aethelflaedladyofmercia:vinceaddams:Good evening, here’s an educational cone meme.Edit: I’ve realize

aethelflaedladyofmercia:vinceaddams:Good evening, here’s an educational cone meme.Edit: I’ve realized this is a bit hard to read, especially since I made the extra bits on the top and bottom way lighter than I should have, so here’s what it says.“no, I’m afraid you’ve been badly misinformed about 18th century stays. They are not torture devices at all, and you can breathe in them just fine. That scene in Pirates of the Caribbean lied to you. Properly fitted 18th century stays (NOT corsets, that’s a 19th century word) are perfectly comfortable and don’t reduce the waist much, if at all. A small waist was desirable but it was done mainly with optical illusions. Huge wide skirts make the waist look much smaller by contrast, and the lines of the bodice helped too. It’s about the cone shaped silhouette - smoothing the lines of the torso, and also bust support. Tightlacing wasn’t a thing until well into the 19th century, and even then it was the exception rather than the norm.”Actually you know what I’ve got more to say. Stays are awesome if they fit you right. I love a sleevless strapless dress with good stays. Better than a strappy evening dress by far. 15/10 would wear again. They are snug and self-supporting, so they move with you, they don’t pinch, and they spread the tension over a large area which is especially important if there’s a lot of weight in the skirt that might otherwise be pulling on your shoulders all night (fun fact: this is also almost word for word what you should look for in a good suit of armor). If I had the budget I wouldn’t wear anything else to a fancy event (except possibly armor).I have a wonderful hobbit costume but my mother insisted on not putting stays in the bodice and I can’t tell you how disappointed I was the first time I put it on and told my friend “lace it up but not too tight ” because when you’ve got some well-fitting stays it feels GOOD. (Rosie Cotton’s blue dress from the party in the first movie, even without stays it is still the best non-professional hobbit costume to exist don’t @ me it’s just true, my mom rules). Yes it can get in the way of eating, because your stomach doesn’t have room to expand which is SO SAD especially at fancy events and weddings. (This is partly down to the design of the dress, results may vary.) And I’m writing from the perspective of someone relatively thin, but I know many bigger and bustier women who agree with me. But I hate so much when people vilify period costumes, especially women’s outfits. Ignoring the extremes of high fashion, these clothes were often VERY comfortable!I’m really glad to see responses like this in the notes! I’ve worn stays, but it was years ago and I don’t remember exactly what they felt like, plus I wasn’t as good at pattern drafting then so they probably could have fit better. But from what I recall, I felt nice and snug and secure, and the only source of discomfort was the fact that couldn’t slouch and I wasn’t used to having a good posture. Maybe I’ll make a pair of men’s stays someday!Also, I hate it when I see boned undergarments being worn right next to the skin in movies. No wonder you’re uncomfortable, you need to wear a shift under there!! And without an easy-to-wash shift the stays will get all sweaty and dirty and gross! -- source link
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