While I’m finishing up accessories for my Napoleonic project, let’s talk about the 17th century! I’m interested in 1660s and 1670s baroque fashion, which broadly speaking consists…
While I’m finishing up accessories for my Napoleonic project, let’s talk about the 17th century! I’m interested in 1660s and 1670s baroque fashion, which broadly speaking consists…
This article was first published at Foundations Revealed in April 2015. Due to length and amount of picture, this article will be posted in two parts here. Introduction Pieter de Hooch, Mother Lacing Her Bodice Beside A Cradle, 1659-1660 17th century stays is a rather neglected subject in fashion history and little have been written about it. There are also very few remaining examples of stays and boned bodices and even fewer of those have been properly analyzed. This article will take a brief look at the history of stays and discuss a few extant garments to see if any conclusions can be drawn on how they were constructed. The focus will be on the upper classes and examples in text relate to Northern Europe in general even if the extant garments described are mostly from Great Britain. Interesting and related topics like staymaking as a trade, critique against stay wearing and how stays were worn by different social classes will only lightly be touched upon. I am not mentioning kirtles either. In the 17th century stays could also be called a pair of bodies, a straight pair of bodies or a pair of stays, but for ease I use stays throughout the text. A brief history of 17th century stays and fashion Stays emerge in fashion history in the late 16th century though the exact dates and evolution process are not known. By the beginning of the 17th century stiffened stays were an indispensable garment in the upper class woman’s wardrobe. It is important, however, to remember that stays served more than one purpose. The most obvious one being to shape the body into a fashionable shape, a foundation to which the clothes were fitted. But they also served as breast support and they served a moral purpose. A female body in stays were a decent body. Stays could also be used for medical purposes, especially for children, both girls and boys, were laced into stays to ensure that they grew straight. English School, Portrait of A Lady, 1610-1615 In the early 17th century women’s fashion were rigid and very formal. The bodice had a long narrow waist, large ruffs were still worn and so was the cumbersome farthingale. Around 1620 fashion grew less formal, and the waist crept up above its natural place. Anthony van Dyck, Anne Sophia, Countess of Carnavon, 17th century The high waisted fashion were quite temporary, though, in the 1640’s the waist was once again in its natural place. At the same time the boned bodice became popular, they were essentially stays covered in fabric and with sleeves permanently sewn in, making them both stays and bodice at the same time. With some variations this fashion kept up until the 1680’s. The gowns were less decorated than in the early 17th century and necklines were near or off the shoulders. Even if the boned bodice seems to have been extremely popular, ordinary stays were still worn. Some types of garments, like riding habits, needed stays as they were not boned. There were also a growing trade of ready-made stays for the lower classes who did not rely on the boned bodice in the same way. Sweden started to import ready-made stays in 1667, for example. In the 1670’s the mantua became a popular fashion. It was a gown that got its shape from being pleated around the body and now separate stays really came into their own. The boned bodice remained for formal wear,but the mantua kept its popularity throughout the rest of the century. Gabriel Metsu, Woman Playing Viola de gamba, 1663 By the second half of 17th century, stays were worn by all classes and even a working woman could own more than one pair. In 1662 a maid in the Finish town Viborg, had three pairs stolen from her and in Sweden in 1684, simple stays were part of a female servant’s salary. As a result, stays were made for all classes. Upper class stays was constructed from linen canvas, buckram and silk, stiffened with whalebone and perhaps also paste and paper. For the lower classes stays were made from linen, wool or leather. Whalebones could be used in less expensive stays, but they could also be stiffened with reed, cane or pack-thread (hemp-cord). Leather stays may not have needed additional boning to give support. The lower classes could purchase their stays ready-made or second hand while the upper classes bought bespoke stays where the staymaker visited the customer’s homes to take measurements and fit the stays. Simon Dequoy, Anne de Souvré, 1695 Stays had become an essential garment for women of all stations in life even if material and rigidity changed after the user’s need. A few years into the 18th century, in 1712, a leather bodice with a stomacher, valued to 2 s,8 d (modern value around £10) was seen as part of the clothing minimum for girls in a London charity school, indicating that it was seen as must even for society’s poorest members. Between 1684 and 1700 the records of Old Bailey lists stays as stolen property twenty-nine times. The value of them varies a lot, the cheapest are valued to 2 shilling, the most expensive ones 40. That means that stays were quite expensive, in modern pricing they would range between £8-160. Material is more rarely noted, one pair is made of stuff, usually a wool fabric and then made of silk. In the beginning of the 17th century stay were made by the tailor, but gradually staymaking became a trade in its own right, in France, for example, that happened in 1660. Making stays were considered a man’s work, just as tailoring clothes was and even when women, in the last quarter of the century, got the right to sew clothes for their own sex, staymaking continued to be a man’s trade. In 1688, The Academy of Armory and Blazon (Book III) describes the construction of stays with great detail. They are made of seven pattern pieces, the back, the side parts and the fore parts and the shoulder straps. Stays can be open in the front or in the back. If laced in the front then there is also the stomacher that goes under the lacing. The stomacher has a pocket for the busk, a flat piece of wood, horn, whalebone, metal or ivory that help to push the breasts up and the tummy down. The busk was often richly decorated. The boning channels are marked on the pattern pieces before they are stitched