Edwardian Corsets

The core of women’s fashion began with Edwardian corsets. To solve the problems of breathing restrictions, a woman practitioner of medicine by the name of Mme. Gaches-Sarraute developed the “Health Corset” in 1890 to help women breathe easily. Beforehand, Edwardian corsets placed too much pressure on the abdomen which restricted vital organs and made breathing difficult. The straight fronted busk left room for the thorax while raising the abdomen instead of compressing downward which was a trait of previous corsets. This method left breathing room for the waist which allowed women to inhale and exhale more easily with less restriction. On first glance of female fashion of the period, you can see that Edwardian corsets and the signature hourglass frame was the centerpiece of her appearance. The appearance of an hour-glass figure is in full view with a belt often tied around the waist area, further enforcing the slim bodice.

The revised corset of the 1890s produced the famous S shaped pattern of Edwardian women from a side angle. The fronted busk forced the bosom to protrude forward while thrusting back the hips. This was a common Edwardian silhouette until 1907. To support forwarding bosom, women wore bust bodices and chose other comforts such as padding and handkerchief for extra chest support. The bust bodice was popular in England and could be labeled as the first bra of the twentieth century. After 1907, corsets became longer and slimmer thanks to the helping hand of fashion designer Paul Poiret. The new corset started a little above the waist and reached down to the thighs with longer versions reaching to the knees around 1912. The long corset produced a slimmer bodice along with a simpler bust frame.  A longer corset which extended down the body placed less pressure on the center of the body, making the corset slightly more comfortable. However, there were trade-offs in comfort level when it came to the long corset. Long corsets that reached to the knees made it virtually impossible to sit down.

Despite revisions to Edwardian corsets, the waist-restriction device was primarily reserved for upper class women of leisure. Working women never wore corsets because of the restriction of movement and on the rare occasions they ever wore corsets, it would primarily be on holidays or special events. Elegant as Edwardian fashion was, many women who sported such apparel were very much dependent on maids to adjust corsets and servants had to follow their ladies on foot should a malfunction occur throughout the day. According to medical journals of the day, corsets also caused deformity in women, often pushing in organs and restructuring the female, skeletal frame. Also, it should be noted that the pursuit of the hour-glass figure in women was a trait that men found attractive so women’s fashion of the period were tailored to satisfy the preferences of the male gender. Edwardian fashion was in no way a sense of empowerment for women since female fashion was based on male standards. With a longer a corset came the need for longer skirts, coats and dresses. Tailored made suits for women became popular for women in the 1920s much to the consternation of male members of society who viewed suits for women as masculine and unfeminine. This was a time when more women were entering the work force and demanded clothing that would better suit them throughout the work days. Sources: