victorian6

The Mature Edwardian Figure

Fashions favored the mature woman in the Edwardian era. It exploited the curves of an elaborately corseted figure. The Edwardian era was the last period when the mature female figure was every man's ideal. Buxom ladies tortured their flesh to achieve an hour-glass figure. Young or old, all laced themselves so tightly that they distorted their figures into the exaggerated 'S' shape associated with the era.

The corsets favored in the 1890s and 1900s were the 'health' corsets initially designed to aid women to breathe freely. Mme. Gaches-Sarraute of Paris, a corsetiere who studied medicine, designed a corset intended to aid health instead of endangering it. She introduced the straight fronted busk which was aimed at leaving the thorax free, but at the same time designed to support and raise the abdomen instead of compressing it and forcing it downwards. She rightly, aimed at removing pressure from the vital female organs and dispensed with the constricting curve at the waist which was customary in all previous corsets.

The S-Bend Corset Fashion to Tight Lace

Ladies would at last have been free to move and breathe easily, but the craze for a small waist persisted and its easy achievement was reinforced by the availability of a maid. Pulled very tightly the "health" corset produced a hand span waist, but at the same time the straight fronted busk forced the bust prominently forward, whilst throwing back the hips, creating the 'S' shape characteristic until 1907.

The Monobosom Effect

The general impression given was of an enormous one piece bosom, referred to as a monobosom. Because the bust was largely unsupported, ladies began to wear various styles of bust bodices and added other extra padding, even handkerchiefs, to increase the frontage which hung low over the waist. The bust bodice was in use by 1905 in England and was the earliest 20^th century bra, but never got patented.

The Corset after 1907

After 1907 the wasp waist became less acute and corsets became straighter. The corset of 1907 achieved a long slim silhouette. The corset started just above the waist and fitted well down the thighs. They often had elastic gusset inserts which were supposed to increase comfort level. As ever fashion won out and to match the new longer slimmer dress styles of 1912, corsets increased in length and almost reached the knees, making sitting down quite difficult.

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