down. Whalebone is cut to size and inserted.The bottom of the stays have skirts, tabs. Stays are lined with fustian or linen and the edges are bound. The lacing holes are whipstitched. The laces have metal tags at the ends to keep from fraying. When the stays are finished, the are covered in the fabric of the gown and sleeves are attached. Bernhard Keil, The Lacemaker, after 1660 Stays before 1650 Stays are difficult to date and there a few guidelines on how they evolved. As of now only three pairs of stays known to still exist that can be dated between 1600-1650. The oldest is known as the Effigy stays in Westminster Abbey. They were found on the effigy of Elizabeth I and was probably made for her funeral in 1603 by her tailor John Colt. They are very simple and the stays the Queen wore were covered in silk or satin. The Effigy stays are made of double layers of twill fustian and are bound with green leather. The boning channels are stitched with linen thread and it is laced in the front with twenty-nine pairs of lacing holes. They are made from three patterns pieces (the lining has four) and the side-back seam is slightly curved. They are long-waisted and the front deeps down in a peak. They are boned with whalebones. Crimson stays at Manchester Galleries. Photo by Annika Windahl Pontén Crimson stays, 1638-1650s The Gallery of Costumes, Platt Hall. Cut from four pattern pieces, but the seam at the center back is straight and may be a result from an effort to save fabric, not because it is necessary to have a seam there. Made from one layer of crimson silk satin and one of herringbone weave linen and bound with pale blue silk ribbon. Laced in the front over a stomacher. Boning channels sewn in pale blue silk thread. The center front is shallower and more rounded than on the Effigy stays. Six skirts with two unboned gores inserted between the skirts at the front. The seams are covered with wide metal lace. The Sittingbourne stays were found under the floorboards of an old inn and are dated to 1620-1640. They are dated to 16 and are made of linen twill, or possibly fustian. They are front-laced and made from three pattern pieces, bound with leather. The shoulder straps are cut off the shoulder. The stays are worn and patched and have evidently been in heavy use. They have five skirts and the front goes down into a shallow peak. There is no armscye, from the high back panel the top is a straight line and it is possible that they would not encase the breasts much, if at all. Perhaps they would have looked similar to this painting were the breast support seems to be the shift as it is pressed against the bosom with the help of the stays. Anonymous, Rich Man and Lazarus, c. 1610
Nobel woman with Coiffure à la Hurluberlus at the court of Louis XIV. Versailles 17th century. Costumes historiques de ville de Achille Devéria.
While I’m finishing up accessories for my Napoleonic project, let’s talk about the 17th century! I’m interested in 1660s and 1670s baroque fashion, which broadly speaking consists…
Bracelets with miniature portraits of the Duchesses de Nemours and d'Aumale, 1840 and 1846, respectively
Early 17th century Italian peasant attire/costume, made to measure. The gown includes: one linen smock (=shirt), one kirtle made of linen, one petticoat made of linen and one apron made of linen or cotton (all garments will be as shown in pictures). The bodice is reinforced with spiral steel bones (not visible), lined with fabric made by natural fibers and has a spiral lacing on the sides. The eyelets can be - hand sewn with linen thread - hand sewn with silk thread - metal eyelet hand-covered with thread (please note: this option isn't recommended if you prefer an accurate historical gown) The kirtle skirt it's pleated (cartridge pleats), lined and has a decoration with three parallel ribbons near the dress hem. The smock/chemise is pleated like in the picture and reaches a mid calf length; the cuff is closed by ribbons. The petticoat is pleated (cartridge pleats) at the waist and has a decoration made with a different linen color near the hem. The apron is made of linen or cotton. You can add to your order also the coif and pockets: the coif is made of white linen and the pockets are made of cotton (please note: the pockets are plain, if you want to request pockets decorated with blackwork embroidery see the following “custom orders” section) Corset and breeches are not included in this listing, but they can be requested: see the following “custom orders” section. Please note: this type of dress requires the correct corset to achieve the correct silhouette. The gown will be made in the color/colors of your choice: please send a message to know the available combinations or if you want/prefer wool fabric. *fabric or color availability depends on the suppliers and can change from season to season* Any design/fabric change and/or any addition of decorative details must be requested before purchase and involve a variation in costs; your fabric choice must be communicated before purchase. A diagram to take the necessary measurements will be sent to you after the purchase. Custom orders: any request of -design changes of the gown design or fabric (wool for example) -design changes of decorative elements (embroideries, etc ) -made to measure corset /undergarment/ coif/ pockets/ breeches must be requested before purchase, because they involve a variation in costs and processing time. For an estimate, please send an email at [email protected] Processing time: After the purchase, the fabric selection and receiving your measurements it takes about 2 / 3 month for the peasants attire/costume to be completed. Your bespoke order will take part of a production cycle in which other garments and accessories are created. For this reason it's recommended to order your gown in advance of your event/historical re-enactment/wedding date because not always it will be possible to speed your custom order. Shipping: This gown will be shipped via DHL Express. Shipping is always tracked but it's recommended to choose the insured shipping. Shipping for EU countries takes 2 business days. Shipping for non EU countries takes from 3 to 6 business days. For countries outside the European Union: custom charges are not included in the shipping or item price. Customs charges are to be covered by the customer at delivery. Company policy: the item is non-refundable and non retournable: please be careful while taking your measurements and follow the diagram that will be provided to you.
