Underwear exhibition keeps it brief

Falkirk Community Trust, which runs the historic house, is going big on smalls with a new exhibition, A History of Underwear.

Running from February 6 to May 2, it explores the architecture of underwear from Victorian times to modern day. Split into five different parts – corsets, crinolines, bras, pants, and men’s underwear – the exhibition is underpinned by the Christian Dior 1954 quote “Without proper foundations there can be no fashion”.

A trust spokeswoman said: “The exhibition will give visitors an insight into how history has changed the way we use underwear and how it has moved on from being functional and used to change body shape, to being ornamental and attractive.”

It is a fascinating subject, and through delving deep into underwear, the exhibition curator has discovered more than bottom drawer full of little known facts, including: the young Pharoah Tutankhamun was buried with 145 loincloths back in 1352 BC; knicker elastic Marks and Spencers use is designed to survive 1000 washes; and Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit was a product of the industrial division of the women’s bra manufacturer Playtex.

Visit www.falkirkcommunitytrust.org for more.