Spirella Magazines

 

The Spirella (house) Magazine was published from the inception of the company in 1910 until 1972 and forms a wonderful and illuminating history of the business of the corsetiere. In its pages new products were introduced, letters from satisfied customers praised their products, and the best saleswomen received not just their awards, but pictures of themselves along with the 'new car' that their commissions had purchased. In the early years, a strong moralistic undertone was evident. Discipline, dedication and duty were repeatedly mentioned and the consequences of slovenly behaviour were illustrated as examples unworthy of a Spirella consultant. Of course, the deeper undertone is the American hard-sell at work, after all, corsetry might be extolled as a feminine virtue, but the bottom line was profit, and it was the corsetiere in the field that made that profit.

Weddings received much attention. Any corsetiere worth her salt, and with an entree into the family facing an impending wedding, could finance her Summer holidays on the commission. It was not unusual to hear stories of a corsetiere who had sold a dozen lowers (as corsets and girdles were quaintly called) and another dozen uppers (brassieres) to the potential guests and family anticipating a wedding. 

But let the letters to the Spirella magazine speak for themselves:-

 

Letters published in the Spirella Magazine

1) From Cottingham, near Hull, comes news of a Spirella client of 101 years of age. Her consultant is Mrs. B., who has just placed a further order on behalf of the client, a Spirella 305 in Sterling. Reports Mrs. B: “She has been a Spirella wearer for more than 50 years and systematically, as her five daughters reached the age of 16, introduced them all to Spirella. She has also got many other women to buy Spirella.” Jan 1970

This letter written in 1970 means that the old lady was born in 1869 and that she started with Spirella in, say, 1918, some eight years after the company was formed in Britain.  

2) “My Best Sale” by Mrs. McD., Liverpool

“I completed my training in April 1958, and during the next month, I called at most of the houses in my little road, with the result that I got orders for one strapless bra, two bras, and three 305 corsets. The following week I called at a hospital where my friend is the Matron. Nurses and orderlies were very taken with my own 314 bra and 305 corset and I finished up with orders for nine 314 brassieres and six 305 corsets, and a promise of more orders the following month, which I received.” Feb 1960  

3) After the birth of her daughter, Jean ordered a 305 to correct and maintain her figure, and has since recommended Spirella to many other young mothers she has met at the baby clinic. During last Summer she had two 305’s, a 384, a 321 and a 325. April 1960

Many corsets were sold during and after pregnancy. The 325 was a formidable front and back-laced corset. I'm sure a persuasive saleslady could easily have talked her client into the extra lacing, not to mention stronger bones  and extra suspenders. Although Spirella did not manufacture support stockings, they were a fundamental selling element in corset suspenders and were widely worn by women in the 1960's.

4) Convincing the public that a laced foundation was necessary was of concern to Spirella in this article from April 1965.

Not every client needs a 305. But often when a client really is in need of support of this excellent laced foundation a corsetiere is faced with resistance from the client. It is generally a resistance towards the wearing of a laced foundation, which is perhaps associated in her mind with heavy garments and “grandmother” styles. How then do you overcome this problem ? When you are certain that the 305 is the correct choice, how do you set about convincing your client ? This is the question we put to a corsetiere recently.

“The most important point is to be wearing a 305 myself. I tell them that it is the only garment that will keep their tummies flat, and to prove it I show them the 305 that I am wearing. Then I sit down in it so that they can see my tummy is still flat, and I bend down to demonstrate the 305’s flexibility. If necessary I put on my girdle to show the difference."

