I needed to make a straight front corset to work with my sister's wedding gown, a reproduction of Janet Arnold's 1901 ribbon dress. The extra trick, my sister has some scoliosis so I wasn't going to tight-lace her for her wedding.
I started with Laughing Moon's basic corset. The front pieces I straightened out... and boned even for fittings. I flared out the hip pieces so she went in a bit tightly and the hips flared very smoothly over her... vs. doing much shaping. This hip fitting gives the back of the "S". I don't have a good picture scanned, but even in the vamp shot here where she's bending forward you can see the front and lack of curves there. http://www.alleycatscratch.com/costumes/arnold1901/undervamp200.jpg What you can't see is the extra hip (which I did see in looking at pics of the period corsets) I laced her in a bit... but refused to tight lace. You could pull it in with one hand... and that's as far as we went. I got the "S" quiet easily with the corset cover. The front was heavily gathered. (Sorry no pic I can reach.) These were just vertical in almost a stomacher pattern - sorry, after 3 moves the books aren't in reach... but again, it was in a book. However, I've also seen extra ruffles added to the top of the corset cover or as a tie on. She went though corset training, wearing it at least 2 horus a day 3 days a week before the wedding. The day of the wedding she was in it 18 hours, all over the dance floor and the last one standing. So... you can get the look without killing the wearer. Here's the final on the dummy who's also wearing the corset: http://www.alleycatscratch.com/costumes/arnold1901/dummy1w.jpg . In a side shot... which I don't have scanned... there is a light "S"... even on the rigid dummy. Remember, part of this look is also created from the dresses of the time anyway. The skirts were very slick in back and fitted smooth showing the hip. That was a new concept then... showing the real hip. Well, kindof... given it was under a couple layers of petticoats and the corset... but a different shape. The front is accentuated again by the style of the dress... with the gathers and the short jacket. http://www.alleycatscratch.com/costumes/arnold1901/Line300.gif Oh, and for pictures she could lean forward for a few moments to give the really curvy "S"... but most times she stood straight and just had the light "S" in front and the big "S" in back. Then again... if she's had more bust, we might have had more of a natural "S" flowing out over the top. <G> >>As a side note, my S shaped corset/straight front corset is not one of my most comfortable corsets - I think this is due to the S curve that it causes me to relax into. I'm used to corsets giving quite a lot of back support, but I find the S shaped corset gives me minor lower back aches - no worse then I get from sitting at my desk at work, but not the lovely support that I have from my hourglass (1890s) and regency corsets. Try expanding the back and side hip gussets next time but keep the solid boning. You're less likely to "relax" into it... and find it just sits there. (Yes, some of the waist pieces will be very thin strips at the waist.) >> This sounds exactly like I was afraid the pattern might be. As for comfort, I know very well that the straight-fronted corsets were actually the most uncomfortable and dangerous ones. However, this beautiful S-shape of the edwardian times can only be achieved by such a corset... Any extreme can be uncomfortable like that. Using the same technique, I helped fit other straight front corset muslins releasing hordes at the back hip area but keeping the waist controlled and even taking a bit more in. That one turned out comfortable too. She didn't add much fluff to the front for the "S" as she was better equipped in the front. -Cat- _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
