Material Culture, Dress and Fashion History
Very excited to announce that my book Shaping Femininity has a cover image and pre-order links! See below for details! About Shaping Femininity In sixteenth and seventeenth-century England, the female silhouette underwent a dramatic change. This very structured form, created using garments called bodies and farthingales, existed in various extremes in Western Europe and beyond,… Continue reading Shaping Femininity Book Cover and Pre-order!
The 1680s was a decade of change in women's fashion. The new loose-fitting mantua gown vied for popularity with traditional gowns that contained structured bodices (a battle that the new style would win in later decades) and bodies slowly began to be called stays during this decade. One of the best written sources we have… Continue reading Randle Holme’s The Academy of Armory (1688) and late Seventeenth-century Women’s Dress Terminology
What should we call the torso-shaping female foundation garments of the seventeenth century? Were they pairs of bodies? Bodices? Stays? Moreover, how were they worn? Were they underwear or were the outer wear? This post clears the air about terminology!
Effigy Bodies Part One: The Pattern & Materials Effigy Bodies Part Two: Cutting & Sewing Effigy Bodies Part Three: Boning & Binding Effigy Bodies Part Four: Eyelets & Lacing Effigy Bodies Part Five: The Finished Product The first reconstruction that I will be making is the effigy bodies of Queen Elizabeth I that are now… Continue reading Elizabeth I Effigy Bodies Reconstruction | Part One: The Pattern & Materials