History Corset

eugène atget, boulevard de strasbourg, corsets, paris, 1912

the corset has been attributed catherine de medici, wife of king henry ii of france. enforced ban on thick waists @ court attendance during 1550s. 350 years, women s primary means of support corset, laces , stays made of whalebone or metal. other researchers have found evidence of use of corsets in crete ( minoan civilization ).

the corset has undergone many changes. originally, known pair of bodys in late 16th century. simple bodice, stiffened boning of reed or whalebone. busk made of wood, horn, whalebone, metal or ivory further reinforced central front. laced in back, , was, @ first, garment reserved aristocracy. term stays used during 17th , 18th centuries. in 17th century, tabs (called fingers ) @ waist added.

stays evolved in 18th century when whalebone used more, , there more boning used in garment. shape of stays changed well. while stays low , wide in front, reach high upper shoulder in back. stays strapless or use shoulder straps. straps of stays attached in , tied @ front sides.

the purpose of 18th century stays support bust , confer fashionable conical shape while drawing shoulders back. @ time, eyelets reinforced stitches , not placed across 1 another, instead staggered. allowed stays spiral laced. 1 end of stay lace inserted , knotted in bottom eyelet; other end wound through stays eyelets , tightened on top. tight-lacing not purpose of stays during time period. women in societal levels, ladies of court street vendors, wore stays.

during time period, there evidence of variant of stays, called jumps , looser stays attached sleeves, jacket.

corsets quilted waistcoats, french women wore alternative stiff corsets. quilted linen, laced in front, , un-boned. garment meant worn on informal occasions, while stays worn court dress. in 1790s, stays began fall out of fashion. development coincided french revolution , adoption of neoclassical styles of dress. interestingly, men, dandies, began wear corsets. fashion persisted through 1840s, though after 1850 men wore corsets claimed needed them pain .

in 19th century, when gussets added room bust, stays became known corsets. lengthened hip , lower tabs replaced gussets @ hip , had less boning. shoulder straps disappeared in 1840s normal wear.

in 1820s, fashion changed again, waistline lowered natural position. corsets began made padding , more boning. women made own, while others bought corsets. corsets 1 of first mass-produced garments women. corsets began more heavily boned in 1840s. 1850, steel boning became popular.

with advent of metal eyelets, tight lacing became possible. position of eyelets changed. situated across 1 @ back. front fastened metal busk in front. corsets white. corsets of 1850s–1860s shorter corsets of 19th century through 1840s. because of change in silhouette of women s fashion. 1850s , 1860s emphasized hoopskirt. after 1860s, when hoop fell out of style, corset became longer mold abdomen, exposed new lines of princess or cuirass style.

during edwardian period, straight front corset (also known s-curve corset) introduced. corset straight in front pronounced curve @ forced upper body forward , derrière out. style worn 1900 1908.

the corset reached longest length in 20th century. @ first, longline corset reached bust down upper thigh. there style of longline corset started under bust, , necessitated wearing of brassiere. style meant complement new silhouette. boneless style, closer modern girdle traditional corset. longline style abandoned during world war i.

the corset fell fashion in 1920s in europe , north america, replaced girdles , elastic brassieres, survived article of costume. item of lingerie, corset has become popular item of outerwear in fetish, bdsm , goth subcultures. in fetish , bdsm literature, there emphasis on tightlacing, , many corset makers cater fetish market.

outside fetish community, living history re-enactors , historic costume enthusiasts still wear stays , corsets according original purpose give proper shape figure when wearing historic fashions. in case, corset underwear rather outerwear. skilled corset makers available make reproductions of historic corset shapes or design new styles.

in late 1940s , 1950s, there brief revival of corset in form of waist cincher called waspie . used give hourglass figure dictated christian dior s new . however, use of waist cincher restricted haute couture, , women continued use girdles. revival brief, new gave way less dramatically-shaped silhouette.

since late 1980s, corset has experienced periodic revivals, have originated in haute couture , have trickled through mainstream fashion. these revivals focus on corset item of outerwear rather underwear. strongest of these revivals seen in autumn 2001 fashion collections , coincided release of film moulin rouge!; costumes featured many corsets characteristic of era. fashion movement, has renewed interest in corset, steampunk culture utilizes late-victorian fashion shapes in new ways.