A skirt lifter, also known as a dress lifter, skirt grip, dress suspender, hem-holder, page or porte-jupe, was a device for lifting a long skirt to avoid dirt or to facilitate movement. It clamped on to the hem and was attached to the belt by a cord, ribbon, or chain.[1]

An 1870 English skirt lifter

The first skirt lifters date from around 1846 and they were most popular in the 1860s-1880s.[2]

Costume designer Penny Rose chose a skirt lifter as her hypothetical donation to the imaginary museum in an August 2017 episode of BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Milford-Cottam, Daniel (2014). Edwardian Fashion. Bloomsbury. p. 22. ISBN 9780747814764.
  2. ^ Abijaoude, Joanna. "Skirt lifter, c. 1876". FIDM Museum. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  3. ^ "The Museum of Curiosity: Series 11, Episode 5". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 27 August 2017.

Further reading

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