppins would've had two choices of undergarment.
Either a separated chemise and pair of drawers,
as was common in earlier decades of the 19th century.
Alternatively, she could've opted for the more modern
innovation that combined the two
into a single garment,
aptly called a pair of combinations.
We'll go ahead in saying she's wearing a pair of these
combinations because Mary Poppins strikes me
as a lady of practicality,
and very much one for keeping up with the times.
[marching music]
These would've been made of a white calico or cotton
and would commonly close down the front
with small, flat buttons
so as not to interfere with the corset.
Generally, it was still not uncommon for this seam
to just be left open entirely
for ease of necessary access,
as fully enclosed undergarments
were only just starting to become a prevalent thing
in the early 20th century,
arguably for the first time in modern history.
On her legs, Mary Poppins would be wearing a pair of silk
or woolen knitted hose that would come up above the knee
and could be gartered either below the knee
or suspended from the corset
with this exciting new innovation of elasticated suspenders.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Onto the corset.
- Next of course is the corset.
Corsets of varying build and quality were available
for all kind of lady.
From the high society socialite
to the militant suffragette
to the scullery maid,
and Mary Poppins would probably be wearing one too.
But here's the thing.
Unless you were one
of those very high fashionable society ladies,
willing to endure a bit of suffering
for the sake of fashion,
the average woman, as you can probably imagine,
required something a bit more practical.
Indeed, most surviving corsets from the late Victorian
and Edwardian periods,
especially those manufactured for middle
and working-class women,
contained very few steel bones,
and many advertisements for said mass-manufactured corsets
boast innovative, new designs
with no heavy steels.
Most of these corsets were very flexible,
stiffened lightly with soft material
such as cord, reed, feather spines
and super fine strips of pliable whalebone
that in consistency,
resemble the flexibility of a fingernail.
The primary function of the corset
was to support the bust,
since the first patent for a brasserie,
as we know it today,
doesn't officially appear until November of 1914.
But the corset is also a vital necessity
in achieving the posture and silhouette
so desirable in any given period.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Next, the corset cover.
- The corset cover, as the name suggests,
is worn over top of the corset
to smooth out the foundation layers
so that the hard edges of the corset
aren't seen through
to the now more closer-fitting outer clothing,
and were strategically made with lots of gathers
and no shortage of frilly lace and ruffle decoration
at the front, to give a bit more volume to the bust area.
And in fact, since most women's bust measurements
were not upwards of 15 inches different
from their waist measure, as was desirable of this period,
most women probably did have a little bit of help.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Moving on to the petticoat.
- Next comes the petticoat.
Mary Poppins would wear at least one of these
made of cotton, silk or flannel for the colder months.
Petticoats were usually trimmed with ribbon,
lace or tucks.
As it's April
and presumably a bit more mild temperatured outside,
we'll say that she's only wearing one today.
That little flash of what looks like a short,
slippery satin thing is suspiciously more like
a mid-20th century dress slip,
and probably not what the Edwardian lady would have in mind.
- [Narrator] Let's look at the next layer.
- Next is the blouse,
or as it was more commonly called in the time,
the shirt waist,
which was again usually made from cotton.
So while the ruffles that we can see down front
of Mary Poppins' shirt waist in the film
are an excellent nod to history,
the fit of the front is much too close to her natural figure
and not nearly puffy enough for the Edwardian taste.
The bow in principle is very correct
and not only can be seen in contemporary illustrations
and advertisements, but an article in The Designer
and The Woman's Magazine from November of 1909,
insists that silk shirt waist bows,
specifically those in pastel,
rose, lilac and lavender shades
are particularly favorite shades of the season.
- And snap. [clicks fingers]
- [Narrator] Onto the walking suit.
- Mary Poppins is wearing what would've been known
as a walking suit,
or a tailor-made ensemble
consisting of a matching jacket and skirt,
designed largely for practical ease of movement,
such as traversing rooftops
and having a right old knees up
with your chimney sweep mates.
Once again, the suit in theory is quite correct,
as we can see when we look at the film costume
next to this image
of a remarkably similar turn of the century walking suit.
We can still see a remarkable deviation
in the posture and silhouette
caused by the historical use of padding
and the shape of the corset.
Skirts of this period are still very much
in a transitionary phase,
between the sweeping trumpet skirts
of the turn of the century
and the very tight-fitting hobble skirt
gaining popularity during the early teens.
By 1910, skirts were markedly slimmer,
especially over the hips,
as we've discovered,
but could still feature a bit of flare at the hem,
either through gored cutting or pleats.
And so the pleated, moderately full skirt
that Mary Poppins wears with her suit here
is a decent representation of the period.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Down to the shoes.
- Low-heeled, buckled shoes
were indeed a fashionable option for 1910,
with this particular style referred to as the Cromwell,
after 17th century Parliamentary leader, Oliver Cromwell.
This style of low-heeled, buckled shoe
is heavily inspired by similar styles of the 17th century.
Heels were pretty much the norm on women's shoes
of this time.
But heels don't necessarily mean discomfort.
