#but even for me I don't think I'd even have to tightlace because I have not even an hourglass. it's like a violin.

[david-watts]

I’ve previously discussed how I think I want to make an 1830s-style corset for binding and back support reasons because well. one bra works for me and it costs 1/6th of what I make in a month. and binders really don’t do shit unless it’s the one underworks that I have but I can’t leave the house wearing it because it makes my pots worse. but back on track I kinda also wanna make an 1860s-style one too but probably when I’ve been on t for a bit so I don’t get super dysphoric. because I just know that I could do some real faggy looks with the way I suspect my waist will look

[trishmishtree]

So I wasted a weekend making another set of regency stays

Remember when I made a pair of Regency short stays earlier this year and then realized the effort, while not completely wasted, was not going to work for the 1810s evening gown I was trying to reconstruct because the bust was better for 1800s and not high enough for 1810s?

Well, I decided to go for a pair of stays with a wooden busk down the front this time to see if I could get the "lift and separate" effect that the 18-teens calls for. I used the Bernhardt stays pattern (with some tweaking for fit) and made it from 2 layers of a white cotton twill. And they're...okay, I guess? The pattern could definitely use some more tweaking (the whole thing needs to be 2-3 inches longer) but in my defense, you can't really tell for certain if the fit is going to be right until you put in lacing and put it on properly. And I had to stitch the whole thing by hand so I didn't exactly fancy putting in 22 eyelet holes by hand for every single mockup I made. Also, it's spiral laced in the back (aka a pain in the ass to get into and out of when you live alone and don't have a sister/significant other/maid to help you get dressed), so I just didn't try them on until I'd finished the whole thing. And by then it was too late to make adjustments.

(For anyone interested in trying out the Bernhardt stays, don't bother scaling up the bust and hip gussets provided by the pattern. It's better to just fit them on yourself to determine what gusset shapes you need.)

So for what it is, it's not bad. Definitely usable for the 1810s, if I put the partially bodiced petticoat over it:

The whole effect really doesn't look any different from when I tried it on with the 1800s short stays. I think the bodiced petticoat is forgiving enough that it will hide most fit issues with any stays worn underneath. That, or I'm just so flat-chested that it doesn't really matter what structural support system I use to get the correct historical silhouette for this era since my bust just doesn't need the support. I can probably go without stays at all and the petticoat would still likely be enough.

So basically, while this was a fun project and simple enough to construct, I probably could have not bothered making it and just gone with my short stays from before.

That said, this shift-stays-petticoat ensemble is really hecking comfy and I kind of want to spend the rest of the day lounging in them and not change back into regular clothes. Especially given how long it took to lace myself into them...

As always, I am NOT lacing tightly. You kind of can't do that with regency stays/c0rsets anyway because they're not meant for reducing your waist (because the dresses have empire waistlines and tiny waists were not fashionable because no one was going to see your waist anyway) and trying to lace down would only result in you tearing the handsewn eyelet holes. Which you just painstakingly put in. By hand. Because metal eyelets weren't invented yet.

(I have not seen Bridgerton and I never will because that single tightlacing scene was enough for me to know it is not worth my time.)

[thurisazsalail]

I LOVE mine as compression + back support garments. If you have EDS + are prone to things like vertebrae slipping or dysautonomia, a corset is perfect.

A corset that isn't one of those tightlaced fetish styles you might think of when imaging "corset." Mine has metal bones, which btw weren't invented until ~1920s or 30s. This is important because they are superior at maintaining shape + providing compression + support. Some seem to think that scene in movies where someone is hanging onto a bedframe and getting their waists down to weird proportions or having organs displaced is a *real thing* but that wasn't even physically POSSIBLE with whalebone (think like zip tie flexibility) and hand-sewn grommet holes. The fabric would tear long before. Sorry, it isn't real. Don't inbox me with "proof." This is something historians + fashion recreators have talked about a LOT. Before metal boning, a lot of dramatic movie stuff is just dramatic movie stuff.

I got my corset online for ~$150USD but there are cheaper ones. I'd just check the fabric + quality when someone says "I can do it cheaper!" It isn't too tight. It's made for my natural waist size. I just wish I could get a different front busk size. They're either ~1" too short, 3" too long, or for a "waspie" they're ~4-5" too short. A custom one would run ~$600 though so good enough. I have a little room in it, and plenty to breathe.

I have support all day for walking without fainting, plus extra support when doing laundry or doing housework. There is a mesh style for heat or fashion. Corsets are typically worn with something lightweight and breathable underneath, so I usually have a thin tank top. Corsets are usually washable. I just put mine in a garment bag on cold water, low heat to dry (remember: metal* inside. It will heat up, possibly burning the fabric AND YOU.)

Very glad that I remembered how good my corset is for back pain. I've been moving an absolute fuck ton of mulch around my yard (no joke, I got a small dump truck load delivered from a local tree trimming company) and even when I do it all perfectly it still makes my back sore the next day. But shoot, rock the corset for a day I'm right as rain. Very much considering throwing an additional corset into the hopper for my winter plans of making undergarments. I'm already slotted to make a pair of stays, and a 19-teens corset. Might fuck around and make another 19th c one as well so that I have a couple I could cycle through for daily wear.