One experience of mine that might be closer to Michael's intended discussion: I was learning about mid-18thC French women's clothing, particularly the "corset" which is more like English jumps: a shaping upper-body garment not as firm as stays. The information was that paper was used as an inner layer, but the instructor recommended heavy weight Pellon. I decided to try paper, using a card-weight parchment. It held the shape ok, but crinkled a bit. I don't know if there are extant corsets where you can see the type of paper used. Sometimes experiments are necessary to understand the process.
I don't think that's a meta-discussion about authenticity. I think it's a discussion about 18th-century French corsets.
Fran Lavolta Press www.lavoltapress.com _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
