Corset Evolution Until The Victorian Era

Corsets are a sort of an undergarment worn around the torso mostly by women to achieve a trendy silhouette. Commonly worn to bind the waist and make the breasts appear more firm, the more fashion conscious women tended to tighten the corsets more than necessary or at times even went in for a smaller size corset, but the end result was s reduction in waistlines of up to one or two inches at the most.

Modern trends to achieve an hourglass figure, women often tend to add volume to the bust line to ensure a higher bust to waist ratio. Vice verso, full skirts, crinolines, and bustles in the 19th century helped make the waist look slim by adding to the girth of the hips.

Corsets made their appearance in the 16th century called as payre or stays, which moulded the upper torso in a manner that the busts were flattened to make the breasts seem curvier when peeking over the tops. The skirts were held out by a farthingale in a stiff cone. Until almost the late 18th century, corsets were designed of starched multiple layers of linen with wooden shafts to enhance a straight and stiff figure. The central idea being to enhance the bust by making the breasts look firmer and rounded, draw in the waists, improving the posture by a stiff back support with a narrow waist to achieve a V-shape on the back.

High-waisted empire styles which were intended primarily as a support to breasts gained popularity over the stays and most of the gowns being high waisted had flowing lines below the waist. In the Victorian era though the trend to achieve the hourglass figure, made it imperative that the corsets cinched in the waist and the artificially padded shoulders and skirts and the full busts were used to achieve the look. While the inflated shoulders went back and forth out of fashion, whenever they were dropped, the corsets had to be tightened to make the waists look slimmer and the breasts pushed upwards.

In the latter half of the 19th century, although the girls insisted that their nannies tighten the corsets at the waist further, the corset itself was extended to end much below the hips to attain a curvaceous look. Tailor-made corsets were in fashion, at the same time availability of cheap and mass-produced corsets enabled even the hoi polloi to use the same.

The tightening of the lace at the waist did raise health issues like indigestion or constipation, but given the rigidity of social norms, those in power or seeking power used this to condemn high fashion. Women were ostracised from the pulpit and condemned as being slaves to fashion. They were even accused of causing unhealthy trends, perhaps matters were exaggerated. The outcome was that the tighter corsets gave way to being dressed more sensibly. Rumours galore about the tight corsets caused injury to health ranging from hysteria to even liver failure eventually drove out the Victorian corset out of fashion to give way to the Edwardian corsets