Comments | corsetmakers: boning at the sidefront

tielke in corsetmakers

boning at the sidefront

Aug 30, 2014 16:03

Hi everyone!

I'm currently almost ready with the Truly Victorian Edwardian (yes) corset, but I ran into a conundrum I've been puzzled by for quite some time....So I thought I'd ask the experienced and knowledgeable.

If you look at pictures of edwardian corsets and edwardian mannequins, the hips often jut out rather sharply from the waist, it's ( Read more... )

construction|boning and busks, timeline|1900-1920 edwardian corset, pattern|truly victorian e01

Comments 7

unclrashid August 30 2014, 14:37:13 UTC

I don't know about the TV corset, but many corsets of the time period used whalebone, and the the entire corset was place on a mannequin and steam-molded into shape.

I looked at some pics of the TV corset, and it may be that what you think is the hip justting out is really more of the bum jutting out. Many of the pics are taken at a 3/4 angle so you are seeing the curve of the waist/behind rather than waist/hip.

tielke August 31 2014, 10:45:38 UTC

Well, I think whalebone was getting more scarce at that time and only the most expensive corsets still used it. I've never heard of cane being used in S-curves. Mostly descriptions of these corsets say they're boned with steel, but perhaps they do use something else (or spirals) at the sides and it's just not mentioned?

The bum helps in 3/4 pics, that perspective is really cool in this corset! But I did have the dramatic bend at the waist from the front as welll...

tielke August 31 2014, 10:53:26 UTC

I also went through the archives here and found a post about someone who had an antique post-edwardian longline. The owner mentioned the (steel) boning was very flexible, so I'm inclined to think the secret's in the weight and quality of the steel...Though I still want to hear different options and opinions! :)

rabid_bookwyrm September 2 2014, 00:06:11 UTC

You can end the side bones right at the waist - at or just above the seam for the hip gore. I'm not going to be able to pull any examples out right now (sorry), but that was definitely a thing they did.

I think there are a few in Jill Salen's Corsets with that style boning. If that extremely brief description didn't make sense, I can try to find some photos.

tielke September 2 2014, 15:22:21 UTC

It does make sense! Though I would be worried about the bones digging in, and again, I'm not sure it was done on corsets of the time period I'm referring to. If you do have pics of 1901-1910s corsets where the boning stops at the waist, I would love to see them, if it's not too much of a hassle, that is. :) I'll check Jill Salen as well, thanks for the tip!

rabid_bookwyrm September 3 2014, 04:54:53 UTC

Salen, Pretty Housemaid, 1890
Salen, Khaki Corded Corset, 1890-1900

Metropolitain Museum of Art 1908

And V&A, 1864 is much earlier, but a good example of the boning cutting off at the hip gore.

I don't think it would dig - it's not like ending the corset there, you don't have a sudden, awful release of pressure at the waist. There are still bones running the full length, and the fabric is still going to be pulled taut and smooth over the waist and upper hip.

Honestly, my best advice is to browse the various museum archives or other image hosts - you get a pretty good idea what they were up to in terms of boning patterns, pretty quickly.

tielke September 3 2014, 10:44:23 UTC

Thank you! The Salen examples are really too early for what I'm looking at. The 1908 one is interesting, but the boning at the sides still seems to run all the way down (I shouldn't have said side front really, what I meant was really the seam just in front of the side), as it does in practically every other early 1900s corset I've seen (and believe me, I'm obsessed enough to have looked around everywhere :p ( ... )