Corset History

It is essential to understand the revolution of the female silhouette throughout history specifically looking at the corset “an undergarment traditionally made of stiffened material laced tight to the body in order to slim a woman's waist” now and then and how silhouette changed. Understanding the importance of this history and being aware of the evolution in women’s lifestyles, it will be practical to use traditional construction methods that will give us the ability and possibility to apply this knowledge to our future fashion design.

In the fifteenth century women began wearing an undergarment of thickened linen, tightened by front or back ties which was known as corset to give the women a firmed shape. It was made of two layers of linen tightly held together with stiffed glue.

Corset makers by the sixteenth century then changed the process of making corset by introducing a thin piece of whalebone in between two layers of corset material which was like a knitting needles. “The whalebone corset was much more confining than the paste-stiffened one and often worn in conjunction with other undergarments that further exaggerated the female shape” (Woodward).

Later the fashion has had a slide change in the Queen Elizabeth's time where it was for “a long, firm corset reaching from the bust to below the natural waistline, paired with a huge, and whale bone-stiffened hoop skirt called a farthingale.” As time and fashion pass, corset also changes depending on the event to choose whether it should be long or short, supporting the bust or minimizing it.

As the concept evolved by early nineteen century manufactures had improved, so did the variety of materials and techniques used to create the difference of shapes that have historically ...

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...societies go more clothing that allow them to move easily and are more aware of physical fitness and always looking for the freedom in everything and mainly movement. However, it stands to reason that while the existence of such weighty components has reduced greatly, their concepts have set an indisputable model that remains related and lasts to influence today’s fashion.

In conclusion, it is significant to recognize the revolution of the female silhouette throughout history along with women’s roles in today’s society and also, the physical restrictions imposed on them. The silhouette of women’s fashion has changed as the idea of the perfect female figure has reformed. Nevertheless, in the early twentieth century the concept of women leading more active and lively life meant that fashion also needed to become more cooperative to physical action and less limiting.