In a message dated 2/15/2006 2:45:49 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
Evolution says its the bodice with the tabs which is the actually corset, but i dont believe they wore such short stays. I think they used the evolution shapes of the old renaissance stays. We dont know this, as no stays excist from this period. Their posture kind of tells me that they did wear corsets, also the way the breasts are lifted up. *************** But when you get to the 1660s you have bodices mounted onto a boned lining [something that really helps with the horizontal neckline]. This suggests to me that there is some kind of transitional thing probably going on in the 1630s, It's like they start out with the corset with bodice over it but perhaps as the waistline rises, the bodices start getting tacked to the corset and then eventually, because of the high waist perhaps, the corset becomes the lining of the bodice. They are made up separately. Tabs and tassets seem to be present when some kind of lacing or tying up is necessary.....like in a man's doublet where the hosen are laced to the doublet. With this logic, and also the attaching of rolls and pads and even farthingals to the corset under its tassets being common, I can see how this was transferred to the actual bodice, especially if it keeps a separate skirt up at the high waistline...either under or over the tassets. Also, sometimes you see an unstructured open gown over the quite complete in its own right rigid gown...that undergown acting like underpinnings of sorts. I could find pics in books pretty easily, but I don't know where to go on the web. If someone thinks they know what I'm talking about [hahahahahaha! Gotcha!] they might be so kind as to point me to some picture sources. This is not a period I have ever even made a gown for....or studied too closely. But I like it, and always scrutinize images from it. I love Van Dyke! Maybe I'm thinking of some of his portraits. Y'know, we mostly think of underwear as underwear....you don't show it off and it's not outerwear to be seen. But in many periods, that distinction is definitely a blurry one...at least in informal affairs. The fashion designer, Versace, who loved to comb the Met Museum in NYC, and others, understood this and used these notions for effect; designing couture evening gowns that, from afar, look like bras and slips. You can see the residue of this too even in guys clothes when they show the top of their boxers. _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
