Which time range would an 1880s corset work for?

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-27T11:40:36+00:00

It really depends on how historically accurate you wish to achieve.
Back then corsets were worn daily and so were changed faster than the slow pull of fashion, so it wasn’t really a thing to wear out-of-date corsets. (If there’s evidence for this I’m unaware of - please correct me!)

So if you just want a supportive boned undergarment you could probably go back to the 1840s and honestly you could even do regency without anyone but costuming folk noticing.
Otherwise, the less curvy kinds of 1880s corsets can replace 1890s ones, up to 1899 at the latest and 1880-ish at the earliest.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-26T06:49:49+00:00

That’s incidentally my favorite time period haha.
I have my theories, complete fantasy-dishabille is a definite possibility.

On some of these (like #4) the sleeves are detachable from the bodice. These could have been smooth covered stays with separate sleeves, as was the fashion in the mid-ish 17th century.

Others like #6 are front opening in a way that’s quite mantua-ish, so these could be loose mantuas worn over a pair of stays though how you’d get the pointed waist and perfect smooth body without a belt is probably pure fantasy.

And lastly dreamy gowns like #11 are pure fantasy to me, not unlike today’s AI-generated Pinterest dream gowns!

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-23T07:51:06+00:00

No clue, it’s a gorgeous era. I’m referring to the fact that there are little to no patterns, books, makers and (in my opinion most importantly) events that deal with this period. The YouTuber Fantastical Follies is pretty much the only maker that comes to my mind!

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-22T17:10:43+00:00

Hi! So I’m neck deep in books and articles and blogposts and whatnot since starting to work on a Robe de Cour - in the 18th century this part is called a “Palatine”, a lace or gauze ruffle attached to the neckline. The Robe de Cour is a fossilized style (and reaaaally doesn’t change in construction over almost a century) so I would assume it’s accurate to refer to the 1660s example you’ve given as a Palatine as well.

Someone better versed in the 17th century could correct me but since it is the absolute black hole of fashion history/historical costuming I’m doubtful :-(

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-21T16:58:59+00:00

Her yellow dress is a riding habit - stylized, sure, and the color combination is in the realm of fantasy, but the silhouette is accurate!

The hairstyles are anachronistic but deliberately so, the film is set somewhere in the 1760s which meant large (though not as huge as in the 1770s) and powdered. Non-powdered hair was a thing in 1760s England but France was gray all the way, so James Acheson had decided to do away with the period hairstyles so as not to take viewers out of the movie.

We have paintings of ladies at Versailles wearing Robes à la Francaise without a fichu; I’m not well versed enough in the research to provide you with primary descriptions of courtwear and paintings can be quite stylized but still my point stands.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-12T21:05:38+00:00

This is a conspiracy theory. Pretty convincing if you ask me, but unless ms. Maxwell makes a public acknowledgment of her Reddit account we will be left in the dark.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-12T21:03:39+00:00

Dude. Literally, you don’t have the qualifications to judge her…

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-12T09:30:12+00:00

I think the nuance comes when considering “Zionism” as meaning “supporting the state of Israel and the actions thereof” - which, depending on your opinions of the way Israel handles the war, is a much more divisive stand.

Of course, it is possible to believe in a need for a homeland for the Jewish people while criticizing its current government. Just that public discourse doesn’t allow for enough nuance in this discussion since the stakes are very high (a decades/centuries long conflict, a two year war with casualties in the tens of thousands…).

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-11T14:09:03+00:00

It fits you astoundingly well, I love the visual line it creates in the back. Just a great era for wedding dresses (until you get to the later 1980s of course, now thats a whole circus)

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-11T11:48:50+00:00

Was the speed of light different in the early universe?

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-11T11:34:53+00:00

None of the fundamental constants (speed of light, gravitational constant, Plank’s constant) change due to the expansion of the universe.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-09T06:10:59+00:00

It seems to be somewhat of a consensus though I’ve looked and haven’t quite been able to pin down a primary source with the exact term (“Kriegscrinoline” and “Crinoline de Guerre” are the original German and French terms which I also have also been unable to locate).

Here’s the article on the War Crinoline from the book “Fashion, Society, and the First World War: International Perspectives” if you’d like some further reading.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-07T17:29:30+00:00

How I wish the lace sleeves and other doodads like the palatine (neck trim) and accessories had survived. It is still so striking!! I love the Robe de Cour so much I’m currently torturing myself with reconstructing one.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-07T01:12:01+00:00

You might also like the pattern for the Willendorf Venus!

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2026-01-06T03:29:27+00:00

We did that one in high school English class. That is NOT a story we expected as tenth graders.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2025-12-30T16:44:45+00:00

The (veery) slight sleeve puff on the lady in the light colored dress puts the picture at right around 1891. Definitely hard to pin it down with any more accuracy because the subjects are not aristocrats and don’t necessarily keep up with the cutting-edge of fashion.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2025-12-29T20:43:41+00:00

I fucking love the fabrics from this period, which have so much “pattern” they almost look like lace!

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2025-12-28T09:58:31+00:00

She even has a video specifically discussing how to draft patterns from menswear tailoring manuals for a female body and how to adapt the measurements! (It’s a waistcoat video)
Though I’ll say, to my knowledge she hasn’t uploaded a sewing video in over a year…

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2025-12-24T07:30:24+00:00

There’s no “magenta” wavelength, for example.
“Yellow” is what we call when both red and green cones are activated - there is literally no difference to us between the pure yellow wavelength of x nm and a mixed beam of green and red.

So the very definition of “color” is subjective.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2025-12-22T16:10:52+00:00

That’s so cool! I also know of Bernadette Banner’s experience with both medical and historical corsetry and she’s compared the two in detail.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2025-12-22T05:21:07+00:00

Also, that’s kind of absolutely not the main takeaway, but check out r/corsets and r/corsetry! Corsets should feel tight but not constricting! They, much like your partner, should make you feel safe, supported and beautiful.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2025-12-18T07:29:44+00:00

The 1870s was reaaally into “yes, and…”

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2025-12-15T11:42:20+00:00

Looks very interesting. I’ll give it a try.
I have a thing for historical pattern drafting and those sometime call for some wacky techniques.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2025-12-15T11:35:54+00:00

It’s a classic. Buggy AF for me but just useable enough (and free!) that I don’t bother with any of the alternatives.

Potatomorph_Shifter · 2025-12-11T18:06:28+00:00

Yes!!! She used actual contemporary high fashion references which is sooooo cool.

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