1780-1860 Underwear

       

       

Underneath it all

When reproducing costume from any era it is essential to have appropriate underwear in order to create the correct silhouette. The quickly evolving fashions of the late 18th and 19th centuries show how esential it is to have the correct forms of support underneath you clothes. I have picked three of the extremes of these fashions to demonstrate this.

1780s

Fashions of the 1780s had developed from the paniers and hoops skirts of the 18th century. The stays became softer in their lines and the waistlines rose with the fashions. They still laced at the back and retained the busk at the front.

The paniers themselves were replaced with a false rump or bustle pad. This sometimes took the form of wadded balls attatched to the waistling of the stays. However the sausage-like false rump was more common. This was a wadded moon shape which is tied around the waistline. This is what I made in the picture above. As ever this was worn over a shift of chemise of linen.

Regency

This idea continued into the fashions of the neoclassically inspired regency fashions, where a small bustle pad was used at the new higher waistline. This was either attached to the individual dresses or was serperate and worn over the corset and chemise.

The corset I made is unlike the most common form of regency stays. This version is more like the earlier brassiers in the KCI and no less authentic. This design is also more practical for modern re-enactment. A pattern is available through Sense and Sensibility for one similar.

Over this the petticoat is worn. The petticoat shown here is 1811-20 design, with the tucks at the hem creating the more structured tubular skirts of this era.

Victorian

The victorian era, the time of corsets and srinolines, saw a return to more substantial corsetry and skirt supports. Corsets now fastened at the front and gave the iconic pinched in waist prized at the time. Chemises prevented these bone or metal filled contraptions from becoming soiled.

 

The development of the crinoline and bustle are also iconic of this period. These hoops of metal, while ridiculed at the time, were not a new concept, as the resemblance of earlier panniers and hoop skirts is clear. I made my crinoline out of plastic boning and one circle of metal around the bottom to help keep the shape. This is a lighter and more practical way of achieving the shape. However metal boning is still available and is more authentic.

Pictures