Corsets and Drawers: A Look at Regency Underwear
Fashionable young ladies of the Regency were fortunate to escape one constriction that had haunted the lives of their mothers and would later fall to their daughters and granddaughters: The Boned Corset. Where both the Georgian and Victorian sillouette called for unnaturally small waists and straight backs, designers during the Regency were captivated by the “natural Female form.”
Drawing inspiration from classical Greek and Roman statuary (all things ancient Greece were the rage at this time) they allowed for column dresses with minimal flouncing. Where once layers of hoops and petticoats reined, now almost modern dress shape took over. Waists were raised to just under the bosom while skirts hung free.
These new styles called for an all new type of support garment. Thus was born the short corset, forbearer to today’s modern undergarments. Unlike Victorian corsets which hooked in the front and laced up the back, older corsets only laced up the back in a zigzag fashion using one string—cross lacing would be invented later on—and stiffened in the front with a carved wooden or bone busk which created a straight posture and separated the bosoms for the “heaving” effect, so popular at the time. Pre-Regency corsets constrained the body from the hips to the bust line and were held on with straps over the shoulders where gown sleeves could be laced on.
These corsets could be a separate garment worn under clothes, or used as the bodice of the dress itself. It would be worn over a chemise and stockings (knee to thigh high and held up with garters).
In the 1700’s petticoats and panniers would be worn over that, though during the Regency this was slimmed down to one petticoat—and only if necessary. Drawers would not be invented until 1806. Until then, women walked free of any other undergarments. The “new” Regency Corset was a clever combination of straps, tapes and laces. They came in many styles—some for controlling the figure, some for pushing the bosom up and out in a shelf-like display. Two of these types are shown in this picture of 1819 stays from the Kyoto Museum in Japan. They would be stiffened with cording or stays, though the tight whale boned figure was still decades off.
These corsets were mostly supportive, similar to today’s bras—and not constricting or dangerous to health as some later corsets would be. Of course, not all women even wore corsets! Some settled for a boned chemise (or boned, bodiced petticoat) or a chemise with a ribbon tied underneath the bosom for enhancement. It all depended on the style being sought, the shape of the wearer and the financial investment that they wished to make.
Many stories are told, both of the fun and exasperation girls had in modifying their underclothing to suit their styles and needs. Tales are told of girls who wore pink stockings (shocking!) to simulate bare flesh and others who dampened their chemises for a see-through effect through their white and pastel gowns (popular with the men, I’m sure!)
Drawers, a modified version of the Men’s garment, tied at the waist with a string and split in the middle, were uncommon for women’s wear for the first 20 years of the 1800’s, though popular on young girls. Princess Charlotte is supposed to have 
worn them with glee, much to the astonishment of several other ladies, though this woman did not have the same happy experience:
"They are the ugliest things I ever saw: I will never put them on again. I dragged my dress in the dirt for fear someone would spy them. My finest dimity pair with real Swiss lace is quite useless to me for I lost one leg and did not deem it proper to pick it up, and so walked off leaving it in the street behind me, and the lace had cost six shillings a yard..."
Of course- Men had their own items—Undershirts are a relatively new invention, but before the advent of men’s drawers, they had nothing but their long shirts to tuck into their pants. Later, drawers- similar to shorts with a drawstring and buttoned flaps were invented, much to everyone’s relief. At the time of the Regency, men would normally be wearing cotton drawers, a linen or Muslin shirt, perhaps a corset (yes, not even the men escaped!) depending on the man, stockings and then pants (or knickers), cravat, vest and coat.
Why not browse our costume section in our online giftshop for costume, patterns and accessories?
