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GEORGIAN
18th century
The Stays
Stays are commonly referred to as corsets, but up until the very end of the 18th century (1795) "corset" or "corsette" had only been used to describe the bodice of a gown, not the stays beneath it. And the term doesn’t entirely replace “stays” until the Victorian era. For Georgian ladies in England there were jumps and stays. Jumps were un-boned, tightly fitting fabric supports that simply tied shut in the front (they were the kind of thing peasants wore). Stays could be half-boned (which is exactly what it sounds like, and would have been worn by the middle and lower classes, as well as the upper-classes for simple daywear), or fully boned (as most surviving examples are). In this period the stays slightly pulled in the waist, but were unable to really re-sculpt the body, as the strain on the fabric would have been too much (no metal grommets yet!). These stays lift and flatten the breasts (giving the “babies butt” cleavage effect), and give support for the hoops, which hold out the skirts. The bones are made of whalebone or reed. Most stays have a “busk” of wood or ivory up the front. This item was removable, and was frequently carved or painted (and they were sometimes gifts from lovers or admirers). They mostly laced up the back, and were not easy to get out of (some examples also have laces up the front, but these are for adjusting the fit, not getting in and out of the garment). Most extant examples have shoulder straps, which are designed to pull the shoulders back, giving a very upright carriage. No one is taking this off at a ball for a tryst, and then getting it back on in minutes. Another thing to note is that they usually just skimmed the top of the nipple, or rode below the nipples. Breasts, for all that they were clearly appreciated, were not fetishized as they were in later periods. A woman exposing her nipples as part of her décolletage was not considered risqué.
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Stays c. 1760s
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Full undergarments, c. 1760s
Stays, striped silk hoops, and chemise.
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Full undergarments, c. 1770s
Stays, hoops, chemise.
Note how low the front line of the stays is.
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The Rest
Under her stays the lady would have worn a shift of fine linen, cotton, or silk. Then the stays. Then the hoops (which could be the small “pocket” variety for regular wear, small day pannier, or the 4’-5’ wide “court” version). In period people referred to a lady’s “hoops” never her “pannier” (which is a Victorian term for these garments). Ladies didn’t wear underpants, pantaloons, bloomers or knickers. They would have worn knit stockings of cotton or silk, held up with garters tied above the knee (garters were a “boon” that a lover might have asked for; a bit more personal than a glove). These stockings would have most likely been elaborately “clocked” with embroidery, or knit in colorful stripes (horizontal, not vertical). She might also have worn a quilted (and possibly embroidered) waistcoat over her stays (for warmth). This garment, unlike a man’s waistcoat, was not something that was visible once the lady was dressed.
If you really want to explore the clothing of this era,
Demode is the site for you. It has extensive links to extant undergarments and clothes.
Suggested Viewing: Tom Jones (Albert Finney or 1997 version), 1740s; Barry Lyndon 1750s/1760s; Aristocrats, 1760-1800; Dangerous Liaisons, 1770s; Ridicule, 1770s; Amadeus, 1780s; Madness of King George, 1780s; Affair of the Necklace, 1780s; The Lady and the Duke, 1780s; The Scarlet Pimpernel (Richard E. Grant miniseries), 1790s.
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Rare front-lacing stays, c. 1790s.
Note the boning, how short they are,
and how the shoulders tie at the back.
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