Michael Colmer: Whalebone to See Through

The purpose of corsetry is to modify the shape of the body to suit the whims of fashion, and if we wish to understand a particular style of underwear, we must be aware of the fashion it was meant to complement.

Most fashions are designed to draw attention to a particular part of the body, or erogenous zone. For example, in the Victorian era the body was almost completely covered, and a glimpse of a pretty ankle would send a man into raptures. During, and immediately after the First World War, fashions aped the uniforms of the soldiers. But, with so many of the men at war, women took over many traditionally male jobs, giving them a taste of freedom they would be reluctant to give up.

The young women who had grown up during the war became the Flappers of the twenties, and they rebelled against all the established rules. There was a serious shortage of eligible men, and, perhaps to compensate for this, they adopted a boyish look. Breasts were out, and the recently invented brassiere was converted into a flattener, like the hideous garment shown here.

 

James Laver: Womens Dress In The Jazz Age

The sketch on the left shows the ideal line this garment was intended to produce. Notice the currently fashionable ragged hemline.

 

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