Space, efficiency and service: luxury and femininity in the establishments of J. Lyons & Co (1895 - 1935)

Abstract

This article examines the interrelationship of luxury and femininity in the historical case of J. Lyons & Co. Waitresses working for the company represented the widespread feminization of the West End of London during the Edwardian to inter-war period. Examining the results of a democratized luxury in producing new identities for female employees, waitresses known as ‘nippies’ adorned in black and white uniforms, presented an efficient image of modernity and service for all who visited their restaurants or hotels. The emancipation of women in the retail industries aligned with a new image of luxury became essential components in the construction of modernity at the time. With new service industries forming around mass production and consumption, occupational roles and the acceleration of shopping for goods enabled a culture of desire to emerge. Fashionable identities formed around the most modern pursuits of leisure, enabling women to become partakers and representatives of an urban commodity culture. An image of space, efficiency and service was personified by the modern young women whom Lyons employed. Girls who were neatly dressed in an updated version of servant clothing which by the late twenties was further glamourized by the addition of a stylized cap and collar. Whilst the space of London urbanized, the number of women employed increased. Such an impact created various new industries that women sought to enjoy. An appeal of femininity was capitalized upon by proprietors of restaurants and hotels as a contributor to luxury status and female employment. The article investigates gender – in terms of space, efficiency – as a result of a design culture, and service in line with new luxury architecture. In adopting a (feminist) historical materialist approach, with particular examination of the details of dress and design, this article contributes to the broader debates across both women’s studies and design history, offering a specific account of gender and class in the commercial sphere.

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