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13d • 🪡 Discipline Deep Dives
20th Century Corsets – A Century of Reinvention 🪡
As we reach the final chapter in our historical corsetry journey, it's fascinating to see just how dramatically foundation garments changed throughout the 20th century.
Unlike previous centuries, where silhouettes evolved gradually, the 1900s brought rapid social, technological and cultural change, and corsetry evolved alongside it.
The Edwardian Years (1900–1910)
The century opened with the elegant S-bend corset, designed to create the fashionable "health corset" silhouette. These corsets encouraged an upright posture with the bust pushed forward and the hips gently back, creating the distinctive S-shaped profile that defined Edwardian fashion.
The 1910s & 1920s
As women's lives changed, so did their clothing.
The First World War brought practicality to everyday dress, and by the 1920s fashion had shifted dramatically. The fashionable silhouette became long, straight and youthful. Rather than shaping the waist, foundation garments were designed to smooth the body and minimise curves beneath the loose-fitting dresses of the Jazz Age.
For the first time in centuries, many women no longer wore heavily boned corsets every day.
The 1930s & 1940s
Fashion embraced softer, more natural lines.
Corsetry didn't disappear—it adapted.
Lightweight corselettes, girdles and foundation garments became increasingly popular, offering support without the rigidity of earlier corsets. Advances in textiles and manufacturing allowed garments to be lighter, more comfortable and better suited to modern lifestyles.
During the Second World War, practicality and resourcefulness influenced every aspect of clothing, including foundation wear.
The 1950s
With Christian Dior's famous "New Look," structured foundations returned to fashion.
Nipped waists, full skirts and beautifully sculpted silhouettes relied on carefully engineered undergarments, including waist cinchers, longline bras and girdles. While different from Victorian corsets, they shared the same purpose, creating shape through thoughtful construction.
The Modern Era
Today, corsetry is more diverse than ever.
It exists in historical costume, bridal wear, couture, eveningwear, fashion design and even ready-to-wear collections. Modern makers have access to spiral steel boning, synthetic whalebone, specialist coutil fabrics and an incredible range of construction techniques.
More importantly, contemporary corsetry is about choice.
Some makers recreate museum quality historical garments. Others design fashion corsets, supportive bodices or couture foundations. Each approach celebrates the remarkable craftsmanship that has been refined over more than five centuries.
Looking Back at Our Journey
Over the past few weeks, we've travelled through the evolution of corsetry:
🪡 16th Century – Bodies and the beginnings of structured dress
🪡 17th Century – Stays become increasingly refined and fashionable
🪡 18th Century – Exquisite craftsmanship and elegant engineering
🪡 19th Century – Industrial innovation transforms corset making
🪡 20th Century – Corsetry evolves with changing fashion, technology and society
Although the silhouettes changed, one thing remained constant:
Corsetry has always been about engineering fabric to support the body and create the designer's vision.
Whether you're making a Tudor pair of bodies, an 18th-century stay, a Victorian corset or a contemporary bridal bodice, you're building on centuries of knowledge passed from maker to maker.
Let's Continue the Conversation
I'd love to hear your thoughts:
🪡 Which century has fascinated you the most during our Corsetry Month?
🪡 Has anything challenged your assumptions about corsets?
🪡 Are there any historical techniques you'd like to incorporate into your own sewing?
🪡 If you could learn to make one style of corset, which would you choose, and why?
Thank you for joining us on this journey through the history of corsetry. I hope it's inspired you to look beyond the outer garment and appreciate the incredible craftsmanship hidden beneath.
Together, we explore.
Together, we grow.
Together, we keep the art of dress alive. ✨
Next up .. watch this space! We've been learning about the history of our garments, it's very important to understand where our sewing disciplines come from, so we can consciously choose what skill to use when picking up the sewing needle or machine.
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20th Century Corsets – A Century of Reinvention 🪡
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