> I have found 5 photos of corsets that show the underarm piece I
> referred to. (Two are of the same corset.) As they are research
> photos, I cannot post them on a photo site, but am happy to send a
> jpeg to anyone who contacts me off list.
>
> One is probably chamois, one may be chamois, one appears black in the
> photo, and one is ? They were mostly taken in museums with poor
> lighting so the colour is no guide.
Hi Suzi,
We were talking about this underarm crescent on Historic Corsets.
Martha mentioned two that used a plush fabirc, one that was quilted
linen, and one that was quilted chamois. (Is that right, Martha?)
Also I noticed on the Bisonette page the crescent was at the back of
the armscey, not center and forward where you would place a sweat
sheild. Plus they do not cover the edge of the stays, so it does not
offer extra reinforcement to the binding.
So what was it for?
I wonder if the plush or suede side leather was to hold the gown
fabric in that area? Is there ever a bagging of the fabric there?
Also, was it perhaps to compensate for a bit of back/arm flab? Were
these particular stays large? (Although a small person can have
flab, too.)
Is there anything else about the stays that would indicate a
customization? Alterations for better fit, or were they higher
quality stays?
-Carol
_______________________________________________
h-costume mailing list
[email protected]
http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
