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This topic was created in the Taurus forum by venusianbull on Saturday, May 14, 2011 and has 119 replies.

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@venusianbull
16 Years25,000+ PostsTaurus

^^ Edwardian it is. I like gowns that span centuries, but my particular favorites aside from French Court, Medieval, Renaissance are Regency and Victorian. Case in point:

Those are evening gowns, check out a wedding gown. Insanely beautiful. Simple in appearance, no? Until you take into account it was all done by hand and the woman who wore it had more than like 30 lbs. + of underpinnings beneath it. Corset, chemise, petticoats, later 1800s, a bustle. Stockings, shoes, etc.

Also Edwardian. 1907.

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@venusianbull
16 Years25,000+ PostsTaurus

More comfortable than you might expect. As are corsets if you don't tight lace. A busk ran down the front of those gowns that slid into a more comfortable idea of a corset. I think a farthingale would be more of a challenge. It held the skirts out so far that it would be easy for them to catch fire as you walked by.

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@venusianbull
16 Years25,000+ PostsTaurus

LOL I think it has to do with the weight of things. And if you tight lace it crushes the rib cage, shifts organs about. Good grief, did you know they put infant girls in soft corsets to start getting them used to it? This is the 1800s we're talking about. But a lady never went without a corset. It was unseemly. Slatternly in fact. Let's get dressed, shall we? 1864. Bloomers, stockings, corset. Stockings could be of cotton, more commonly of wool. Silk was for the elite. On we go. Bustle, comprised of fabric and metal. Made the rounded bundle above the bottom. Taking into account the metal or whalebone in the corset itself. More weight. Petticoats, and at times more than 5. Layers of them to hold the skirts out full. THEN the gown. Dependant upon style and fabric some bits needed to be tacked or lightly sewn over the other. Now a dress of muslin or other would be quite light. But when we get into heavier things you might be looking at over 20 lbs. of dress alone. Not to mention the entire back of your head coiled with braids, ear bobs and hair accessories. Now imagine functioning like this. Walking, cooking, strolling through the park or outdoors. Every day.

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@venusianbull
16 Years25,000+ PostsTaurus

And by 'skirts' I mean just that. Underskirt, could be row upon row of ruffles, ribbon and other. OVERskirt, usually in complimentary color. Top bodice tightly fitted. A jabot of lace, a pin at the high throat. Never ending.