Fashion Expert Fact-Checks Mary Poppins’ Wardrobe

This is Mary Poppins. You know her from Disney's Mary Poppins. You know this outfit and this one. But are they accurate? We got fashion historian Bernadette Banner to walk us through what the movie got right and what they got wrong about these looks. First let's establish the setting. Mary Poppins quite classically takes place in London and as It's grand to be an Englishman in 1910. King Edward's on the throne. It's the age of men. His majesty died on the 6th of May 1910 and judging from the blossoming cherry trees present in subsequent outdoor scenes later in the film, we can quite confidently narrow down our time period to approximately April of 1910. The Banks family seemed to comfortably occupy a place in the upper middle class judging from their employment of three members of full-time domestic staff. A cook, housekeeper, and of course a nanny. Mary Poppins practically perfect in every way. While the term nurse and nanny were in this time period relatively synonymous, the difference between the nurse, the nanny, and the governess was that the governess had the further task of educating the young girls of the family. Boys on the other hand would be sent to boarding school. However the level of authority that Mary Poppins seems to assert over the Banks household is undoubtedly intentionally unusually above her station. Oh I make it a point never to give references. A very old-fashioned idea to my mind. Is that so? Anything else? The original novel Mary Poppins was written by P. L. Travers in the 1930s and while the story in the novel doesn't necessarily have a time period associated with it, it was a conscious decision made by the production team of the film to set it in the Edwardian period. Let's get into the looks. First up Mary Poppins navy suit. Although clearly a bit of whimsical liberty was taken with some of the elements of this look, whimsical liberties as well as some deeply ingrained 1960s beauty aesthetics, the two-piece matching suit and shirt-waist combination was very much a feature of the respectable woman's wardrobe in 1910. However the biggest departure from Edwardian dress here begins with the all important foundation layers. So this is somewhat accurate. Let's draw Mary Poppins outfit from the undergarments up. First up the undergarments. First and foremost Mary Poppins would have had two choices of undergarment. Either a separated chemise and pair of drawers as was common in earlier decades of the 19th century. Alternatively she could have opted for the more modern innovation that combined the two into a single garment, aptly called a pair of combinations. We'll go ahead and saying she's wearing a pair of these combinations because Mary Poppins strikes me as a lady of practicality and very much one for keeping up with the times. These would have been made of a white calico or cotton and would commonly close down the front with small flat buttons so as not to interfere with the corset. Generally it was still not uncommon for this seam to just be left open entirely for ease of necessary access as fully enclosed undergarments were only just starting to become a prevalent thing in the early 20th century, arguably for the first time in modern history. On her legs Mary Poppins would be wearing a pair of silk or woolen knitted hose that would come up above the knee and could be gartered either below the knee or suspended from the corset with this exciting new innovation of elasticated suspenders. Onto the corset. Next of course is the corset. Corsets of varying build and quality were available for all kind of lady from the high society socialite to the militant suffragette to the scullery maid and Mary Poppins would probably be wearing one too. But here's the thing, unless you were one of those very high fashionable society ladies willing to endure a bit of suffering for the sake of fashion, the average woman as you can probably imagine required something a bit more practical. Indeed most surviving corsets from the late Victorian and Edwardian periods, especially those manufactured for middle and working class women, contain very few steel bones and many advertisements for said mass-manufactured corsets boast innovative new designs with no heavy steels. Most of these corsets were very flexible stiffened lightly with soft materials such as cord, reed, feather spines and superfine strips of pliable whalebone that in consistency resemble the flexibility of a fingernail. The primary function of the corset was to support the bust since the first patent for a brassiere as we know it today doesn't officially appear until November of 1914. But the corset is also a vital necessity in achieving the posture and silhouette so desirable in any given period. Next the corset cover. The corset cover as the name suggests is worn over top of the corset to smooth out the foundation layers so that the hard edges of the corset aren't seen through to the now more closer fitting outer clothing and were strategically made with lots of gathers and no shortage of frilly lace and ruffle decoration at the front to give a bit more volume to the bust area. And in fact since most women's bust measurements were not upwards of 15 inches different from their waist measure as was desirable of this period, most women probably did have a little bit of help. Moving on to the petticoat. Next comes the petticoat. Mary Poppins would wear at least one of these made of cotton, silk, or flannel for the colder months. Petticoats were usually trimmed with ribbon, lace, or tucks. As it's April and presumably a bit more mild temperatured outside, we'll say that she's only wearing one today. That little flash of what looks like a short slippery satin thing is suspiciously more like a mid-20th century dress slip and probably not what the Edwardian lady would have in mind. Let's look at the next layer. Next is the blouse, or as it was more commonly called in the time, the shirtwaist, which was again usually made from cotton. So while the ruffles that we can see down front of Mary Poppins' shirtwaist in the film are an excellent nod to history, the fit of the front is much too close to her natural figure and not nearly puffy enough for the Edwardian taste. The bow, in principle, is very correct and not only can be seen in contemporary illustrations and advertisements, but an article in the Designer and the Woman's magazine from November of 1909 insists that silk shirtwaist bows, specifically those in pastel, rose, lilac, and lavender shades, are particularly favorite shades of the season. Mary Poppins is wearing what would have been known as a walking suit, or a tailor-made ensemble consisting of a matching jacket and skirt, designed largely for practical ease of movement, such as traversing rooftops