1. "CORSETS #1"
Posted by Susan on Jul-14th-02 at 4:58 PM

When we think of the Victorian era, one of the things that usually comes to mind is the corset.  But, the corset is not strictly a Victorian invention, it had its beginning long ago. 

The first corsets began appearing in Minoan times(around 1700 BC).  The Minoans used bodices that were smoothly fitted, lacing or fastening beneath the breasts and leaving the breasts exposed.  The men of the time were also represented with tiny waists and it is speculated that belts were placed on boys from age 12 to 14. The belts were thought to restrict development of the waist.  The first types of corsets were seen on sculptures of the Serpent Goddess and on the fashionable women of the Tiryns and Thebes frescoes.  This corset made the skirt lie flat on the hips and accentuated the slimness of the waist, as well as the prominence of the bare breasts.  It is thought to be formed by a framework of metal plates.  This represents one of the first applications of metalwork to a costume.

From the site, History of Corsets by Elisabat:
Sources:

The Book of Costumes Volume 1 by Milvia Davenport
20,000 Years of Fashion, The History of Personal Adornment by Francois Boucher and Yvonne Deslanders
The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Fashion by Ludmila Kybakova,  Olga Herbanove, and Milena Lamarova
Costume of the Western World by Doreen Yearwood
Fetish Fashion, Sex and Power by Valerie Steele
Survey of Historic Costume Second Edition by Phyllis Tortora and Keith Eubank
The History of Underclothes by C. Willet and Phillis Cunnington

A form of corset was also worn in Ancient Greece as well.  Under the chiton and the tunic, leather bands were worn, which shaped the breasts and the hips.  Some of the gowns worn about 1170 AD appear to be so tight fitting that they suggest a corset was worn underneath.  A self supporting garment, similar to the corset, which accentuated the waist and bust, came about in the 14th and 15th centuries with the Burgundian fashions.  In between the times of the Ancient Greeks and the Renaissance(15th century) the corset fell out of favor and all but disappeared.



(Message last edited Jul-14th-02  4:59 PM.)