Okay, so I got really into this whole historical fashion thing lately, and I decided to dive deep into what women wore as underwear in the 1800s. It’s way more complicated than I thought!
Getting Started
First, I spent a good chunk of time just Googling. I mean, you gotta start somewhere, right? I typed in stuff like “1800s women’s undergarments” and “Victorian underwear” and things like that. I found some interesting articles and blog posts, but honestly, a lot of it was kinda vague.
Digging Deeper
So, I decided I needed more solid info. I went to some online museum collections. I looked at a bunch of pictures of actual garments from the period. That’s when things started to get clearer. It’s one thing to read about it, but seeing the actual clothes is totally different.
The Layers!
- Chemise: This was like the base layer, a simple, loose-fitting linen or cotton * is to keep body oil away from other clothes.
- Drawers: These were like loose, knee-length shorts. And get this – they were often open at the crotch! Apparently, this made going to the bathroom easier with all those layers.
- Corset: Okay, this is the one everyone knows. It’s the thing that cinches in the waist. They were made with whalebone or steel to give them structure. I read that they could be pretty uncomfortable, but they were a big deal for the fashionable silhouette.
- Petticoats: These were skirts worn over the corset and drawers. Women would wear multiple petticoats to give their skirts volume and shape. The number of petticoats depended on the style and the occasion.
Putting It All Together
After all that research, I tried to imagine what it would be like to wear all those layers.
It must have been a lot of work just getting dressed every day! And I can’t imagine how hot and restrictive it must have felt, especially in the summer.I’ve got so much more respect to the weman lived at that time!
This whole process taught me that even something as seemingly simple as underwear has a rich and complex history. It’s not just about the clothes themselves, but also about the social norms and expectations of the time.