Read more
Maternity fashions in Regency England
The History of Maternity Wear
Read more
Mrs Beeton On the Important Subject of Dress and Fashion
Isabella Beeton addresses the Mistress of the House
Read more
841 comments
cbd oil at walmart cbd oil store cbd store cbd hemp [url=http://cbdgummiesio.com/# ]cbd oil for sale [/url]
Choohackbourb
cbd cream [url=http://cbdcreamshs.com/# ]buy hemp oil [/url] cbd cbd http://cbdhempamp.com/#
Toowhelve
viagra pill [url=https://viagrafirst.com/ ]buy viagra online [/url] viagra viagra for men https://viagrafirst.com/
Toowhelve
free online dating bumble dating top dating sites absolute dating
Altervequeedge
cbd cream [url=http://cbdoinlinexo.com/# ]cbd for sale [/url] cbd oils cbd hemp buy cbd oil
gahFuengeand
online casino real money online casino slots casino real money
gahFuengeand
adult dating sites http://onlinedatingdd.com/ best online dating plenty of fish dating site asian dating
blafelliomb
http://onlinedatingdd.com/ free dating site [url=http://onlinedatingdd.com/ ]silver singles dating site [/url] christian dating
Choohackbourb
http://onlinedatingdd.com/ best dating profiles best online dating tinder dating app adult dating
gahFuengeand
free online dating dating sites best dating web sites silver singles dating site
Toowhelve
cbd pills [url=http://cbdoilforsalejmm.com/# ]cbd hemp [/url] cbd oils buy cannabis oil cbd tinctures
Altervequeedge
best online casinos best online casinos slots for real money casino game [url=https://onlinecasinogsw.com/ ]casino bonus codes [/url]
Altervequeedge
viagra prescription [url=https://viagrafirst.com/ ]viagra prescription [/url] viagra no prescription viagra pills https://viagrafirst.com/
Toowhelve
cbd pills cdb oils cbd cream cbd oil store
blafelliomb
https://forum.ladypopular.fr/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=128572&p=314416#p314416
http://forum.lws-hosting.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=179&p=94651#p94651
http://dw-game.com/forum/index.php?members/3274/
https://halls-of-valhalla.org/beta/user/Tartinwed
http://forum.lws-hosting.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=179&p=94136#p94136
Tartinlap
cbd drops [url=http://fullspectrumcbdoilyw.com/# ]cbd pure [/url] cbd cream buy cbd oil
blafelliomb
dating sim best dating web sites squirt dating relative dating [url=http://onlinedatingdd.com/ ]squirt dating [/url]
Altervequeedge
https://viagrafirst.com/ viagra for sale online viagra viagra pills viagra pill
Toowhelve
hookup sites christian dating adult dating relative dating [url=http://onlinedatingdd.com/ ]speed dating [/url]
gahFuengeand
http://onlinedatingdd.com/ facebook dating app facebook dating app best dating apps plenty of fish dating site
Toowhelve
http://onlinedatingdd.com/ hookup sites [url=http://onlinedatingdd.com/ ]free dating site [/url] naked dating
blafelliomb
local dating eharmony dating site silver singles dating site
Choohackbourb
hemp cbd cbd near me best cbd cbd pills [url=http://cbdhempamp.com/# ]cbd pure [/url]
Choohackbourb
http://buycbdoilget.com/# cbd tinctures cbd drops hemp cbd buy hemp oil
blafelliomb
generic viagra viagra prices buy viagra https://viagrafirst.com/
Toowhelve
hemp cbd oil cbd oil for sale hemp cbd oil
gahFuengeand
cbd [url=http://bestcbdoiltws.com/# ]cbd near me [/url] cbd hemp cbd store http://cbdoilforpainrx.com/#
Toowhelve
http://buycbdoilonlinerru.com/# cbd cbd products cdb oils buy cbd oil online
Choohackbourb
buy cbd oil online best cbd oil cbd oil benefits
gahFuengeand
cbd gummies walmart buy cbd oil online cbd oils buy cannabis oil
blafelliomb
http://onlinedatingdd.com/ mature dating [url=http://onlinedatingdd.com/ ]best dating apps [/url] bumble dating site
Altervequeedge
cdb oils buy cbd cbd tinctures
Altervequeedge
free dating sites [url=http://onlinedatingdd.com/ ]zoosk online dating site [/url] christian dating for free local dating date sites
Toowhelve
free dating websites dating sim speed dating free dating site [url=http://onlinedatingdd.com/ ]dating sites [/url]
Choohackbourb
http://onlinedatingdd.com/ online dating free squirt dating top dating sites shemale dating
gahFuengeand
facebook dating site [url=http://onlinedatingdd.com/ ]christian dating for free [/url] hinge dating app russian dating
blafelliomb
cbd store [url=http://cbdcreamshs.com/# ]cbd oils [/url] cbd oils cbd cream http://cbdgummiesio.com/#
Toowhelve
buy viagra cheap viagra viagra prescription viagra prices [url=https://viagrafirst.com/ ]viagra prices [/url]
Toowhelve
buy cannabis oil best cbd oil cbd products cbd online
Altervequeedge
cbd cream [url=http://cbdtincturesew.com/# ]pure cbd [/url] cbd hemp cbd oil store
gahFuengeand
cbd cdb oils cbd gummies walmart http://cbdoilhh.com/#
Toowhelve
cbd cream [url=http://cbdoilstoretv.com/# ]hemp cbd oil [/url] cbd oil at walmart cbd gummies walmart
Altervequeedge
cbd oil store [url=http://cbdoilwow.com/# ]best cbd oil [/url] cbd oil near me cbd hemp
Choohackbourb
cbd oil [url=http://cbdoilstoretv.com/# ]medterra cbd [/url] hemp cbd hemp cbd oil cbd online
Choohackbourb
best cbd oil cbd oil benefits cbd oil at walmart cbd pills [url=http://cbdoilstoretv.com/# ]cbd pure [/url]
Toowhelve
buy viagra pills viagra no prescription viagra no prescription https://viagrafirst.com/
Toowhelve
http://cbdoilhh.com/# cbd oil for sale [url=http://cbdoilwow.com/# ]pure cbd [/url] buy cbd oil online
gahFuengeand
dating naked best dating profiles bumble dating facebook dating app
Altervequeedge
http://cbdgummiesio.com/# cannabis oil buy cannabis oil cbd drops cbd products
Altervequeedge
dating site for gay teen [url=http://onlinedatingdd.com/ ]dating website [/url] dating site free dating sites zoosk dating site
blafelliomb
Leave a comment
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.