Wanted: Lady's Maid....

[j_cheney]

Must be sarcastic and out-spoken, but good-natured, not prone to theivery, and really good at lacing up a corset....

Seriously folks, how the heck did women do this on a daily basis?

I got my corset in the mail today, (plain black Duchesse satin) and immediately tried it on over my jogging shorts (black) and my t-shirt (black). I made a bizarrely Athletic-Goth picture when I looked in the mirror, but was gratified to discover that everything was adequately covered, even my chest (this is an overbust, girls).

But lacing the thing? Wow, I had enough trouble manipulating the busk! (Just nod and smile here, those of you who don't know what a busk is.) Also, the busk allows a narrow sliver (maybe 1/4 inch) to show, so I'll definitely be wearing something under it. (Which is a good plan anyway.)

I'm seriously grateful that displaced_texan will be there to help me lace!

And for sarah_prineas, I now know why he had to use the pen-knife. ;o)

Comments

[tchernabyelo.livejournal.com]

I used to be in the Sealed Knot - civil war reenactment society (and that's the English civil war, so we're talking mid-17th century costumes). The women universally wore bodices, but they were all ones that laced up the front (and were worn with blouses underneath, and sometimes a sort of waistcoat-y thing as well). A front-lacing bodice can be done up by yourself (though it doesn't hurt to have help). Back-laced ones, which I think came in later, you have no chance whatsoever of getting into on your own.

It's certainly something that I had to keep half an eye on when writing some of my renaissance-period fiction; I had my heroine and her (male) companion travelling together, as merchant venturers, and I wanted them to be spending lots of time alone together, but realistically if she was travelling she would have had a maid along, precisely to help with dressing her every day. And he would probably have had a manservant/groom as well. I still need to do lots of rework on that stuff, bringing in those supporting characters (one idea was that since my MC was low-born and has clawed her way up through society, she actually has no idea how to handle having a maidservant and gets through a succession of temporary ones because she just can't find the balance of how to be someone's "boss" - an important part of her learning process...).

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Back-lacing is associated with the Victorian and Edwardian periods (don't even ask about the S-curve corset ::shudders::), although I'm not certain about the Georgian. (Just can't remember).

If I recall correctly, our Revolutionary War period was front-lacing also. I have no idea when we switched over, but sometime long before 1863...

I was surprised to find patterns for Civil War (ours) re-enactment dress in the pattern books at the fabric store. And I'm not talking Halloween costume-variety. These were serious, down to the undergarments patterns. Most interesting.

[gabriel-writes.livejournal.com]

Simplicity is stocked well with them. When I worked for a fabric store we had shoppers from the various reenactment groups looking not only for the patterns, but authentic period materials as well. To my mind, they were making museum quality stuff...

A chemise was usually worn underneath the corset, if I'm not mistaken, for the reasons you state...

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

That's pretty much what I figured. You can't replace a corset all that easily or inexpensively, but the chemise can be shredded for rags.

I got a strapless camisole....which should do the job ;o)

It was Simplicity that I noted had the most authentic looking stuff. The Re-enactors blow my mind--it's hard for me to imagine wanting to do that kind of thing....but then again, I fence.....so I shouldn't roll my eyes over other people's weird hobbies....

[tchernabyelo.livejournal.com]

For some reason, I have a complete Costume Gap (and much of a History Gap) from about 1725 through to about 1850.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm, Georgian and Regency....tsk, tsk!