and having a right old knees-up with your chimney sweep mates. Once again, the suit in theory is quite correct, as we can see when we look at the film costume next to this image of a remarkably similar turn-of-the-century walking suit. We can still see a remarkable deviation in the posture and silhouette caused by the historical use of padding and the shape of the corset. Skirts of this period are still very much in a transitionary phase between the sweeping trumpet skirts of the turn of the century and the very tight-fitting hobble skirt gaining popularity during the early teens. By 1910, skirts were markedly slimmer, especially over the hips, as we've discovered, but could still feature a bit of flair at the hem, either through gourd cutting or pleats. And so the pleated, moderately full skirt that Mary Poppins wears with her suit here is a decent representation of the period. Down to the shoes. Low-heeled, buckled shoes were indeed a fashionable option for 1910, with this particular style referred to as the Cromwell, after 17th century parliamentary leader Oliver Cromwell. This style of low-heeled, buckled shoe is heavily inspired by similar styles of the 17th century. Heels were pretty much the norm on women's shoes of this time, but heels don't necessarily mean discomfort. If you'll notice, heels were crafted in such a way that they curve into the foot, directly supporting the center of balance at the heel and making for a much more stable shoe. We are probably all well aware that Mary Poppins is a stalwart proponent of shoes of the sensible kind. Finally, the hat. Hats were indeed a necessary item in the respectable lady's wardrobe in 1910, but sadly, Mary Poppins' iconic hat is a little bit out of date. Small, close-brimmed hats were more common in the 1890s, and millinery trends by 1910 tended towards the wider brim. But there's nothing wrong with keeping a favorite item in your wardrobe, no matter how past the fashion it's gone, and I think it's rather endearing to think that Mary Poppins might have kept it around as a small sentimentality. Overall, this look is fairly accurate, with some decent nods to the history, although some definite deviations for the sake of modern aesthetic and whimsy. Here's what Mary Poppins' navy suit would have looked like if she lived in history. Let's take a look at Mary Poppins' jolly holiday look. This dress is quite possibly historically accurate, if the scene takes place in the 1950s and Mary Poppins is emulating the highly fashionable New Look silhouette. In other words, this one has taken quite a bit of whimsical liberty, although a decision not wholly unfitting to the overall theme of the scene. The New Look was a line of highly innovative dresses designed by fashion designer Christian Dior in 1947. This groundbreaking silhouette was a strong deviation from earlier wartime silhouettes, with its nipped in waist and very full skirt. The scene takes place largely at a fantastical derby event. This, as well as some clues attempted by the present costume, that is the white light frilly frock, large hat, and parasol, leads me to speculate that Mary Poppins is trying to reflect the fashions typical of a high society racing event like the Royal Ascot. Let's draw this from First up, the underwear and corset. Just as in the previous look, Mary Poppins would be wearing all of the appropriate foundation garments essential to achieving the fashionable Edwardian silhouette. The hose, in this case, would probably be white. On to the next layer. Next comes the petticoat. Petticoats were usually trimmed with ribbon, lace, or tuxed, and the petticoat would probably be silk. Next up, the dress bodice. The bodice of the dress itself still fits a bit too closely to her natural figure to be wholly convincing. This is not helped by that corsety waist cinch thing that is either supposed to be a corset and therefore meant as an undergarment, or is an interpretation of the wide belts or sashes that could have been worn for an added pop of color. Moving on to the skirt. The skirt is a holy 1950s invention. The gathering at the waist, as we have discovered, would not have done for the Edwardian, who would have much preferred a perfectly smooth fit at the hips, with any fullness at all strictly regulated to the center back. It is also far too short, as you'll notice that the white tea gowns historically tended to be quite long, although in this case some accommodation probably had to be made for the amount of dancing that has to happen. Moving on to the shoes. In any case, the dress does allow us to get a better glimpse at her two-toned buttoned boots, which were indeed a popular boot style for this period. Now for the hat. This time, her hat is sufficiently wide-brimmed and up-to-date in that respect, although when it comes to millinery in 1910, especially for such social occasions, there was no skimping on the decoration. Copious amounts of silk artificial flowers and foliage, enormous plumes, and even entire stuffed birds could adorn these hats. Next up, the parasol. A parasol, or sunshade, as the magazines prefer to call them, were also essential accessories for such outdoor activities. To coordinate properly with these gowns, these would typically be white or pale colors such as rose, sky, and biscuit. Like the millinery, this was yet another opportunity to incorporate lace and frills, but they were primarily made from light materials such as chintz and chiffon, slightly useful for shade but mostly decorative and certainly not much use in Next, her makeup. The Edwardian aversion to visible makeup, for example, doesn't tend to appeal to the 21st century audience today, nor to that in the 1960s, and so Mary Poppins can be seen most scandalously to her Edwardian contemporaries, very noticeably made up in the fashion of a not-quite-so-respectable musical performer. Moving on to the hair. Likewise, the voluminous hairstyles of the 1910 aesthetic appeal has been exchanged for the neat sculpted updo, more fashionable for the 1960s. So would you say this look is accurate? Well the style of boot is correct, and she has a big hat and a parasol, and the dress is white. But aside from that, not really. Here's what Mary Poppins' holiday dress would have looked like compared to the one in the film. The role of Mary Poppins is leading actress Julie Andrews' Hollywood debut, for which she won the Oscar. I know you Americans are famous for your hospitality, but this is really ridiculous. So while the clothes in the film Mary Poppins do definitely look back to elements of history, there were still definitely a few whimsical liberties taken, but as is to be expected of any movie musical. Here's what Mary Poppins would have looked like if she lived in history. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.