5) Support without constriction, and for no-one is this principle more apt than a professional concert singer. She needs to look attractive on stage, but any constriction over the diaphragm would be likely to affect her performance and at best be most uncomfortable. Little wonder then when a client of Mrs. O. of Leeds attended a concert at which her daughter was appearing as an amateur, and a professional singer was also on the bill, the professional singer was immediately interested in Spirella. Mrs. O. arranged to have a 305 and 31 made for her, sending special instructions for the 305 to be made “not too tight over the diaphragm.” Reports Mrs O.: “The difference was very marked and she rushed home delighted and determine to get her evening dresses altered to her new shape. I think she will be a very good advert for Spirella.” April 1969

6) While fitting a client we were discussing the radio programme Desert Island Disks, writes corsetiere Mrs. A., of Croydon. Said the client: “You know, if I were asked what luxury I would take to a desert island it would be a spare 305.” May 1965

7) The life expectancy of a corset is quite personal. If worn daily for 16 hours between rising and retiring there is still a great variation in how often the garment is washed, is it rotated with other corsets, is it worn next to the skin and how much does the client perspire? All affect the longevity of the corset; however, the following letter from June 1958 is remarkable.

Five years of constant wear in a hot climate is a stiff test for the best of foundations, but a Spirella 305 in Orchid material gave perfect satisfaction under such conditions. The garment belonged to the sister of corsetiere Mrs. L. P. of London. Mrs. P. reports: “I supplied my sister with the garment in 1953, when she was in England on holiday from Rhodesia. Soon afterwards she returned home. I heard recently that the stitching on the garment has now gone after five year's wear in a hot climate which meant that the garment was often drenched in perspiration and had to be washed almost daily.”

8) Taking a number of St. John nursing cadets to camp is very much a full time job, but Mrs. E. D., of Peterborough, nevertheless found it a profitable exercise. She writes: “We travelled to camp on a very hot day, pitched our tents and did the necessary initial chores. It was so hot that I decided, along with most of the other officers, to have a shower and wash my smalls. Being good campers, we had already erected a clothesline, and on this I pegged my newly washed black 325 in Bouquet and white 413 bra. They created such interest that I finished up with five orders for Spirella.   December 1959

Indeed, a 325 would draw attention. This formidable device with front and back lacing would be quite a novelty to the nursing cadets, even in 1959.

9) There are many letters extolling the virtues of wearing the correct foundation garment and a little bit of name dropping helps as well.

Praise for Spirella comes from last year's Mayoress of Worthing, who is a client of Mrs. H. The office makes great demands on the energy of the Mayoress, who is required to undertake a lot of work which can be very tiring, but, according to our correspondent, the Mayoress found the wearing of Spirella foundations a great help. Corselette style 709 (for evening wear), girdle 205 and bra 31 (for everyday wear) and pantie style 51 (useful to wear with shorter skirts) were all very much in favour with the Mayoress.  July 1970 

10) A client of Mrs. C of Birmingham, was recently presented to the Queen Mother. "I was wearing a 515 corset and a 384 brassiere and felt as confident and as well corsetted as the Queen Mother herself," remarked the client.  July 1960

11) Air hostess who makes heads turn for a second look in Oxford, is pretty, 20-year-old, Penny Bolton. One reason is that Penny’s uniform is quite unusual thereabouts – she being the only air hostess  in the area for Pan American Airways. The other reason is her smart and “second glance” appearance. This Penny attributes to Spirella foundations, which keep her figure trim. April 1961

How often have people discussed the uncover attributes of the airline stewardess? Were girdles a mandatory part of their uniform? The answer almost certainly varies from airline to airline, however, I have spoken to a stewardess from Transavia (a Dutch airline) who has worked from the 1970's until recently and she knew of no such regulations. On the other hand, during training, keeping a smart appearance was drummed into the recruits, and advice was offered on foundations that might be appropriate. My friend has never worn a lower foundation and probably never will. She looks extremely smart without, however, she knew that several of her colleagues in those days wore panty-girdles and expects that several will be wearing shapers of some description today. No mandatory rules here; simply a statistical sample of fashion trends.

The truth of the matter, and it applies equally to all women whose work requires them to spend much of their time in the vertical, such as nurses, is that tired legs (the old euphemism for varicose veins) is a real problem. Even today, my elegant friend wears support tights, and not just because of the recent scare about deep vein thrombosis. If stewardesses and nurses wore girdles, it was a) because most women did anyway, and b), they needed something to hold up their support stockings. Never forget, a girdle has two functions, to trim the figure and to hold up one's stockings. Often the latter is more important than the former.

