I'd ditto the 1840 & very early 50s just before the hoop comes in. For a particularly unique example, Queen Victoria, when she was very young, commented on the excess weight of her parlementary robes.
That said, I'm also going to put in a bid for late Elizabethan court style in drum farthingales as the 2nd runner-up. I know some of you are gonna poo-poo this, but with a velvet or satin kirtle & skirts, all of which is fully lined sometimes, interfaced, guarded, embroidered in metal & beaded to a fair-thee-well. Even the precious metal embroidery is heavy. It's how embroiderers were paid, in many cases, by weight of the metal applied. Then. once those beaded outer skirts & jewels & things get tossed on the drum, we're talking heavy. I supposed much of it matters as to where you draw the definitional line of "undergarments". Kirtles, even those with portions meant to be seen are under open gowns, loose gowns are, by some lights, "underwear". Whatever the answer, it's a pretty silly question. You can pretty much find exceptionalism anywhere or anywhen you look for it. Does mean that the rank & file wore it. And while it's an amusing question for costumers, the answer really isnt much use either. --cin Cynthia Barnes cinbar...@gmail.com On Fri, Sep 2, 2011 at 8:14 AM, penhal...@juno.com <penhal...@juno.com> wrote: > I would say that the early Victorian period especially the late 1840's would > be the heaviest era for undergarments. By that time the corset was > re-emerging as a longer, more heavily boned object and ladies wore lots of > underskirts/petticoats to achieve the bell skirted look which was in fashion. > If I remember my readings correctly (at work and away from my books) a really > fashionable woman might wear upwards of 15 skirts. When the crinoline was > introduced in the 1850's it was hailed as a liberator becuase women could go > without the weight and encumbrance of all the petticoats. Karen > DezomaSeamstrix > > ---------- Original Message ---------- > From: Chris Harrison <ch...@yahoo.com> > To: "h-costume@mail.indra.com" <h-costume@mail.indra.com> > Subject: [h-cost] Era with "Heaviest undergarmants" - TV query > Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2011 08:05:17 -0700 (PDT) > > Hello Bay Area Costumers! I loved the costume bazaar last weekend and was > delighted to pick up a great Dickens Faire�outfit (and a membership to > the group). Now, a question from a friend of mine is a scout/producer for a > company that makes tv shows for Discovery, TLC, etc. (see below) > Can�anyone help? I don't want to bog down the list with responses if > this is really basic, so feel free to email me off the list. Thanks! > � > ----- Forwarded Message ----- > From: Shera Jenne <sh...@shera.tv> > To: Chris Harrison <ch...@yahoo.com> > Sent: Friday, September 2, 2011 6:57 AM > Subject: Advice > > Hey there Chris! > Wish you were near. I have so many things to ask you! ha ha. > > Do you know anything about Victorian undergarments? Weird question, huh. I am > writing up a proposal and I am trying to figure out the time period in which > women wore the MOST undergarments... as in number of items and/or heaviest. I > think I read somewhere that at their height women were wearing 19 pounds of > undergarments under their dresses. But I can't find that definitively. I know > you specialize in more middle ages stuff... (or medieval?) but since > costumery is an area of interest I thought it might be something you'd know a > little bit about. > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > h-costume@mail.indra.com > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > ____________________________________________________________ > 57-Year-Old Mom Looks 25 > Mom Reveals $5 Wrinkle Trick That Has Angered Doctors! > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4e60f32ebb48b110d5bst05duc > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > h-costume@mail.indra.com > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
