Clothes On, Clarisse! in which Ventroux chastises his wife for appearing in front of her son in a camisole. “That is completely see-through!“ he tells her. Clarisse replies that she cannot be nude because she is wearing her camisole.
“Trop peu! Trop!” (Too much! Too little!)
Charles Vernier, 1855
Engraving, Charivari
Musée Galliera, Paris
The episode demonstrates that from a woman’s perspective lingerie provides coverage, whereas the male sees the nudity underneath. Because of its contact with skin and its close association with feminine intimacy, lingerie was and remains an object of fantasy among men, discretely fostered by the women who wear it.
“Utilité de la crinoline” (Of the utility of crinoline)
Charles Vernier, 1855
Engraving, Charivari
Musée Galliera, Paris
Glimpsing petticoat flounces in the 18th and 19th centuries had the same impact on the male observer’s imagination as making out the panties or string under a young woman’s jeans today. Lingerie is erotically charged precisely because it is the most private aspect of femininity. The corsetry category belongs more to the realm of disguise.
Underwear of cotton chemise, whalebone corset of blue silk and crinoline spring. Steel hoop frame covered with braid with horsehair frill
English and French, c. 1860–1869
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The relationship of corsetry to clothing is like that of a structural frame to a building, except in the case of corsetry the framework is positioned over a pre-existing foundation: the female body. The role of corsetry is to mold the figure and to impose the shapes of fashion upon it. To this end corsetry is used to transform three key body parts: waist, bust, and hips, the three areas upon which a new silhouette is constructed.
Corset concealer
Stiches and lace
Musées d’Art et d’Histoire, Troyes
In Underwear Through the Ages, Armand Silvestre describes a “proper corset“ in the following terms: The top should be flared enough to support the breasts without constricting them; the armholes should be very deep; the cloth facings should be thin, correctly placed, and supple […] finally, it should fit over the whole pelvis, resting solidly on the hips and following the natural lines of the sides.
Crinoline underskirt
c. 1865
White cotton, wicker frame, Inv.2003.75.X
Musée Galliera, Paris
Corsetry thus accentuates the body’s natural curves and enables the figure to conform to new lines. It can give a round, uplifted, shapely, or flat bust; a more or less slender, invisible, or extremely obvious waist; and it can slim down or widen the hips. Imposing the demands of fashion upon the body, corsetry often goes against nature.
Sport or summer corset and underskirt with bustle (called “crabtail”)
1875–80
Inv. 1920.1.968 Inv. 2003.73.X
Musée Galliera, Paris
And as much as lingerie belongs to the realm of intimacy, corsetry is tied to external appearance. It is her corsetry that turns a woman wearing a dress into a fashion plate. The corsetry category includes underclothes such as whalebone bodies, corsets, girdles, guêpières, bustiers, farthingales, panniers, and crinolines. A piece of corsetry is made up of internal reinforcements that constrict and control the body.
Summer corset
1875–1880
Inv. 1920.1.968
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
