I think I will jump in at this point, seeing French Hoods and the like
are not my strong point, but holding the Girls in place that I have a
lot of experience in.
What I would recommend and this is just what I would do. Seeing you are
going to be doing the two dress approach, line the under bodice in a
stout fabric, with a little stretch, Denim or a thick twill. Then line
the outer dress in something stiff, Buckram or the Interfacing, and some
bones along the front and sides, not too many just a few to keep things
smooth. Also I would make the skirt on the under bodice out of again
something stiff, or something that is easy to starch. Clear as mud I am
sure. The idea being that the under bodice will help support the Girls
and hold them in place, while the stiff outer bodice gives the line you
are looking for without a lot of pinching and pulling. Sounds a little
strange but I fee that is how it was done in period.
Stephen
E House wrote:
Large Snip
My first dilemma is whether or not I need a set of bodies and a
farthingale. I've read opinions that say yes you need them and I've
read opinions that say no, you can live with a stiffly lined bodice
and a petticoat(s) and that evidence in wardrobe accounts didn't show
these undergarments until after 1540-1550. If I can avoid the corset
and farthingale with period justification, I would be thrilled, as
this would cut a week off the project. I'm a size 28/30 woman
(depends on the clothing) with only a C cup chest, so breast support
is not something I have a great need for, but I do have a couple of
fat rolls at my sides. Is this an automatic "make a corset"
proposition then? I think my canvas-lined Venetians did very well
for a smooth line when they fit (they're both currently too loose to
provide any support) and I will have two gown layers. Anyone here
have any experiences with plus-sized late period garb and corsets or
the lack thereof?
Undergarments:
Studying corsets and their origins is another one of my passions, and
I can tell you with as much certainty as I dare muster about anything
without access to a time machine that they did notnotnot NOT use
corsets at this point. The bodice of the gown (or the undergown, or
both) was stiffened using various techniques, including canvas and
buckram. This is true well into the Elizabethan era, and the 'Tudor
corset' (read: pre-Eliz) as we know it is a complete fallacy! I
haven't looked into the subject of farthingales too much, but 'hoopes
from the wast douneward' were mentioned in England as early as 1519.
However, you can certainly get the look of the portraits without a
farthingale if you use a relatively stiff fabric in your undergown.
Hope this helps.
-E House
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