Regency Short Stays

[jaelie]

So, after seeing a corset on the corsetmakers group, I got to clicking and found, of course, the poster's website. So, seeing the beautiful garments, I get distracted and start clicking around some more. Oh, and knowing Italian certainly did help here, heh.

What do I find in her Regency selection? A set of short stays like none that I've seen, which look AMAZINGLY simple to re-create. Sweet! I may just have to give it a go.

She dates the stays at 1804. The exterior is in silk taffeta, but I figure I'll use cotton at least for my first try. The front is corded horizontally and the cords look to wrap around the eyelets in the front-center which I imagine gives the eyelets that extra support they'd need. On the inside each cord is sewn in its own channel, but on the exterior it looks like the cords are doubled up, which makes me think there are three layers. I wonder if she'd send me some higher rez images... Hm....

Comments

[koshka-the-cat.livejournal.com]

I have a totally it might not be right idea, but the wrinkling around the channels looks a lot like the wrinkling on 18c garters that are made with springs. I wonder if there are springs in those channels?

Impossible to really tell with the small pictures. I'd be very interested to find out if it is cording. Which it probably is, but either way, great stays!

I did run a babelfish translation and got this:

Short Busto in taffetas of lined nocciola silk in taffetas of silk color ivory. The spalline, in taffetas of nocciola silk, are lined in burlap ecru' and finish with a final part in kidskin skin color ivory. The frontal part, sluice from a stringatura (tightens does not originate them), e' hardened from thin horizontal motivatings force of brass and parallels inserted between woven and lining. Clicca on the photo in order to see other images of this busto.

As usual, not great! I wonder if the horizontal motivatings force of brass and parallels could be springs though? Hmm. It would make sense for the corset elastique shown in lots of books and that she shows a sketch of with her picture...

Great find!

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

Ah, you're right! Thanks! I'm home now, and was better able to read it. Go-go online dictionaries for words I don't know! My studies in Italian didn't cover sewing terms, heh.

e' irrigidita da sottili molle di ottone orizzontali e parallele inserite tra tessuto e fodera.

"It's hardened with thin springs (molle) of parallel horizontal brass (ottone) inserted between the textile fabric and the lining."

I also emailed the webmistress to find out if she could possibly send me larger images and maybe a flat shot of the exterior...

[koshka-the-cat.livejournal.com]

That makes me very excited. I need these stays now! Only, where to find the right size spring? I also want a pair of garters with springs, but haven't started looking for them yet, although I've wanted the garters for years :)

That's what I love about the Regency though. They were just so innovative about getting things to fit.

And my one semester of Italian that I've almost completely forgotten (I may remember three words!) definitely didn't cover sewing terms :)

[thewolfhound.livejournal.com]

How springy do these springs need to actually be?

If you don't need super springy-ness, just a coil is easy to make with a metal dowel rod, a hole in a piece of wood, some wire, and a hand drill.