The Rococo Period, 1720-1780

Stays and Corsets, The Torso
The earliest surviving body-shaping garments date from the 16th century and were usually made of leather or iron. Although designed to mould a perfect figure, these early foundation garments were often more likely used to correct curvature of the spine or some other medical weakness.

By the 18th century, stays (corsets) were in common use for strictly aesthetic purposes. They were usually made of linen stiffened with baleen (whalebone), cording and close-set lines of hand stitching. Often the stays were overlaid with fine silk and sometimes ornamented with embroidery, lace or ribbon.

The 18th century stays were conical in form following the lines of the rib cage rather than the body flesh. The waist was constricted and the bust was pushed upward. This lift was accentuated by the upward pull of the shoulder straps.

The Pannier, The Hips
Throughout the mid 18th century the natural shape of the hips was completely disguised by the ever-widening skirt. This distention was supported on a framework of wood, cane, whalebone or metal. This framework was called a pannier, a term derived from the French word for bread basket (“panier”).

The stays and the pannier provided the support on which the elaborate silk gowns and petticoats were displayed.

Fashion was meant to present the wearer as a beautiful object. The more debilitated she was by her wardrobe the higher she was seen to be, the greater her authority and her appeal. Beauty by Impairment.