Hourglass corset
Encyclopedia
The hourglass corset
produces a silhouette resembling the hourglass
shape: wide bottom, narrow waist (wasp waist
), wide top.
. These elements contrasted with the narrowed waist, making it appear smaller than it actually was. The hourglass corset can achieve the greatest immediate waist reduction as it acts mainly on a short zone around the waist, rather than attempting to slim the torso around the ribs; the soft fleshy tissue can be compressed and squeezed, redistributed above and below the waistline.
As skirts and sleeves shrank, fashions began to favour a more slender, vertical look. Princess line dresses were popular in the 1880s; these were made without a horizontal waist seam and with long vertical seams running the length of the dress, with the dress fitted closely to the body. Hourglass corsets changed to emphasise the long lines of the body, and their shape often attempted to slim the torso above the waist as well.
replaced the hourglass corset in fashion.
It is one of the most common styles of corset made today, and is often used for post-pregnancy waist training
.
The name 'hourglass' comes from the shape it gives to the wearer's figure, rather like an hourglass
— the waist
is small, with the ribcage tapering sharply to the waist and the hips flaring outwards (wide shoulders, wide ribcage, narrow waist, wide hips). Some dislike the shape, claiming that the nipped-in waist looks unnatural, and that with the aim of getting the smallest waist possible, an hourglass figure can look like "pillow being cinched in by a belt".
The hourglass corset is associated with very small waists. However, it is likely that hourglass corsets were not laced as tightly as the straight-fronted corsets fashionable at the beginning of the twentieth century
A pipe-stem waist is a silhouette given by wearing a certain kind of corset
. The corset is designed so that the circumference of the waist is extended for a distance above the natural waistline. This can put considerable pressure on the lower rib
s as they are pressed inwards.
Short pipe-stem waists are most often found on hourglass corsets; however, they have never been common, and reports of nineteenth century pipe-stem waists on corsets—which often cite a height of up to 15 cm (6 inches)—are likely to be sexual fantasy, rather than reality, due to the difficulty and discomfort in wearing a corset with a pipe-stem waist.
Corsets were still the norm, but they no longer had the exaggerated wide-narrow-wide silhouette of the hourglass corset.
hourglass corset was very unhealthy, as opposed to the modern wasp waist
hourglass corset. With a modern hourglass corset, the stomach is over the waistline, whereas with a Victorian hourglass corset, the stomach is in the waistline.
Corset
A corset is a garment worn to hold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes...
produces a silhouette resembling the hourglass
Hourglass
An hourglass measures the passage of a few minutes or an hour of time. It has two connected vertical glass bulbs allowing a regulated trickle of material from the top to the bottom. Once the top bulb is empty, it can be inverted to begin timing again. The name hourglass comes from historically...
shape: wide bottom, narrow waist (wasp waist
Wasp waist
Wasp waist refers to a woman's fashion silhouette, produced by a style of corset and girdle, that has experienced various periods of popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its primary feature is the abrupt transition from a natural-width rib cage to an exceedingly small waist, with the hips...
), wide top.
History
The first fashions worn with hourglass corsets, around 1830, emphasized width - they tended to have very wide skirts, large sleeves and sloping shoulders1830s and 1840s in fashion
1830s fashion in European and European-influenced clothing is characterized by an emphasis on breadth, initially at the shoulder and later in the hips, in contrast to the narrower silhouettes that had predominated between 1800 and the 1820s....
. These elements contrasted with the narrowed waist, making it appear smaller than it actually was. The hourglass corset can achieve the greatest immediate waist reduction as it acts mainly on a short zone around the waist, rather than attempting to slim the torso around the ribs; the soft fleshy tissue can be compressed and squeezed, redistributed above and below the waistline.
As skirts and sleeves shrank, fashions began to favour a more slender, vertical look. Princess line dresses were popular in the 1880s; these were made without a horizontal waist seam and with long vertical seams running the length of the dress, with the dress fitted closely to the body. Hourglass corsets changed to emphasise the long lines of the body, and their shape often attempted to slim the torso above the waist as well.
