Swiss waist, waist cincher, corset, and corselet: what's the difference? - The Dreamstress

For this week’s terminology post I go back to last week’s Rate the Dress, and Rae’s comment about whether Victorian women wore corsets outside of their dresses. The simple answer is, they didn’t.  But they did wear Swiss waists & corselets outside of their dresses, and these can look a lot like corsets if you don’t look closely.  So what are these things, and how are they different from corsets? A Swiss waist  is a boned, pointed underbust garment worn over skirts and blouses or dresses.  Unlike a corset, a swiss waist NEVER fastens with a metal front busk.  Swiss waists can have a flat front, with no front opening, or can lace up the front with hand worked eyelets (never metal eyelets).  The backs fasten with lacing (also with worked eyelets, not metal eyelets) or buttons.  Swiss waists were extremely popular in the 1860s, worn by empresses and common women alike.  In the 1860s they were more likely to be called corsages (an un-specific term for a bodice), swiss bodices, swiss belts, or swiss …

Corset overbust édouardien à motif historique en brocart rose. Corset de mariage Steelbone

VESTIDO DE NOVIA EN SEDA 1860 Historical dresses, Vintage dresses, Antique dress

Terminology: What's the difference between stays, jumps & a corset - The Dreamstress

Types of Corsets: Everything You Should Know

Corset Style Guide – French Meadows

Elegant Black Hourglass Underbust Corset

Ювелирные истории: Pietra dura: История рукоделия в журнале Ярмарки Мастеров

corsetless – The Pragmatic Costumer

A green watered silk formal gown, circa 1865 Victorian clothing, Vintage gowns, Historical fashion

Evening dress, British

LUXURY-VITA Short Torso Waist Trainer for Women Under Clothes, Waist Cincher Corset Neoprene Sweat Waist Trimmer at Women's Clothing store

Corset Style Guide – French Meadows

Old Rags 18th century womens fashion, 18th century fashion, 18th century women

Pin on 1860's fashion