Dressing up over a century ago

An exhibit of fashions from late 19th century Vienna just opened at the Wien Museum on Karlsplatz. Besides the ball gowns, and fancy walking clothes you'e expect, there are also displays of underwear, hats, fans, sporting clothes, children's clothes and a few working class items. Some of the exhibited pieces are really beautiful, but I won't put descriptions of the embroidery and lace here (see here). More interesting to non-stitchers are the explanations of how the corsets disrupted internal organs, and how shocking the first divided skirts and trousers for women were.

The exhibit is called 'Grosser Auftritt', and will be on display until November 1. There is an area on the first floor (upstairs) devoted to it, and extra items scattered about the 2nd floor. The general labels are mostly in both German and English, but the specifics for each piece are only German.

While you are there, have a look in some of the regular galleries. The Wien Museum houses interesting items from Vienna's history. They also have several other smaller locations, such as many musicians' homes, the clock museum, ... for short visits concentrating on a special interest. The Neidhart frescoes are a real treasure that too few people know about.