June 2004 - "A Brief History of Unmentionables"
“And the men laughed as long and as loudly as the women!” At a rare meeting with men present, the Andover Women in Business Club welcomed Rosemary Hawthorne, internationally renowned as ‘The Knicker Lady’, to the Cricklade Theatre for its June meeting.
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As a departure from the meetings’ normal format, over 130 members and their guests (male and female!) met together for an hilarious show at the Theatre, to raise funds for the President’s Charity, Andover Family Learning. The Show, also open to the public, was popular with many others and nearly 200 people made up the audience.
As a former actress, Rosemary developed a love of costume and, despite promising her husband she would give up the stage (or he wouldn’t marry her!), she continued to develop her collection of historic costume. Before long, after showing her important collection to groups around the country, Rosemary began to be recognised for her ability to entertain when describing her pieces. Almost by accident, Rosemary was persuaded to write about her knowledge of costume, particularly underwear and “Knickers: An Intimate Appraisal” was first published nearly 20 years ago. Many others books have followed.
Her one-woman show soon followed and from pantaloons and pantalettes, to divided-drawers, bloomers and bikinis, ‘A Brief History of Unmentionables’ provides a delightful mix of costume and social history.
Surrounded by old trunks, cases and boxes, Rosemary charged through the history of the humble knicker. She delved through three hundred years worth of bloomers and the characters who wore them. With anecdotes and displays from the muslin clad elegance of Jane Austen’s England and the corset-bound nineteenth century, to the suffragettes and then the daring darlings of the roaring twenties, her audience roared with laughter at her highly amusing performance. A performance to remember for years to come!
Following a book signing after the Show, Rosemary and her manager-husband, John, a retired vicar, (inevitably dubbed the ‘Knicker Vicar’!), joined 87 of the Club’s members and guests for a splendid hot buffet provided by Cricklade College.