Modern history
In 1900, the straight fronted corsetHistory of corsets
A corset is a garment that girds the torso and shapes it according to the fashionable silhouette of the day. Most often it has been used for cinching the waist and supporting the breasts....
replaced the hourglass corset in fashion.
It is one of the most common styles of corset made today, and is often used for post-pregnancy waist training
Training corset
A training corset is generally a corset used in body modification. A training corset may be used for orthopedic reasons or for cosmetic reasons The term "training corset" is also sometimes used for BDSM corsets used for discipline.In addition, the...
.
The name 'hourglass' comes from the shape it gives to the wearer's figure, rather like an hourglass
Hourglass
An hourglass measures the passage of a few minutes or an hour of time. It has two connected vertical glass bulbs allowing a regulated trickle of material from the top to the bottom. Once the top bulb is empty, it can be inverted to begin timing again. The name hourglass comes from historically...
— the waist
Waist
The waist is the part of the abdomen between the rib cage and hips. On proportionate people, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso....
is small, with the ribcage tapering sharply to the waist and the hips flaring outwards (wide shoulders, wide ribcage, narrow waist, wide hips). Some dislike the shape, claiming that the nipped-in waist looks unnatural, and that with the aim of getting the smallest waist possible, an hourglass figure can look like "pillow being cinched in by a belt".
The hourglass corset is associated with very small waists. However, it is likely that hourglass corsets were not laced as tightly as the straight-fronted corsets fashionable at the beginning of the twentieth century
Pipe-stem waist
Some hourglass corsets may have had a pipe-stem waist; however, these have never been common, as the added pressure that they place on the ribcage can be uncomfortable.A pipe-stem waist is a silhouette given by wearing a certain kind of corset
Corset
A corset is a garment worn to hold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes...
. The corset is designed so that the circumference of the waist is extended for a distance above the natural waistline. This can put considerable pressure on the lower rib
Rib
In vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the rib cage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the chest cavity. They serve to protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax...
s as they are pressed inwards.
Short pipe-stem waists are most often found on hourglass corsets; however, they have never been common, and reports of nineteenth century pipe-stem waists on corsets—which often cite a height of up to 15 cm (6 inches)—are likely to be sexual fantasy, rather than reality, due to the difficulty and discomfort in wearing a corset with a pipe-stem waist.
Corsets were still the norm, but they no longer had the exaggerated wide-narrow-wide silhouette of the hourglass corset.
Medical
Victorian wasp waistWasp waist
Wasp waist refers to a woman's fashion silhouette, produced by a style of corset and girdle, that has experienced various periods of popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its primary feature is the abrupt transition from a natural-width rib cage to an exceedingly small waist, with the hips...
hourglass corset was very unhealthy, as opposed to the modern wasp waist
Wasp waist
Wasp waist refers to a woman's fashion silhouette, produced by a style of corset and girdle, that has experienced various periods of popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its primary feature is the abrupt transition from a natural-width rib cage to an exceedingly small waist, with the hips...
hourglass corset. With a modern hourglass corset, the stomach is over the waistline, whereas with a Victorian hourglass corset, the stomach is in the waistline.
External links
- The Corset: Questions of Pressure and Displacement. 1887
- Wasp Creations' page on corset silhouettes - this page gives a clear idea of what a pipe-stem waist looks like.
- C & S Constructions extreme corsets
See also
- History of corsetsHistory of corsetsA corset is a garment that girds the torso and shapes it according to the fashionable silhouette of the day. Most often it has been used for cinching the waist and supporting the breasts....
- TightlacingTightlacingTightlacing is the practice of wearing a tightly-laced corset to achieve extreme modifications to the figure and posture and experience the sensations of a very tight corset. Those who practice tightlacing are called tightlacers...
- Corset controversyCorset controversyThe corset controversy is an ensemble of letters and articles concerning the corset that appeared in newspapers and periodicals in the 19th century.-Introduction:...