The Big Squeeze- Corsets and Stays

The history of the corset could provide enough information for an entire blog itself, so I will give only a brief account of these constricting contraptions. The corset dates back to the early 1600s and is a garment worn tightly laced around the torso. They arose to serve many functions: to raise and shape the breasts, to narrow the waistline and tighten the midriff (the tiniest of waists were certainly the style that one hoped to achieve), and lastly to improve posture and support the back. As for corsets of the 18^th century, the main purpose was for aesthetics. Corsets during Rococo were more commonly referred to as “Stays” and were worn by all women- for it was considered indecent not to wear one, even for non-royalty. As with all of clothing and fabrics, quality declared social status. Stays were arduous and time consuming to make; they usually were made with layers of a linen canvas, lined with cords of whalebone or iron in small-stitched trenches. In addition, leather was used to bind the upper and lower edges to keep the bones from penetrating to the outside. Expensive corsets were decorated with patterned imported silk on the outside layers, but hey- you buy pretty undergarments too! Stays were laced up spiral style in the back and usually pulled tight enough to decrease a women’s waist size by at least a few inches. Eighteen to twenty inch midriffs were a common size for Rococo dresses. The shape was almost like an upside-down cone, with a recognizable pointed bottom that even further emphasized the exaggerated hips created by our next topic- Hip Panniers.