History of corsets

The corset is a supportive undergarment for women, dating, in Europe, back several centuries, evolving as fashion trends have changed and being known, depending on era and geography, as a pair of bodies, stays and corsets. The appearance of the garment represented a change from people wearing clothes to fit their bodies to changing the shape of their bodies to support and fit their fashionable clothing.^[2]

A "pair of bodies" or stays, the supportive garments that predated corsets, first became popular in sixteenth-century Europe, with the corset reaching the zenith of its popularity in the Victorian era.^[3] While the corset has typically been worn as an undergarment, it has occasionally been used as an outer-garment; stays as outer-garments can be seen in the national dress of many European countries.^[4]^: 22

^ Takeda, Sharon Sadako; Spilker, Kaye Durland (2010). Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700–1915. Prestel USA. p. 76. ISBN 978-3-7913-5062-2.
^ "History of the Corset".
^ "History of Corsets 1780-1912". Retrieved 2023-08-22.
^ Cite error: The named reference Ewings1978 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] Takeda, Sharon Sadako; Spilker, Kaye Durland (2010). Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700–1915. Prestel USA. p. 76. ISBN 978-3-7913-5062-2.

[2] "History of the Corset".

[3] "History of Corsets 1780-1912". Retrieved 2023-08-22.

[Ewings1978-4] Cite error: The named reference Ewings1978 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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