Comments | corsetmakers: Corsets and hip padding, minimising belly pooch question, please help me brainstorm.

Yvonne De Rooij in corsetmakers

Corsets and hip padding, minimising belly pooch question, please help me brainstorm.

Jan 07, 2017 19:24

I had previously posted that I wanted to make make very short corset (similar to a waspie even) here http://corsetmakers.livejournal.com/2172309.html
I had decided on a construction method with the help of the community members and I was ready to move to the pattern phase.

( here is what I thought of after )

advice|choosing pattern

Comments 15

rabid_bookwyrm January 8 2017, 00:44:24 UTC

This is a lot of questions. I am going to tackle... not all of them. So fair warning.

First, padding: rather than trying to incorporate padding with your corset, I would recommend a support skirt (crinoline/petticoat). It doesn't have to be as full or as flared as the 1950s style - you can just take 1-2 layers of cotton, organza, or net, gathered on a yoke (to keep the volume down at the waist) and with maybe one 4-6" deep ruffle on the hem, if you want a bit of pouf there. That will create a very smooth silhouette which supports the skirt all the way down. I know this is very much the wrong period, but Jen Thompson has an amazingly helpful comparison photo of a Natural Form dress with and without skirt support - the difference is subtle but unmistakable. Women of the 40s wore full length slips, and besides - we aren't in the 40s anymore ( ... )

rabid_bookwyrm January 8 2017, 00:44:39 UTC

Additionally, the bottom point of a corset is the least-well-anchored of the edge. On an underbust, the top edge is usually pretty level or the upper back is higher, but there's not a lot of squish there. For the bottom edge, you have 2-3 options:
- Perfectly level: Pro: the edge has support all the way around. Con: Can't be cut very long, because it'll prevent sitting down. Looks terrible on most people, imo.
- Classic front point: Pro: looks very elegant. Point cam come down in front while leaving legroom for sitting. Con: nothing is actually holding the point in, so it can bow out rather than holding the belly in.
- Front point with long hips, S-bend/Edwardian style. Pro: Something about the cut and/or the long hips really helps support the belly. I don't think it's just the shape of the bottom edge - I think it you whacked this edge on a vertical-seam Victorian/modern style, it wouldn't give the same effect. I'm still not sure exactly why this cut produces the straight front effect, but someday I'll get there. Truly Victorian ( ... )

ext_3749756 January 8 2017, 14:18:28 UTC

I was planning on putting the padding over the corset. The padding put into "pockets" that are sewn on very long cotton underwear that ends 15-20cm above the knee ( ... )

rabid_bookwyrm January 9 2017, 05:59:34 UTC

Camille Clifford would have been wearing 1-3 layers of petticoats. Her skirts only cling to her legs because she has twisted them around. Look up Cathy Hay's Worth reproductions from around the same era, I know she posted her underwear at some point or other (LJ peackockdress). The undies would have been similar to the Festive Attyre ones I linked, without the concentrated fullness in the back or the hoop/bustle - you'll notice FA took the hip pad shape from a turn of the century source ( ... )

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