Doll News Summer 2019 - 77

The Beginning of Restriction

It was not until the Elizabethan era of the 16th century that what
we today could identify as "corsets" were widely worn by the
ladies. The stiffened linen bodices known as a "body" or "pair of
bodies" were worn to give shape to the female figure. einforced
with whalebone they were padded with wool and given a knife
shaped insert called a "busk." ider at the top than bottom and
extending from the bust to below the waist, made of wood, horn,
ivory, metal or whalebone, it slotted into the Elizabethan bodice
and was held in place with front lacing. The busk continued to be
a feature of fashion right up to our century.
Even though fashion began to relax a bit from the
li abethan flair of extremes in the 1 th century, the "body"
remained much the same. "Stays," as they became known,
employed whalebone which was ideal as it was unequalled
in elasticity and flexibility while providing the firmness and
figure-controlling qualities necessary to achieve the appropriate
silhouette. Stays included straps for support over the shoulders
and a high back with a shorter waist fanning out onto the hips
Front lacing short stays from 1800-1815
with small tabs and a narrower waistline achieved with tighter
include linen with blue silk binding. Victoria &
lacing. The " " shape with its emphasis on the rigid flatness
Albert Museum Collections, United Kingdom
of the front pushing the breasts up to peek over the top of the
stays, coupled with a "bumroll," a pad stuffed with a cushioned
filling and tied around the waist under the skirts, created the
desired artificial shape. veryday stays could be quite plain,
but fashionable stays were sometimes made of brightly colored
or rich materials such as damask,
silk or fine linen in bright red, deep
blue or emerald green and might be
embroidered.
By the end of the 1 th century many
stays were homemade with instructions
originating in the newly published
ladies' magazines, which appeared
in Britain in 1693. In the professional
fields, however, while dressmakers
made many different types of garments
the stay makers reserved the right to
operate their trade exclusively. By 1660
some tailors had dedicated themselves
completely to the making of stays and
during the 18th century every town
included a highly regarded stay maker.
Very little changed for these craftsmen
in the world of fashion until after the
This 1822 illustration shows a typical
Empire-period short 'stay' over a
French evolution in 1 89, but by the
petticoat. Journal des dames et des
close of the 18th century, fashion began
modes, Costume Parisian
Queen Anne-style doll with front lacing
to shift with bust improvers appearing
stays of silk, stiffened with baleen,
on the scene along with a revolution of circa,1745-1755. Collections, Museum of
London, United Kingdom
style like none other.
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Doll News Summer 2019

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