Currently running at the Polykentro in Voukolies is an exhibition of urban female dress in Chania from the 1890s to the present day. The items displayed are from the collection of the Lyceum of Greek Women of Chania, which is a branch of the Athens-based Lyceum Club of Greek Women, founded in 1911 by Kalliroi Siganou-Parren, a native of Rethymnon, who was a pioneer of the feminist movement in Greece and the country’s first woman journalist.
The Chania branch of the Lyceum, one of 55 throughout the country, has been active since 1915 and follows the main institution’s policy of promoting and defending women’s rights and strengthening and preserving Greek customs and traditions.
Chania fashions from the 70s and 80s. Exhibition at the Polykentro in Voukolies, Sunday 15th January.
Entitled “From manipulation to emancipation”, the exhibition at Voukolies was curated and organised by set designer and costume specialist Valia Margariti, and aims to chart the course of female emancipation through the transformations in urban dress in the past 130 years. The following narrative is contained in the leaflet which accompanies the exhibition:
“The title of the exhibition emerged from observation of the development of women’s dress from 1890 until, more or less, the present day. From the asphyxiation of the corset and the imposition of the luxurious bust and the wasp waist, to the sudden and, for the times, revolutionary transformation, with loose dresses in soft fabrics and a skirt length which revealed the ankle!
“A major role in this was played by the social conditions which secured woman’s rights, since from being a ‘person’ with responsibilities solely within the household she developed into a human being with possibilities in the sphere of work and with self-determination.
“Thus in the period between the wars, from 1920 to 1940, dress followed the route of emancipation from the system of strict control of the previous decades, though still preserving the rules of morning, afternoon and evening wear. In the 1930s, evening wear was clearly influenced by the image of female film stars and the kind of entertainment found in night clubs.
“The heavy shadow of the 2nd World War over the decade of the 40s made clothes a little more severe again but also a little more practical, since women had now passed into the front line.
“Arriving at the 50s, with the wounds of war still open, clothing had the role of bringing a message of optimism and hope that we would remake the world as a better, brighter and happier place.
“And so in the 60s, skirts were cut even shorter. The mini had arrived, but then came May 68. The urge to break with the establishment, to create a world full of peace and love, emancipated women’s dress even further, with bell-bottom trousers and brightly coloured blouses. Midi and maxi skirts also appeared, but with a different cut from that of 1890.
“From manipulation to emancipation, today wearing what best expresses a woman, without rules but ‘trends’ in fashion, with many different choices of clothing and chiefly choices of life. And somewhere in there, the production of new proposals ceases, because the process of emancipation is complete.”
The exhibition runs until 28th February. Opening hours are:
– Monday to Friday: 10:00-13:00
– Saturday 17:00-20:00
– Sunday: 11:00-19:00
Admission is free.