My friend mentioned a curious incident (almost a cautionary tale) that occurred to an ex-colleague. This girl was tempted away from the airline to work as a stewardess for a small private company. This firm owned a executive jet in the 1970's. If you have ever been on one of these planes, you'll know that they are extremely cramped, however, the bosses wanted a stewardess and that was that! The perpetual bending in the cramped confines of the jet, ultimately resulted in such back pain, that the poor girl had to give up her job. Her doctor prescribed a corset that cured the pain, but prevented her from working in the confines of the tiny jet and her airborne career was over. (I have a curious feeling that the Pan American stewardess on the right would have trouble working in those heels as well - Ivy).

 

Whether girdles were mandatory for airline stewardesses or not, it didn't stop a number of manufacturers alluding to the fact. (Sky-Hi girdles for example.) United Air Lines Stewardess, Mary Jo Wheatley wrote the following testimonial for Vectra support stockings in 1961:-

"We are so hard on stockings. For a long time I went through a pair of nylons every 48 hours. But hosiery made with Vectra lasted more than a week and still made me feel more dressed up." Reading beyond the advertising, and my friend confirms this, stockings and tights do not last long in the cramped conditions of the modern aeroplane.

 

The ever practical British Airways realised that stockings simply did not last, and nothing looks cheaper than a laddered stocking. The solution was numbers and BA provided large supplies of both stockings and support stockings to their stewardesses.

 

British Airways support stockings were

available to the cabin crew. Each pack contains a

dozen stockings. This was considered adequate

for a month's tour of, say, six flights.

 

Since stockings do not stay up unaided, one can surmise that many stewardesses did wear girdles in those days*, but so did their hard-working peers like nurses and the long-suffering housewife. Women wear what other women wear; stewardesses were not exceptional!

 

*Those days may have been surprising late since British Airways was only formed in 1974. Aer Lingus also put its name on branded stockings. This lovely example contains so many dating clues, the aeroplane, the uniform and the words "Bri-nylon" that a date in the late 1950's early 1960's can be guaranteed. This seems more in line with stocking wearing, however, it may be that the attrition rate on stockings kept them more popular than tights for air crew.

 

12) A client of Mrs. H. of Liverpool, ordered her third set of foundations in three years and when placing the order remarked: “They will be ready in time for the football season won’t they?” As one of Liverpool’s keenest supporters, this client (who has trouble with her back) apparently never misses a match, home or away, and finds her 325 invaluable because of the many hours standing that her hobby entails. September 1963

 

Below are two excerpts from the Spirella magazines of 1960 that show what corsetieres had to put up with:-

  

13)  The rewards gained from wearing a good corset were quite diverse. Remember we are back in the 1960's, holidays are now affordable after the end of rationing and the war years. The great British lower-middle class flocked to Butlin's holiday camps. With a tightly-laced 305 and a pointy brassiere (right), and not a little breath-holding (!), you could even win British's Best Granny award; and doesn't she look good! August 1961.

 

14)  My husband loves to recounts the hoary old story of the four brassiere cup sizes:- "Egg cup, coffee cup, tea cup and challenge cup." Spirella beat my husband to the story by decades (in January 1959) when a shop assistant described three brassiere sizes:- "The Totalitarian - designed for suppression of the masses; the Salvation Army - to uplift the fallen; and the Political Agitator - to make mountains out of molehills." My husband agreed that Spirella's story was better!

       

 

 

 

 

Cartoons

 

These cartoons were published in the Spirella magazines of the 1960's and simply and elegantly reinforce the story of the sales technique.

                     

Not one of Spirella's own (right), but a modification of a card that even my husband remembers from 1969! "As one of your loyal supporters, I just want to say .." The image reappears in numerous cards of that period on both sides of the Atlantic.

 

    

The cartoon of the corsetiere in the church analysing a potential client's defects was taken from a true story in 1957, nevertheless, the editor made apologies to the church beside the cartoon.

    

The style changes over the years. The last three cartoons are older than the others coming from that period between the Wars. The magazines from this period paid far more attention to the morality of hard work and diligence than the frippery of the later years.