Ironic Title
The title of the play is infused with layers of irony. Intimate apparel is what the protagonist of the story makes, but being unmarried has no cause to wear herself. On another level, the idea of intimacy as something to put on display is inherently ironic. Stemming from this latter level is the fact that most of the characters are having difficulty with their intimate relationships and are forced to “put on” a façade not unlike that which clothing represents.
Bedrooms
Scene 1 takes place in a bedroom. Scene 3 takes place in another bedroom. Scene 4 is notably dominated by a canopy bed. Scene 5 takes the action back to Esther’s bedroom and is followed by a scene set specifically in a “boudoir.” The point being that while in every single scene of the play, a bed is the central furnishing, the beds only serve to illuminate the ironic lack of sexual and romantic connections being made between various characters. It is play about intimate apparel in which intimate apparel is usually not required.
Mrs. Van Buren
Mrs. Van Buren is at the epicenter of ironic characterization. She is steadfastly committed to the long-term appeal of corsets and against the short-term fad of women’s suffrage. In both instances, irony is ironed over the wrinkled mess of her certainties: within just a decade or two corsets will be a thing of the past and women will not just be voting for running for office. (Though, admittedly, usually losing.) Even her name already seems outdated by 1905.
Touching from a Distance
Adding to the overall sense of irony that there is little intimacy in this story of intimate apparel is that there is, in fact, an awful of touching by characters which is lent further significance by the fact that there is also much talking about the touching and meaningful glances and long pauses pregnant with unspoken meaning"
> Mayme: Mercy, what you must think of me. (Suddenly self-conscious, she touches the beading on the corset)
> (As Mr. Marks turns to wrap the fabric, Esther ever so gently touches the back of his collar. He doesn’t register the gesture. Or does he?)
> Esther: I touched someone . . . who I knew I wasn’t supposed to touch. I touched them because I wanted to. It was wrong, but I couldn’t help myself.
> (Mrs. Van Buren touches Esther’s hand with an unexpected tenderness. Esther politely withdraws her fingers.)
Ironic Ending
The ending of the play is not just ironic, but deeply disturbing in its implications. For the purpose of clarity, it must be noted to those no familiar with the story that the protagonist is a young African-American female seamstress named Esther whose story the audience has just spent the last two hours engrossed in:
(The lights shift, creating the quality of an old sepia-toned photograph. As the lights fade, a projected title card appears above Esther’s head: “Unidentified Negro Seamstress, ca. 1905.” Blackout.)