If you'll notice,
heels were crafted in such a way
that they curve into the foot,
directly supporting the center of balance
at the heel and making for a much more stable shoe.
We are probably all well aware that Mary Poppins
is a stalwart proponent of shoes of the sensible kind.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Finally, the hat.
- Hats were indeed a necessary item
in the respectable lady's wardrobe in 1910,
but sadly, Mary Poppins' iconic hat
is a little bit out of date.
Small, close-brimmed hats
were more common in the 1890s,
and millinery trends by 1910
tended towards the wider brim.
But there's nothing wrong with keeping a favorite item
in your wardrobe, no matter how past the fashion it's gone.
And I think it's rather endearing to think
that Mary Poppins might've kept it around
as a small sentimentality.
Overall, this look is fairly accurate,
with some decent nods to the history,
although some definite deviations
for the sake of modern aesthetic and whimsy.
- [Narrator] Here's what Mary Poppins' navy suit
would've looked like if she lived in history.
[pencil strokes]
Let's take a look at Mary Poppins' Jolly Holiday look.
- This dress is quite possibly historically accurate,
if the scene takes place in the 1950s
and Mary Poppins is emulating the highly fashionable
New Look silhouette.
In other words,
this one has taken quite a bit of whimsical liberty,
although a decision not wholly unfitting
to the overall theme of the scene.
The New Look was a line of highly innovative dresses,
designed by fashion designer Christian Dior in 1947.
This groundbreaking silhouette was a strong deviation
from earlier wartime silhouettes with its nipped in waist
and very full skirt.
The scene takes place largely at a fantastical derby event.
This as well as some clues attempted by the present costume,
that is the white, light, frilly frock,
large hat and parasol,
leads me to speculate that Mary Poppins
is trying to reflect the fashions typical
of a high society racing event
like the Royal Ascot.
- [Narrator] Let's draw this from the undergarments up.
[pencil strokes]
First up, the underwear and corset.
- Just as in the previous look,
Mary Poppins would be wearing
all of the appropriate foundation garments
essential to achieving the fashionable Edwardian silhouette.
The hose in this case would probably be white.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Onto the next layer.
- Next comes the petticoat.
Petticoats were usually trimmed with ribbon, lace or tucks
and the petticoat would probably be silk.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Next up, the dress bodice.
- The bodice of the dress itself still fits
a bit too closely to her natural figure
to be wholly convincing.
This is not helped by that corsety waist cinch thing
that is either supposed to be a corset
and therefore meant as an undergarment
or is an interpretation of the wide belts or sashes
that could've been worn for an added pop of color.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Moving on to the skirt.
- The skirt is a wholly 1950's invention.
The gathering at the waist, as we have discovered,
would not have done for the Edwardian
who would've much preferred a perfectly smooth fit
at the hips
with any fullness at all
strictly regulated to the center back.
It is also far too short,
as you'll notice that the white tea gowns historically
tended to be quite long,
although in this case,
some accommodation probably had to be made
for the amount of dancing that has to happen.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Moving on to the shoes.
- In any case, the dress does allow us
to get a better glimpse at her two-toned, buttoned boots,
which were indeed a popular boot style for this period.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Now for the hat.
- This time, her hat is sufficiently wide-brimmed
and up to date in that respect,
although when it comes to millinery in 1910,
especially for such social occasions,
there was no skimping on the decoration.
Copious amounts of silk, artificial flowers
and foliage, enormous plumes and even entire stuffed birds
could adorn these hats.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Next up, the parasol.
- A parasol or sunshade,
as the magazines prefer to call them,
were also essential accessories for such outdoor activities.
To coordinate properly with these gowns,
these would typically be white or pale colors
such as rose, sky and biscuit.
Like the millinery, this was yet another opportunity
to incorporate lace and frills,
but they were primarily made from light material
such as chintz and chiffon,
slightly useful for shade but mostly decorative
and certainly not much use in the rain.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Next, her makeup.
- The Edwardian aversion to visible makeup, for example,
doesn't tend to appeal to the 21st century audience today,
nor to that in the 1960s,
and so, Mary Poppins can be seen most scandalously
to her Edwardian contemporaries
very noticeably made up
in the fashion of a not quite
so respectable musical performer.
[pencil strokes]
- [Narrator] Moving on to the hair.
- Likewise, the voluminous hairstyles of the 1910
aesthetic appeal has been exchanged for the neat,
sculpted up do, more fashionable for the 1960s.
- [Narrator] So would you say this look is accurate?
- Well the style of boot is correct
and she has a big hat and a parasol
and the dress is white.
But aside from that,
not really.
- [Narrator] Here's what Mary Poppins' holiday dress
would've looked like compared to the one in the film.
- The role of Mary Poppins is leading actress
Julie Andrews' Hollywood debut,
for which she won the Oscar.
- Oh, this is lovely.
I know you Americans are famous for your hospitality
but this is really ridiculous.
- So while the clothes in the film, "Mary Poppins",
do definitely look back to elements of history,
there were still definitely a few whimsical liberties taken.
But as is to be expected of any movie musical.
- [Narrator] Here's what Mary Poppins
would've looked like if she lived in history.
[classical music]
- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.