Talking Corsets

...No, not corsets that speak (literally) but corsets that speak to me artistically! When I was thirteen a friend of mine offered to loan me a (dog-eared) copy of 'Gone With The Wind'. When I read about Scarlett O'Hara's 17 inch waist, and all the pomp and circumstance it took to get her dressed (chemise, pantalets, crinolines, corsets, bustle cages, etc) I was enthralled. I had never seen or comprehended what women went through in previous eras to get a "whittled" waist and the perfect (if not unnatural) hourglass figure. It started me on a quest to learn about traditional construction techniques for corsets and waist cinchers. It turns out that historically, corsets were made of layered fabrics (silk, leather, coutil and heavy cottons) lined with whalebone, ivory or steel stays. Of Course whalebone and ivory are out of the question for me as materials these days.
In the modern era, weakling corsets made with stretch fabrics and flimsy plastic "bones" are available at every "Hot Topic" and in mail order catalogs. When I see these poorly constructed facsimiles, I get a little chill in my bones (not that I have never purchased a pre-made corset of poor quality). After wearing one of these synthetic creations, I decided that for my wedding I would make my own historically accurate Victorian era corset. I found several resources online where one could purchase amazing natural coutil fabric, spiral steel boning, extra strong cotton cording for tie-lacing, and virtually unbendable steel hook closures. I made my corset out of ivory close-weave silk with hand-dyed red silk lining. I even purchased historically accurate thread for the project! I also found that there is a whole community of corsetieres that exist happily making corsets for the hourglass inclined figure (for both men and women) or for the corset curious set. The sites give tutorials on how to corset train your body for achieving a permanent whittled waist, corsets throughout the ages and funny quips about corsetry.
I know that in the past, corsets were used as a sort of control garment (in more ways than just cinching waists) for women. There are studies that show that women who died in childbirth during heavily corseted eras may have done so due to the extreme re-alignment by corsets of their internal organs. There are also things to be said about what it means to be so enslaved to an unnatural standard of beauty that one would contort one's body to please the fashion of the era. After wearing corsets for myself, I can tell you this: wearing corsets provides support which modern undergarments have not been able to do. My usually aching back was suddenly invigorated. On the down-side at my wedding reception, I developed a welt on my hip where the corset had folded in on itself after 12 hours (due to a quick bathroom trip early in the day where I did not check the corset's placement properly). I also have felt more evenly supported in a corset than in any modern control-top whatevers or gut squeezing Spanx-type of apparatus beneath my clothes!
Whether you agree with the constriction both literal and ethical that corsets provide(d), there is no doubt that corsets are and were works of art. Museums have dedicated exhibits to the corset, and designers continue to incorporate them into modern couture. If you are interested in finding out more about corsets, check out the link, or message me.
The link: http://corsetiere.net/